For a job-hunting military spouse, the Spouse Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) is more than a job bank and classifieds. The program offers skills assessments, career planning, resumé workshops, networking opportunities, a resource library, free computer access and connections to local employers.

The services are military benefits, free to service members and their families.

Among job-seeking military spouses, Marla Jo Coates hit the jackpot thanks to SEAP.
Coates found a job on base and in her field, and is now finishing her first month as a human resources assistant for Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) headquarters in Millington, Tenn.

The center's SEAP not only assisted Coates with her job search, including the tip about the MWR opening, but its workshops also helped her ace the interview.

"I was afraid I wasn't going to find anything, and I really thought my chances of working on base were very, very slim," the 26-year-old Coates said.

"I honestly feel that the resources and help I got from the center helped me do extremely well in my interview," she added. "I wasn't even nervous for the interview, and that never happens. I was very confident. And I know it's because I was prepared."

SEAP staff conduct one-on-one counseling sessions as well as group workshops covering a variety of topics, including federal employment, interview techniques, dressing for success, volunteer opportunities and even running your own business.

SEAP also offers the Career Accelerator Program -– a nation-wide partnership with Adecco, the world's largest employment services company. Through this program, Adecco offers military spouses career counseling services, training, job placement assistance and transferable benefits at no cost.

"I think that with all the resources we have to offer, the one-stop shop concept makes it very helpful," said Millington FFSC Career Resource Specialist Heather Cline, who helped Coates. "Plus, a lot of the employers who fax us their openings, we've established a personal relationship with them. I'd like to think the spouses have an edge that way."

"I feel like we're making a difference," Cline said. "What I hope I can give to spouses who come in here is the sense that I'm with them, that I'm the same level as them and that I've been in their shoes. I try to establish a real personal relationship with them."

"It was a great thing for me because I'm new to all this," added Coates. "Having all those resources right there is a really big advantage for military spouses. In the outside world, you don't have those resources."

The Fleet and Family Support Center provides operational, mobility and counseling support to service members and their families, helping them adapt to Navy life. FFSC services are a cost-free benefit available to all service members, single or married, including activated Reservists, retirees and Department of Defense civilians in overseas locations.

There are 55 FFSCs and 67 delivery sites worldwide. For more information on FFSC and programs like SEAP, visit the FFSC site or call the center's 24-hour information and referral hotline at (800) FSC-LINE.

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