Military Spouses Are Not High-Risk Hires—We’re Investments Without Risk
- Zabrina Tipton
- Jun 20, 2025
- 2 min read
At a recent education meeting, I met a corporate leader who spoke about the depth that military spouses bring to the workforce from their corporate leadership experience. This was the first time I heard someone speak face-to-face about the high value we offer: our resilience, commitment, leadership, and reliability.
That moment stuck with me. Because truthfully, it’s rare.
The Unspoken Reality
As military and veteran spouses, we live behind the curtain of service. We move every 2–4 years—sometimes across the country, sometimes around the world. We rebuild homes, restart lives, and raise families often with minimal support systems. Along the way, we volunteer, lead community programs, manage logistics, and build skillsets that never make it onto formal résumés.
And yet, when we apply for jobs in new cities or towns, we’re often met with skepticism:
• “Why the resume gaps?”
• “Are you really planning to stay?”
These are not just questions. They are barriers. And they are based on assumptions rather than truth.
What the résumé doesn’t show is:
• The international experience we’ve gained.
• The cross-cultural communication skills we’ve developed.
• The high-level volunteer leadership roles we’ve held, often under pressure.
• The adaptability, emotional intelligence, and sheer grit it takes to restart and reestablish again and again.
According to federal workforce standards, our volunteer work is work. It’s leadership. It’s logistics. It’s training. It’s people management. So why is it so often dismissed?
Military spouses represent one of the most educated demographics in the workforce—and also one of the most underemployed. We are often treated as outsiders in local communities, both during active-duty and retirement status.
Here’s the truth:
We are not a threat to anyone’s role or reputation.
We are not competitors—we are collaborators.
We are not high-risk hires.
We are investments without risk.
We are committed to our families, our communities, and our work. We’ve shown up time and time again—even when the ground beneath us was shifting.
To Local Employers and Community Leaders
Please don’t overlook us.
Invite us to the table.
Interview us for leadership roles.
Ask us about the skills behind our experiences.
Understand that the diversity we bring is a strength, not a liability.
You have so much to gain by including military and veteran spouses in your workforce. And we are more than ready to contribute.
We’re not just passing through.
We’re here to build, lead, and make a difference—right here.
⸻
Zabrina Tipton is a veteran spouse and President of Tipton Studio, LLC—a communications firm blending strategic insight with human storytelling and AI innovation.
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