Photo By Jenn DeHaan | There are many resources available for incoming spouses searching for employment upon...... read more read more
Jenn DeHaan | Fort Knox News
FORT KNOX, Ky. – Military spouses oftentimes experience many different concerns when their Soldier receives orders to a new duty station – one of which is finding a job.
For spouses arriving at Fort Knox, Army Community Service specialist Summer Carney is ready to offer employment assistance to anyone hunting for a job. She said her goal is a simple one.
“My hope is to be able to empower military spouses,” said Carney.
In addition to overseeing the spouse optimization program, Carney helps direct incoming spouses to the many resources available to them. She said the first step is to reach out to her.
“As soon as they know they’re coming to Knox, they can give me a call,” said Carney. “Once they call me, I will send them information and tell them to go ahead and get their resume ready. Then, they should start getting in contact with the resources I provide.”
Spouses who contact Carney will receive a welcome email explaining their next steps. Carney said there’s one website in particular that provides many employment services dedicated to military Families, even before they arrive at their new duty station.
“One of the biggest resources is Military One Source. They are that one-stop shop that we refer everyone to that’s not here locally,” said Carney. She explained there are two contacts in the Fort Knox area with whom spouses will want to then get in touch.
“The [first] local resource that we have is the Knox Regional Development Alliance,” said Carney. “They actually connect military spouses with mentors in the field that they may be interested in. It’s not necessarily a guaranteed job, but they help spouses network.”
Carney said the second local contact for spouses is the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, which focuses on economic development in the Fort Knox area. While these three key resources are provided in her welcome email, spouses will still want to opt in for another service she provides.
“Get on my email distribution list because that’s where I filter all of my information out,” said Carney. “I send out emails anywhere from two to four times a week with information about job openings, virtual events and more.”
In addition to reaching out to the military community to share information, Carney said she also gets many recruiters reaching out to her directly in hopes of being connected to spouses looking for employment – many of whom may offer just what a spouse is looking for.
“A lot of the jobs that come across my desk are military spouse friendly,” said Carney. “They understand that applicants may not be able to start right away or [may] need them to hold the position. There’s so many things that could transpire to where an employer can wait for you to get settled. You just never know.
“A lot of the jobs I receive are also remote positions. So they may be three months out, but they can start a job if they need to, and they can bring it with them to Fort Knox.”
In addition to jobs in the surrounding Fort Knox area, there are also facilities directly on the installation currently hiring to include the Exchange and Child Youth Services, according to Carney. She said no matter if a spouse is looking for employment on or off post, there’s one thing they’ll want to be prepared for across the board.
“You have to be patient. The hiring process, whether it’s federal or on the civilian side, is not a fast one,” said Carney, who offered another important reminder. “Be prepared and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to multiple positions; even if you don’t think you qualify for it, apply because you just never know.”
One final resource Carney recommended new spouses take advantage of is social media.
“I encourage any incoming spouse to follow the Fort Knox ACS Facebook page,” said Carney, “because every Wednesday I post information about anything related to employment readiness and job openings that I have received throughout the week.”
Carney pointed out there’s also other groups on Facebook spouses should be seeking out along with official Fort Knox pages.
“Go ahead and join some of the spouse groups,” said Carney. “A lot of the spouses that are on my email list post the information I send out in those groups. That’s how I’ve been getting a lot of contacts as well, just by word of mouth from other spouses.”
With all the information Carney has at her disposal, she said one of her greatest desires is that people share what she has to offer.
“My hope is once a spouse has been able to find success utilizing this program, spread the word,” said Carney. “Don’t just keep it to yourself. Share the wealth so that everybody can benefit from it.”
Carney said while she’s always ready to help incoming spouses when they’re starting their hunt for new employment, there’s one main thing she wants everyone to keep in mind:
“It’s never too early to start the job search.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Editor’s note: Summer Carney can be reached by calling 502-624-8068.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2021 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 401915 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Experts to incoming spouses: ‘It's never too early to start looking for jobs’, by Jenn DeHaan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
