By Holly Bates

Let me introduce myself. I’m a 40-something, fabulous woman working hard to focus us improving myself - both personally and professionally. I’m actively seeking employment here in Georgia within the human resource or contracting field after a three-year “vacation” in Hawaii where my husband was stationed.  

Now, as he puts it, it’s my hubby’s turn for a vacation. He proudly served the Army for the last 20 years and looks forward to the easy life of retirement within the next two. Yeah, right!  Like that’s going to happen with a school-age child in the house.

Regardless, the pressure is on for me to find employment as quickly as possible to smooth the transition from an active duty family to a retired one.

During our entire marriage, I’ve always worked and contributed to our family. The only breaks in my employment history came in Germany after the birth of our son when it took 18 months for me to find a job; and in Hawaii where I completed my MBA and stayed at home to help my son adjust to the culture shock of PCSing.  

I accepted my last position, administrative officer for a garrison directorate at Fort Hood, Texas, on the same day my husband received orders sending us to Hawaii. It was November 2010. Our family faced a tough decision - turn down the job or stay for as long as I could until my son completed the school year, then follow my hubby to Hawaii.  

Many military families frequently face these same or similar situations. After some great mentoring from my mother-in-law, a retired military spouse, I accepted the position and gained eight months of time-in-grade before PCSing. Along with my MBA, the eight months experience will help me in my current job search.  

It’s been a few months since we returned to the mainland, and my job search has been mostly half-hearted. We PCSed during the Christmas holidays, then I spent the beginning of the new year unpacking household goods and organizing our new home. I’ve attended a couple of ACS programs for local job hunting and resume preparation. Most of my searching has been limited to searching online at USAJobs. It’s been difficult as a one-vehicle household to get out and look for local civilian jobs - something I’m sure many other military spouses can understand. You can’t get just go out on last-minute interviews when you have to wait for your husband to bring the vehicle depending on his mission requirements.  

With over 15 years in a GS position under my belt, I prefer to be reinstated as a GS employee, but I’m open to a civilian or contract job that utilizes my experience and education. I began my government career as a work-study student at the USDA while attending the University of Florida, then moved on to the Office of Personnel Management as job information specialist.  After receiving word of the upcoming closure of our office, I took a break from government employment.  
I returned to federal employment and worked for the U.S. Army during my husband’s first tour of duty in Germany and spent some time working for the U.S. Air Force during his second tour there.

An HR officer once told me she’d never seen anyone get out of the secretary rut, but I’ve been pretty successful so far. I look forward to sharing tips and suggestions with you along my journey to reach my goal of obtaining a government position with long-term advancement.