Despite this uncertainty, however, there are ways to minimize job disruptions before relocating:

1. Seek employment at a national or global chain within the retail or service industries, or within the federal government (e.g. the Postal Service).
   
   Wal-Mart, McDonald's, H&R Block, and many other companies operate on a nationwide or global scale. Once you become employed at such a chain, you can check with your manager or human resources office to determine whether a similar job exists in the new location. Within the Federal government, postal jobs are available on a nationwide basis, and a relocation may be granted.
   
   Remember: good workers are increasingly hard to find, and all companies want to retain excellent help, even in another location. Emphasize any professional awards you may have received, excellent performance evaluations, reliability, and anything else that will make retaining you a priority.



2. Consider a telecommuting position.
   
   With the advent of video conferencing, instant messaging, and email, many companies (especially dot-coms) seek off-site workers for customer service, administrative, and other roles that were once filled by office help. Even many traditional companies will allow an employee to continue working from a remote location rather than lose that person. Telecommuting is ideal for a frequently relocated military spouse, as there is no downtime aside from that spent moving your office equipment from one location to the other.
   
   Before considering telecommuting, however, it's essential that you critically evaluate your ability to succeed in such a position. Telecommuters must:
   
   
   1. Be self-starters. No one's going to be there to wake you up and tell you to go to work. You'll have to be extremely conscientious about being available during the agreed-upon work schedule, and of course in completing the required work. All it takes is one poor excuse from a remote worker for a telecommuting employer to cut that person loose.
   
   
   
   2. Be able to work alone for long periods of time. Not everyone can adapt to working from home. Many miss the camaraderie of an office environment, and even more find the distraction of television and family too much of a temptation. Be realistic with yourself. If you can't work unsupervised for long periods of time, then this is not the job for you.
   
   
   
   3. Have a complete home office. This would include a dedicated phone line, computer, applicable software (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, etc.), internet access, a fax machine, a copier, and whatever else is necessary to conduct business on a professional level.
   
   
   
   4. Be flexible. Most dot-coms (and some traditional companies) operate on a round-the-clock schedule, and you must be available, and willing, to work oddball hours. If not, the position will be filled by someone who is adaptable to the employers' needs.
   
   
   
   5. Wear many hats. Once outside an office environment, you'll be expected to solve your own computer problems, deal with customer issues without the assistance of a customer service staff, multi-task, and schedule your own meetings without administrative support.


3. Start a military spouse employment program in a needed area like childcare, housekeeping, and so on. Create a database of workers, so that when one spouse leaves, another entering spouse can take that person's place. In that way, you can maintain your staff levels and minimize job interruption.

Sites to visit in your search for relocation job assistance or for a telecommuting position:

• www.defenselink.mil/mapsite/jobs.html
• www.mscn.org/links.html
• www.dod.mil/mapcentral/spouse.html
• www.mscn.org/diverse.html
• www.home-employment.com
• www.homeworkers.org
• www.workingfromhomejobs.com
• www.betweenmoms.com/telecom
• www.tmagroup.org/TelGuide.html