Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Applying for Jobs
Hi Military Nesties,
I posted a few times on The Knot's military brides board back when I was engaged, so I thought this might be a good place to get some advice from other military spouses.
I got married a few months after my graduation, and since then I've been hoping to find work in my field here by DH's duty station (Ft Campbell.) That hasn't worked out, so I'm now applying for jobs in other cities with bases nearby. I'm a genetic counselor, and a great looking position has just opened up at Walter Reed Medical Center.
My question is, do I mention that I'm an Army spouse in my cover letter? The spouse preference only applies to federal jobs within commuting distance of the service member's current duty station, so it wouldn't apply in this situation. However, the "counseling" part of a genetic counselor's job involves building rapport, demonstrating empathy, and providing psychological support and social resources as needed. So, in a place where many of the patients are military, it might be considered an advantage to have a personal understanding of that lifestyle. On the other hand, since the spouse preference doesn't apply, would it be over-sharing to put it in the cover letter? It's definitely not the kind of thing I would share with a typical job...
Does anyone have any advice on this? I'd obviously like to do whatever is most likely to get me this job! Thanks 
Re: Applying for Jobs
Whenever I read a cover letter from someone that did this, it automatically turned me off. Some had great qualifications for a professional position but the idea that marital status belonged in the cover letter just made a bad impression. I realize you're not doing this but you wouldn't believe the amount of highly educated women applying for a job that write about their husband's rank in their cover letter. If you're near a base, the people screening the resumes realize that many applicants are military spouses so if anything it lumps you in a pile rather than sets you above.
Instead, write something along the lines of "my knowledge of and experience with the military culture and lifestyle makes me a good fit", etc
I think it depends on the context. I have included that I'm a military spouse in a cover letter, but only to explain gaps in my employment, and why I'm looking for a job in that city. I think sometimes if you're looking for a job in Kansas (as I was) and the return address on your resume says Texas, or California, people think you're not serious about taking the job. (Who would move to Kansas from California? Me. That's who.)
So yes, to say "I am 100% serious about moving here and you're not wasting your time talking to me," it's cool to slip in that you're a spouse. In your situation, you could include that you have a strong knowledge of the military and the experiences of its members because of your personal relationships...up to you if you want to say because of your husband specifically.