{"id":5704,"date":"2023-05-02T18:06:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T22:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/?p=5704"},"modified":"2023-05-10T15:12:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T19:12:16","slug":"mscap-fellow-hired-usaa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/stories\/mscap-fellow-hired-usaa\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It Was One of Those Pinch-Me Moments in Life\u2019: \u00a0After a Pile of Rejections and an Unexpected Relocation, Military Spouse Finds Employment With USAA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meghann Boyd is the epitome of a resilient military spouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite doing all the right things to orchestrate her return to the workforce, Boyd received one rejection email after another. So, she turned to Hiring Our Heroes and its fellowship program for military spouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Meghann
Despite doing all the right things to orchestrate her return to the workforce, Meghann Boyd received one rejection email after another. “Someone once told me, \u2018It\u2019s not a rejection. It\u2019s a redirection,\u2019 and I have kept that advice in the back of my mind during this process. I had the grit to stick with it and eventually it paid off,” Boyd told Hiring Our Heroes. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told myself, \u2018This is a great opportunity to dip your toe back into work and make sure you are working in an industry that you are passionate about,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: 3 Reasons Why Now Is the Right Time to Hire a Military Spouse<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

She attended Hiring Our Heroes\u2019 Amplify<\/a> workshop at Camp Pendleton. Boyd updated her professional head shot. She refreshed her resume and conducted mock interviews with an HOH fellowship program manager. Boyd researched San Diego-area employers and selected ones for targeting her job search and fellowship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boyd was ready to return to the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refocus Her Career Goals Again<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then her husband called her unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know whatever is about to come out of his mouth is a game-changer,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was correct. The Marine Corps selected Kurt for a position on the East Coast. Her family needs to move this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI say, \u2018Congratulations. This is amazing. I\u2019m so happy for you, but I\u2019m going to need a minute,\u2019\u201d Boyd said. \u201cDo you know who is the first person I call? Tracy Steele, my program manager at Hiring Our Heroes, and I tell her everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boyd explained she\u2019ll be living in San Diego for less than ten months instead of three years and will relocate to a city where she has no professional network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTracy said, \u2018Meghann, this (situation) is why this program exists. It\u2019s for military spouses like you,\u2019\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her Focus Turns to USAA<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With Steele\u2019s guidance, Boyd refocused on fellowship opportunities with national employers instead of giving up on her career goals. In the process, Boyd turned her focus to USAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always loved USAA. I never thought about working for them,\u201d she said. \u201cThen I saw USAA had open positions with project management in financial services, which lends itself nicely to my career path and sounds interesting to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interviews with USAA as a fellow candidate sealed her determination to work there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThroughout the interview process, each touch point was a positive experience with great communication and mentorship,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cEvery single person I talked to throughout the interview process was motivating and inspiring. These are the people I want to surround myself with, and so, I applied and got a fellowship with USAA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot Connects Spouses with Fellowships<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Boyd is among the first 100 military spouses to participate in the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot <\/a>(MSCAP), a DoD-funded fellowship program to assist spouses in finding meaningful employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched in January 2023, MSCAP connects military spouses of currently serving members of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force, to include active, reserve and National Guard component with paid 12-week fellowships. Hiring Our Heroes and Deloitte are collaborating with the Department of Defense on this new program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each applicant is carefully vetted, and career-ready military spouses are placed with host companies based on location and work experience. Depending on the company\u2019s needs, fellowships may take place in person or remotely. MSCAP is free for participating companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n