LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
For a spouse, moving constantly isn't necessarily a perk when it comes to finding a career.
While Service members receive orders and a place to continue their careers, their spouses are often left to find their own job at the new location.
At least, that used to be the case until the Civilian Personnel Office at Langley Air Force Base, Va. offered the Spousal Preference Program to all spouses of active duty Service members.
"Before, spouses had to be previously federally employed to utilize our program," said Sloan Maurice, 633rd Force Support Squadron human resources assistant. "Now, all spouses of active-duty Service members can utilize our services."
Maurice helps spouses find jobs funded by appropriated funds; government jobs that fall under wage grade or general schedule positions. In order to receive aid from the CPO, spouses must register with the CPO, provide a copy of orders from the active-duty member, attach any school transcripts and file a federal-style resume.
For those new to the Air Force, "wage grade" and "general schedule" hardly describe what kind of work an employee will be doing. In essence, GS positions tend to lean more towards clerical and administrative positions while WG positions are more physical and labor-intensive. Depending on which fields are available, a resume should be adjusted accordingly.
But what is a federal-style resume?
A federal-style resume is more detailed than an average resume and more complicated. The Airman and Family Readiness Center can help spouses make a resume. Spouses can also visit
www.usajobs.gov, and access an online resume tutorial. The website also lists available jobs.
After the registration and filing process, spouses will sit down with a CPO staff member and go over the program, as well as answer any questions.
Spouses have two years from the date the active-duty Service member's orders were drafted to be employed. Spouses will also be removed from the Spousal Preference Program if they turn down an offered position. Also, if a spouse finds a job independently while registered in the program and turns it down the spouse will be removed from the program.
Aside from appropriated funds, there are also non-appropriated funds positions. These jobs are not backed by the government, but instead by civilian companies. NAF also has a Spousal Preference Program.
"What's great about NAF applications is that it can be done entirely online," said Marion Grubb, 633rd FSS human resources officer. "However, we are always here if an applicant has any questions."
All applicants must go to
www.nafjobs.org and create a profile. To complete the process, applicants must attach a digital resume (it doesn't have to be federal style), a digital copy of the active-duty Service member's orders and any transcripts the applicant might have.
If spouses are aware of a move, they have an additional 30 days before the reporting date on the orders to look for jobs at their new location, said Grubb.
NAF positions also have pay bands similar to the GS and WG pay grades, however Child and Youth Services follows its own pay scale.
With the help of the CPO, all spouses have the ability to not only find employment quickly, but also the ability to continue a career in the all-to-hectic military lifestyle.
For more information on the CPO or appropriated-funds positions, call Maurice at 757-764-6262. For NAF positions, call the NAF Human Resource Office at 757-764-2992 for the Langley AFB office, or 757-878-5100 for the Fort Eustis office.