Military spouses are the backbone of the military community, yet they face unique circumstances that can make it difficult for them to gain and maintain employment. Frequent long-distance moves, service member deployment and temporary assignments, and unpredictable military schedules present challenges for military spouses who want or need employment.

Hiring Our Heroes, a program from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce foundation, “connects the military community with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong, diversified workforce.” Since 2011, Hiring our Heroes has worked to create meaningful employment opportunities for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses through private and public sector partnerships, a robust network of employers, and tailored resources and events for military-connected job seekers. In 2022, Hiring Our Heroes connected over 53,000 veterans and military spouses to jobs.

A-G began utilizing Hiring our Heroes in 2017 and has since hired over 10 fellows into full-time positions, most of whom are military spouses. Sonya Hyde, Project Manager and military spouse, is one of A-G’s longest-tenured employees hired from Hiring Our Heroes. “I was so fortunate to land at A-G in 2018, it’s been an amazing opportunity”, she described. For close to a decade, the military spouse unemployment rate (21 percent) has been notably higher than the civilian unemployment rate (4 percent). Chris Gonzalez, president and founder of A-G, sees how military spouse employment opportunities increase force readiness, “For the war fighter to do their job most effectively, their spouse has to be fully engaged in meaningful work if that’s their choice, their family has to be taken care of [while serving in the military].”

“We always made a pact that once my husband was done with the Army, it was going to be my turn to go back to the workforce” said Vania Yague, a Behavioral Health Analyst at A-G. Hiring Our Heroes not only connects military spouses like her with companies like A-G that are looking to hire but prepares candidates for the hiring process with resume reviews, mock interviews, and professional development support. Fellowships are 12 weeks and backed by financial support so both the fellow and the company can assess fit while engaging in a mutually beneficial relationship. Companies that host fellows are expected to provide an opportunity for those fellows to interview for open positions if they have met expectations. Through these resources Vania Yague shared, “Hiring our Heroes helped me pivot and figure out what was next for my career, it helped me speed up that process and refine what options I had. The whole time [I was working with Hiring Our Heroes] I felt like they wanted every candidate to succeed.”

One strength of the program Lara Quintanar, a Senior Research Analyst at A-G, described is having a chance to stand out in a sea of candidates, “It puts your resume into a different pile instead of being shuffled in with all the other resumes coming from different channels, this one is a separate pile and it’s smaller so you’re more likely to get looked at in the first place.” Standing out in the labor market can be a challenge for military spouses who often have gaps or disjointed work experiences due to the demands of the military lifestyle, such as frequent moves and deployment cycles. Lara Quintanar elaborated, “You have to explain the big gaps in your resume to every single person when you apply for a job” but with Hiring Our Heroes companies “know you’re a military spouse already.”

Even with resumes that may not look like the traditional career path, military spouses possess a unique set of qualities that shine in the workplace. Character, work ethic, dependability, and an eagerness to learn are a few of the characteristics Chris Gonzalez used to describe why military spouses succeed in the workplace even when thorny problems are thrown their way. Pepper Phillips, a Data Analyst at A-G, described “You have to learn to be able to move on your feet. You’ve always got to be able to adjust and recover.” Similarly, Lara Quintanar noted military spouses have a “willingness and determination to get things done because so much of the time the responsibility falls on [them] to get stuff done.” Military spouses are used to challenges being thrown their way, whether during their spouse’s deployment or in the middle of a cross-country move, often having to find solutions and resolve problems independently.

A-G staff who have come through the Hiring Our Heroes program appreciate working with other military-connected individuals at A-G, whether other military spouses, veterans, or parents of service members. Pepper Phillips described, “I don’t have to go in and explain to my co-workers what my husband coming home from deployment looks like because they already know. There’s a deeper level of understanding that doesn’t make me sound like I’m making excuses.” Lara Quintanar agrees that A-G just “gets it”, sharing “A-G has been way more understanding than other employers I’ve worked for in the past. They’ve been way more understanding about the value we bring but also the flexibility and support we need.” In particular, the critical mass of military and veteran spouses working at A-G makes a difference in having support in the working environment.  “I love that A-G hires a lot of military spouses because they know what my life is like. That’s really important for me. I don’t have to explain when I’m having a bad day because they have been there, done that”, said Pepper Phillips.

Vania Yague appreciated A-G’s commitment to the military community, noting “this isn’t A-G’s first time hiring spouses like us, they are consistent.” Similarly, Pepper Phillips has found A-G’s values to support military families is demonstrated through the company’s actions, “I’m really grateful for people who do support military spouses because it’s a hard life, a really hard life and the fact that A-G makes a point of not just supporting us but actively seeking us out is a big deal.”

A-G’s tangible connection to the military and veteran community resonates far beyond our staff and into our day-to-day work. Serving clients at the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, and Department of Veterans Affairs, A-G brings a depth and breadth of subject matter expertise and lived experience with over 50% percent of our staff being military-connected. A-G used this authentic lens to develop the Military, Veteran, and Family Center of Excellence (MVF COE). The MVF COE prioritizes partnerships and uses subject matter expertise to implement and study quality of life programs for military personnel, veterans and their families, creating a reciprocal loop of service.

A-G will continue to support military spouses through the Hiring Our Heroes program, our work at the MVF COE, and our engagement with local community resources. A-G is proud to showcase the talent, strength, and resilience of our military spouse employees.