Honoring Military Spouse Appreciation Day
Part 1. Federal Resume Writing Lessons
Part 2. Trying to Get Best Qualified with Keywords and Accomplishments coming soon
Active-Duty Military Spouses:
Add Your Military Spouse “Volunteer Work History” to Your Federal Resume
Active-Duty Military Spouses have a lot of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities in their volunteer work as a military spouse: logistics, resource management, education and training planning, communications, problem-solving, networking, knowledge of regulations, and security policies. If you do not add these KSAs, months and years, and hours per week to your resume, you will get NO CREDIT toward your Federal application. I recommend that you PUT IT ALL INTO THE RESUME, so that the HR reviewers and managers can see your real story and experience. For Federal jobs and resumes, volunteer experience is equal to paid experience. But you have to write it up like a “job block” with month and year to month and year and hours per week to get credit. Without these basics, NO CREDIT.
This is Reyna’s resume – she volunteered her resume to help other Active-Duty Military Spouses with their resumes. When I first reviewed her resume, she did not include any of her non-profit, volunteer work, or her military spouse history. She had only her government contract work. I was shocked. I knew she had extensive volunteer experience that was MISSING from the resume.
I asked her to send me her installations, month by month and year, and a description of her volunteer non-profit work, so we can add to her resume. WOW, SO MUCH BETTER WITH HER WHOLE MILITARY SPOUSE HISTORY AND NON-PROFIT PROGRAM THAT SHE HAS ESTABLISHED.
For Reyna’s New Military Spouse resume, here are 3 sample job descriptions:
- Active-Duty Military Spouse Job Block
- Two of her Paid Professional Program Planner remote positions with a government contractor providing Veterans Employment Training.
ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY SPOUSE JOB BLOCK
US NAVY ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY SPOUSE – 2014 TO PRESENT
- Active-Duty Military Spouse Job Block
- Two of her Paid Professional Program Planner remote positions with a government contractor providing Veterans Employment Training.
Military Spouse Career History
2013-2016 – Jacksonville, FL (NAS JAX)
2016-2019 – Key West, FL (NAS Key West)
2019-2023 – Atsugi, Japan (NAF Atsugi)
2023-2026 – Key West, FL (NAS Key West)
2026…… Currently Loading, we find out where we go next in the coming weeks
Founder & Community Strategist August 2019- Present
The Desk of a Navy Wife™ 20 hours per week
Founder of a grassroots platform and growing media brand dedicated to empowering military spouses through storytelling, advocacy, and professional development.
- Founded The Desk of a Navy Wife™, a platform supporting military spouses through storytelling and career resources.
- Host of The Desk of a Navy Wife Podcast, interviewing military spouses and leaders to elevate diverse experiences and strengthen community dialogue.
- Creator of Empowerment Leads: Military Spouse Summit™, a virtual leadership and professional development summit designed to support military spouse growth in work, military life, and balance – May 16 and 17, 2026.
- Develop strategic partnerships and community collaborations to expand access to resources for military spouses navigating transitions, employment barriers, and leadership opportunities.
- Provide consulting on military spouse engagement, community-building strategies, and storytelling as a tool for advocacy and awareness.
- Lead brand strategy, audience engagement, and digital community growth across podcasting, social media, and content platforms.
- Military Spouse of the Year Candidate, 2026
Recognition & Leadership Programs
PAID PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
EXPERIENCE – SERCO NORTH AMERICA
2020 to present
Serco North America — Remote, Key West, FL, Sept. 2023 — Present
Program Support Specialist
DOL VETS TAP & DOL TEAMS Hours: 40 hrs/week
Training Coordination and Process Improvements
- Designed and implemented 5+ process improvement strategies, reducing human error and increasing team productivity; recognized company-wide within the first two months.
- Developed and delivered training to 50+ middle managers on report creation, submission, validation, and stakeholder alignment.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to implement a JIRA-based ticketing system, improving report request tracking and turnaround time.
- Authored continuity guides, SOPs, and “how-to” resources to support long-term program sustainability and onboarding.
- Received “Excellence Award” for being a catalyst for change.
Serco North America — Remote, Atsugi, Japan, Dec. 2020 — Sept. 2023
Project Lead / Career Transition Facilitator
DOL VETS TAP & DOL TEAMS Hours: 30-40 hrs/week
Program & Project Management
- Built a SharePoint landing page for team resources, SOPs, and KSAs, increasing engagement and knowledge sharing by 90%.
- Received two “Shooting Star” Awards for the highest facilitator scheduling rates company-wide.
- Earned an On-the-Spot Award for mentoring new Project Leads and developing staff.
Remember: The goal of your Federal resume is to show that you are Best Qualified for the position. The resume must show the qualifications required for the position on paper. Your Military Spouse experience can add to your competencies and experience to help you get Best Qualified, Referred to a Manager, Interviewed, and Hired.
Kathryn Troutman is the author of The Stars are Lined Up For Military Spouses®, a resume text with samples of Federal and Private Industry Resumes for military spouses – with the “Active-Duty Military Spouse Job Block”. See samples and write your Federal resume with your total experience. The book is on sale for $10 (instead of $21.95) until May 31, 2026. Order your samples now.
I am an invited speaker for Reyna’s first-ever symposium for Military Spouses – Empowerment Leads, May 16 and 17, 2026. Please check it out and share this information with all of the military spouses that you know. Both free and paid attendance.
Register here
RESUME PLACE PRESIDENT: Kathryn Troutman
kathryn@resume-place.com
