By Sonia Garza
Military spouses are the masters of transition and resilience. It’s not easy having to uproot a career and re-establish it in a new and unfamiliar place every few years. What is one to do in this situation? Turn to In Gear Career.
In Gear Career is a non-profit organization that helps military spouses navigate the job market so they don’t have to sacrifice their careers. As a military spouse, I realize the importance of an organization like this. After relocating, it is easy for your identity to get lost in your service member’s military career. Spouses endure multiple moves, having to constantly start and stop jobs, update resumes and explain gaps in work history. Piled on top of everything else, this can be a daunting task.
It is because of this that In Gear Career founders Lauren Weiner, Donna Huneycutt and Haley Uthlaut established this organization to help others find work appropriate to their level of education and experience. Their hope is to improve quality of life by helping military spouses seek professional employment despite the demands of the military lifestyle.
In Gear Career encourages career development through networking opportunities with local chapters and an online community. Currently, there are 16 established chapters in 14 states with two chapters in Italy, one in development in Bahrain, and three more in development in the United States.
Pam Alvarado and Alana Le are the Joint Base Lewis-McChord chapter leads and administrators over the local chapter’s Facebook page. Pam became the chapter lead after her friend had launched the Ft. Leavenworth chapter and they were looking for someone to run the JBLM chapter. In October 2013, the JBLM chapter officially launched.
Pam is an entrepreneur with a Juice Plus franchise, but before she became a business owner, she was a businesswoman in human resources and found that career advancement was a problem for military spouses. “Had they had an organization like this, military spouses wouldn’t have had as many hardships,” she said. “It really pulled at my heartstrings.”
In Gear Career has helped countless spouses in their careers. The organization has assisted Pam’s career by meeting new people and building relationships. “The intention of the meet ups is not to promote our own businesses or gain prospects and referrals,” Pam said. “Actually, the majority of attendees are not business owners at all. They are people that work in business. We just want to make new friends and help each other on our career paths.”
The JBLM chapter currently has 100 Facebook members and hosts one event a month. It is growing to include one speaker a month and one social a month. Most events are based on the group’s interests. Past events have included:
- Military spouse networking happy hour at the Swing Wine Bar Café in Olympia
- Mentorship and your career over a power lunch at Indy Sandwich Co in Lakewood
- Virtual Job fair: Hiring our Heroes
- Making a Difference: how volunteering can advance your career at McNamara’s Pub in DuPont
- Hiring Fair at American Lake Conference Center
- Perfecting your Elevator Speech at Black Bear Frozen Yogurt and Espresso in Lakewood
- Dress for Professional Success
- Savvy Strategies for using LinkedIn at Liberty Inn in DuPont
In Gear Career’s biggest turnouts so far were for their LinkedIn workshop and when a base representative came to speak about working on post and how to tweak your resume. More events are coming this fall and spring to include industry professionals from the area like Amazon and Microsoft.
Another successfully attended event was the Perfecting your Elevator Speech event. “It was fun learning from an expert but then practicing on each other. It was a good chance to get to know new people more since an elevator pitch is basically an introduction,” Alana said. “It was also good to get feedback on how we introduce ourselves. I felt it was a fun and productive way to connect with other like-minded military spouses and help each other out”.
Here are some benefits to joining:
- In Gear Career is free
- Open to veterans, retired, reserve, spouses, military affiliated can be a member
- It provides a community of career-minded military spouses
- Offers networking opportunities
- Professional events monthly
- Great place to make friends
Military spouse Cinda Doggett has attended a few events. “I’ve met some contacts that have helped me with my career, and I’ve learned some great skills for both job-hunting and for everyday life,” she said.
The most exciting part of joining In Gear Career for Pam has been “getting to see all the different backgrounds of spouses,” she says. “It’s cool to meet new people and help match people up in different jobs or careers. You never know when that’s going to happen.”
Interested in joining? Pam suggests taking that first step out of your comfort zone. “You don’t know where that will take you and where it will lead you in your career. Just come and say ‘hi.’ I truly believe that jobs now a days are not filled by applications. They are filled from personal relationships and knowing people.”
For more information about the group, contact Pam Alvarado at Jblm@ingearcareer.org, or follow the JBLM chapter’s Facebook page where you will find the calendar of events.
