Spouse Struggling to Find Work in Virginia Beach Is the Job Market Really This Tough?
I’m prior active duty Navy and now a military spouse relocating to the Virginia Beach area in about a month and a half due to my husband’s orders. I currently work as a government contractor and, honestly, I’ve basically continued working alongside the Navy ever since getting out of active duty.
I have a background in aviation logistics, supply/material control, administration, and government support roles. I currently support an F/A-18 squadron as a contractor, hold a Secret clearance, and I’ve never really had issues finding work before this move.
But wow… this has been rough.
I’ve applied to countless positions around the Hampton Roads/VB/Norfolk area contractor jobs, admin jobs, logistics, supply chain, aviation support, even civilian office positions and I either get ghosted after interviews or hit with “we decided to move forward with another candidate.”
A few companies seemed interested until I mentioned my relocation timeline, even though I’m upfront about my availability from the start.
At this point I’m honestly starting to wonder:
Is the job market in the area just extremely competitive right now?
Are companies hesitant to hire someone relocating?
Any contractors or companies around here actually hiring military spouses/prior service?
Would really appreciate any advice, networking suggestions, or companies I should look into. I’m just trying to line something up before the move and it’s been way more difficult than expected.
Thanks in advance.