The rest of the world may have discovered how wonderful remote work is, but there are still ways to rise above the competition and prove that you, military spouse, are the person they should hire for that work-from-home position.
1. Instant Teams Academy
The military spouse-owned company Instant Teams and its lead investor, Squadra Ventures, had a goal of providing an end-to-end workforce funnel. In other words, they set out to combine the benefits of a training platform with an employment platform, giving military spouses a solution to unemployment and underemployment obstacles.
Instant Teams Academy launched with two programs: Business Development and Digital Marketing. Two additional programs are planned to begin in early 2021. The courses provide military spouses with industry certifications. Payment options include scholarships and self-pay; they are also MYCAA approved, so you might be able to get funding.
2. HubSpot Academy
Free, online training may be easy to find, but the quality of the training provided by HubSpot is what sets it apart. It has a wide variety of quick courses and comprehensive certifications that help you set yourself apart professionally. HubSpot Academy is widely recognized as a quality program, so having it on your resume will help.
You can take a social media marketing course, content marketing or email marketing. Or brush up on your inbound skills through a certification in inbound marketing. For those looking to add a little extra power to their skill set, consider one of the advanced courses like How to Build an Advanced Twitter Strategy.
3. LinkedIn Learning
The professional networking website also brings more than 16,000 courses to its LinkedIn Learning platform. The courses -- which are taught in a variety of languages from professionals across the globe -- are designed to offer both broad and specific insights into topics. If you have a LinkedIn profile, the program recommends courses based on your personal information.
Related: 5 Ways Milspouses Can Stand Out on LinkedIn
When taking a course, you have the opportunity to communicate with the presenter and others who have taken or are taking the course with you. This can help you continue to build your network, and open up more opportunities to you for work remotely in the future. Course topics include anything from Photoshop basics to HTML training. And if you have a course you've developed, you can upload it here as well.
4. Platform-Specific Training
One way to get ahead of the competition is to figure out what platforms or programs are popular with the companies in your field. For example, if you are working in social media marketing, you'll want to stay up-to-date with Facebook and Instagram, and perhaps be familiar with platforms like Sprout Social. Some of these platforms have their own e-learning programs that can help you stay competitive in the interview process and put you ahead when you start work.
The Sprout Social Learning Portal has courses that include how to use its program, as well as developing social media strategies. Other platforms also have training, including Hootsuite and even Facebook for Business.
Whatever your skill set is, or whatever you want it to include, it's going to take hard work and training to get there. You'll want to have the background, education and experience to back up the claims on your resume. Spending time getting trained for remote work is the best way to do that.
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--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.
