The military spouse career roadmap is full of twists and turns. And sometimes, you might find yourself on an extended pitstop — anticipated or not.
Many spouses of those who serve put their careers on hold for several reasons. According to Blue Star Families’ 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, here are the top three among active-duty spouse respondents who need or want to work:
I homeschool/supervise virtual education for my child(ren) – 35%
Child care is too expensive – 34%
My service member’s daily work schedule is too unpredictable – 33%
See a common thread running through the above stats? Military spouses sacrifice their careers to serve their family — just as their service member spouse sacrifices to serve their country.
Elaine is fully aware of what that sacrifice on the homefront means because she lived it, trading in her full-time position 13 years ago for the honorable, meaningful title of a stay-at-home mom. Now, she’s making her return into the workforce — the remote workforce, that is. And she’s thriving on a team that fully embraces generational diversity.
A Snapshot of Elaine
When Elaine met her husband, she had a full-time career. When the couple started their family, however, she chose to stay home for their kids. It was a seemingly obvious choice for Elaine, given that she grew up in a military family, with both of her parents serving and sacrificing for their careers. She wanted to give her kids the opposite of what she had.
So for 13 years, Elaine did precisely that. Fast forward, and Elaine and her husband’s kids are now in middle school and high school. Can you guess where her journey takes her next? Getting her foot back in the door through remote work.
“My husband made the military a career. It’s my turn now. I wanted to get back in there.”
Embracing Generational Diversity to Learn & Grow on a Remote Team
Elaine first connected with Instant Teams through Virtforce’s Facebook post about an Instant Interview event. She proceeded, thinking, “Why not?! It doesn’t hurt to try.” After creating her Arti profile, she scheduled her interview two days later, and she landed the remote opportunity right then and there.
“Literally, when you guys say Instant Interview event, it is that – no joke. I landed a remote opportunity all within a week’s worth of time. I’ve been moving nonstop since then.”
Sure, the process was seamless for Elaine — from the outside looking in. But, she shared that she was hesitant to put herself out there due to her age and career gap. Would a remote company like Instant Teams genuinely champion generational diversity? After all, a top remote readiness skill is tech-savviness. The short answer: yes.
“Instant Teams gave me the opportunity to learn. I was afraid of that because I’m not tech-savvy. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom. I had no clue coming into it! I felt like I was supported during the learning process. They didn’t make me feel I was outdated. They gave us the tools and resources to succeed. It was so quick and simple, and it made me feel really comfortable.”
Remote work can take some getting used to, whether you’re accustomed to working in a traditional office environment, or you’ve taken some time away from your career. But there are plenty of tools out there to help you succeed and effectively collaborate with your team. You need to have a willingness to learn and adapt, like Elaine.
As a result of this passion for growth, she’s fully planted herself back into the workforce as an Instant Teams Remote Team Member. She has access to all the tools for remote success — from checking in with her community of coworkers on Slack to keeping track of meetings and to-dos in Google Suite so she can focus on doing her job — all from the comfort of home.
“Instant Teams allows me to focus 100% on work because I’m working from home and I don’t have to think in the back of my head, ‘Are my kids okay?’ Then, right after work, I can immediately switch off and get back to being a mom.”
Elaine offers some words of encouragement to others who are interested in remote work but might have resumé gaps or concerns about age diversity in the workplace that are holding them back:
“Just go for it! If you have that age gap, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. There are companies that are willing to take that chance, and they won’t look at you differently — companies like Instant Teams. You will succeed. Instant Teams has shown me it’s possible for me to get back out there and be successful.”
We’ll leave you with these words of affirmation: No matter your age or career journey, YOU are capable of achieving sustainable remote work, like Elaine. There’s a remote team that’s ready for the diversity you bring to the table.
