What now? Employment education series helps families

The Military and Family Readiness Centers at buildings 600 and 8535 host classes about job interviews, resume building and more as part of an Employment Skills Education Series.

The series started Aug. 3 with ‘So You Wanna Get a Job?’ and will end Oct. 26 with ‘Planning a Home-Based Business.’ This series may end, the services are available with future classes and one-on-one sessions for anyone with base access.

These classes are helpful for anyone looking for a job including unemployed spouses and service members ending their contract.

“By helping [spouses] pursue a career path they are choosing, it becomes a win-win for the mission,” said Rebekah Birch-Gutierrez, Military Family Readiness Center work life specialist. “Because the family is healthy when the spouse is getting fulfillment and a paycheck from their professional life, the service member will be able to do their mission better knowing they won’t have to worry about what’s going on at home.”

Additionally, some service members may find transitioning to civilian life difficult, Birch-Gutierrez said; the classes provide helpful tips to smooth the change.

The first class ‘So You Wanna Get a Job,’ is loaded with website references and resources for finding jobs and how to give a potential employer the best first impression; it will be available again Oct. 5. Other classes in the series break down important aspects of the process, such as writing resumes and being interviewed.

“The ‘3 R’s: Ready Your Resume Right Now’ is basically a civilian-sector resume writing and preparation class and we talk about getting that ... resume in order, and discuss different types of resumes for different jobs,” Birch-Gutierrez said.

Interviews are also important because they allow the employer to learn more about the individual than what’s on paper and creating a human connection which builds trust.

“[More importantly,] interviews are a two-way street; you need to check [the employer] out as well and decide whether or not you want the job,” said Birch-Gutierrez. “It is always your choice.”

The classes usually have up to six participants with questions and discussion encouraged throughout the session for clarification and expanding knowledge. One-on-one sessions are by the book with some tailoring for their specific situation.

“[At a class,] you can learn a lot from the other class participants,” Birch-Gutierrez said. “When you have multiple participants … you have the opportunity to hear someone else’s question that you didn’t think of, and it spurs discussion.”

The next available class is the ‘Planning a Home-Based Business,’ Aug. 24 at Bldg. 600, and is different because it is a self-employment option. Some entrepreneurships involve selling a home-made product or providing a unique service from home such as babysitting and more.

“The other class I have is about how to make a business from home and it’s not super detailed, but it can help the person get started and take the first steps to making that happen, like getting a business license if you want to work on base, ‘where do we start from here?’ and what ideas you would want to do.”

For more information, call 552-4943 or 384-6716, walk in, or visit the “JBER Military & Family Centers” Facebook page.