Military Spouse Employment Initiative: Real Stories; Real Spouses

Anne-Marie Molina

November 24, 2020 – Defence Stories

Over the last 20 years, my family and I have relocated at least 5 times. We have 3 children, and it hasn't been always easy. Usually after settling the boys in school and trying to get familiar with our new surroundings, I would start my job search. Finding employment seemed to be very challenging, but I always managed to find work.

During our last move in August 2019 from Victoria, BC to Barrie, ON, I decided to re-open my account with the Government of Canada job site. While I was looking if anything was available in our area, I came across the Military Spouse Employment Initiative.

I updated my resume, answered the questions in the application and hoped for the best. Someone warned me not to get my hopes up for a quick response, but to my surprise after one month after submitting my application, I received an email to see if I was still interested.  And one month later I was contacted for a job interview. After a successful interview, I was offered a casual term at CFB Borden.  

My term ended and because of COVID-19, I didn't think I would be contacted again. Luckily, DND was looking for bilingual candidates with experience in HR. After another round of interviews and SLE testing, I was offered the position I'm currently in! I now work as an indeterminate employee on the HRPPT team as a Human Resource Assistant, processing and managing data integrity between PeopleSoft and Phoenix.

Even though my children are grown up now and might not follow us to the next posting, it's a relief to know that the next move won't be as stressful. I now have more opportunities to grow, to move around within DND and even other departments. The overall process has been a great experience and also a huge relief for our family.

For more information on how to apply for a job or on how to access the inventory, visit the Military Spouse Employment Initiative website or contact the National Staffing Programs team.