Amy Schofield

Resume Writer

Service Member's Branch - Navy

Service Member's Status - Retired - 21 years

What has been your military spouse career/entrepreneur journey so far?

Started my career in government
Moved to Pensacola like 3 days before Hurricane Ivan hit, had to completely reinvent myself, went to a temp agency and wound up working for the Red Cross on a temporary FEMA grant
When that grant ended, my boss at the Red Cross urged me to apply for an HR position at a local government contractor
I got the HR job with no prior experience and loved it!
I continued in the HR field for our next few moves and then started my own business in 2011!

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Amy and I have been in the resume writing, career coaching, and recruiting fields for over 15 years. I currently live in Maryland, have been a military spouse for almost 20 years, and my husband just retired from the U.S. Navy. We have 1 daughter who wants to be a pilot, like her daddy, when she grows up!

Tell us about a "typical" day in your professional life.

Lots of research, writing, editing, and more writing. I keep up to date with the latest resume trends and applicant tracking technology and I also have to know the ins and outs of hundreds of different careers to be able to highlight the expertise of my clients.

If you've been stationed overseas, how did this affect your career and or business?

N/A

What has been your biggest military spouse career struggle and how did you overcome it?

Moving to Pensacola a few days before Hurricane Ivan hit and completely devastated the Pensacola area was the biggest career struggle I faced. I had just left an amazing job in Washington, DC that was aligned with my college degree in Public Affairs and (at the time what I thought) was my ultimate career.

But moving to Pensacola at the time where most companies were not hiring because of the destruction the region took after Hurricane Ivan, made me really have to reinvent myself. I wound up working for the American Red Cross as a temporary Disaster Relief Worker on a FEMA grant. Through my connections I made while working at the Red Cross, I was asked to interview for a Human Resources Assistant position at a local government contractor. I had ZERO HR experience, but interviewed anyway and got the position! That started my path working in HR and I wound up loving it!

What role did mentors and sponsors play in your journey?

N/A

How does your career path differ from what you imagined for yourself?

Totally different!! I envisioned myself working for the Department of Justice for my entire life!

How did military life (PCSing, deployments, trainings, etc) factor into your career decisions?

After my 4th move in 5 years, it was my husband who urged me to start my own business that I could transfer with me from state to state! Best decision ever!

Have you ever had to geo-bach due to your career/entrepreneurship?

Final word: what are your top tips for other military spouses about navigating a career within the military lifestyle?

Be proud of who you are and what you bring to the table. I was once hired by someone who told me "you're a military spouse, that means you can juggle a million things at once!"
Network, network, network. I know moving to a new place is sometimes a struggle to have to make new friends and contacts all over again. But networking really is key to finding a job you love!
Try new things! I wouldn't have fallen into the HR world if one of my previous bosses hadn't urged me to interview for an HR role! She thought my skills would be perfect for it and she was right!

Listen to an interview with Amy
to hear more about her story.

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