What to Expect: Amplify Edition
Building a career alongside a service member’s commitment is no small feat. Between frequent relocations, resume gaps, and the challenge of building a professional network in a new community, military spouses often face unique career hurdles. Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) created Amplify to help bridge those gaps, empowering military spouses and other military-connected individuals to take control of their professional journeys.
Amplify at a Glance
Amplify is a free career development workshop designed to equip military spouses, military caregivers, working-age military dependents, and in some cases, veterans and transitioning service members with the tools and confidence needed to navigate today’s job market. Offered both in-person and virtually either as a standalone event or in conjunction with a Career Summit, the program comes in two tracks:
- Amplify for Military Spouses: Tailored to the unique challenges of military spouse employment, this event features interactive employment readiness presentations and hands-on workshops.
- Amplify Essentials: Welcoming all military-connected individuals, this virtual half-day version covers the core components of a successful career search.
Whether you attend in person or online, expect a warm, welcoming environment designed to prepare you for your next career move. The event kicks off with a networking icebreaker, followed by workshops that mirror a typical job search process. Topics usually include personal branding, resume building, elevator pitches, interview prep, LinkedIn networking, and negotiation, culminating in a session on how to tackle a hiring event.
Related: Check out What to Expect: Career Summit Edition to learn more about HOH’s in-person career preparation and hiring fairs.
The Amplify Team Wants You to Know
Put simply: Amplify is for you! It is open to anyone whose career has been impacted by a military commitment, including active-duty, veteran, Reserve, Guard, and gold star spouses, as well as caregivers and domestic partners.
Yessenia Hagewood, HOH Deputy Director, Events & Engagement Military Spouse Program emphasized that Amplify is beneficial regardless of where you are in your career because the content provides valuable and timely professional development and networking opportunities. “Even if you are employed, come,” she urged. “If you are looking for a new opportunity, or you’re changing industries, or you’re not looking for an opportunity yet, but you’re interested in finding out next steps, or you are preparing to PCS and trying to get the pieces together, Amplify is for you!”
How to Prepare and Succeed
To get the most out of your Amplify experience, the HOH military spouse team recommends keeping a few things in mind before, during, and after the event.
Before You Arrive:
- While walk-ins are always welcome, registering in advance allows the team to tailor the event to the attendees’ needs, provide additional resources, and reach out with pertinent information.
- You will be asked to submit a resume, but don’t let an outdated document stop you. “That’s sometimes a hangup we see,” Yessenia noted. “Military spouses don’t have a complete or updated resume, so they don’t want to attend. But submitting your resume, no matter what it looks like, allows us to guide you through that process.”
- Create a LinkedIn profile if you don’t have one already so you can populate, update, and perfect your profile during the event.
While You’re There:
- Bring a friend! Sometimes unfamiliar experiences can be intimidating, so have a battle buddy with you to ease some of the nervousness.
- Dress professionally. Opt for business attire that makes you feel confident and ready to make a great first impression while networking.
- Take notes and follow along with the content on an internet-connected device. You’ll get the most out of the event when you fully engage with the content.
- Build community during the event. Alayna Robbins, HOH Senior Manager, Events & Engagement Military Spouse Program encourages attendees to: “be on camera for our virtual events. And for our in-person events, introduce yourself to the people next to you.”
After It Wraps
- You will receive a significant amount of information, so take a breath before immediately overhauling your materials. “Sometimes spouses can feel a little overwhelmed going straight into a hiring fair,” Alayna explained. “We encourage you to attend the hiring fair as a networking event. And then 24 or 48 hours afterwards, make changes to your resume, update your LinkedIn, and reach out to those employers you met or apply for intriguing roles with your revised materials.”
Related: Check out What to Expect: Career Connector Edition to learn more about what the Career Connector team does for job seekers.
Stay Connected After Amplify
Amplify is more than a single workshop. It is a launching point designed to connect you with HOH, your installation, and local community partners for ongoing career support. To stay engaged with HOH, participants are encouraged to fill out the HOH Career Connector intake form for personalized guidance, connect directly with the HOH military spouse team and Amplify presenters through LinkedIn, and continue networking with fellow attendees from the workshop.
“Circle back and reconnect with us throughout your employment journey,” Yessenia shared. “And come back to an Amplify. It can be a lot of information all at once, so attending again provides additional support. We’re always updating the content to reflect the current job market and economy, so you receive up-to-date information each time you attend.”
Related: Get the inside scoop on connecting with a Career Connector in our guide What to Expect: Career Connector Edition.
