Felicia Mitchell was ending her second week as a senior HR consultant when she was asked about her Wells Fargo orientation.
“I was shook,” she said, emphasizing the last word and smiling wide, clearly impressed by her new employer’s Military Spouse Homefront Heroes Hiring program.
Sometimes, she said, a program for military spouses is over-sold by a company during the hiring process.
“Then you get a slide or a little clip of a video [explaining it at orientation],” Mitchell said. “That is not how it is here. It is a fullout orientation, weeks long, ensuring that you have support. You know exactly who to speak to within the company. You know exactly what the benefits are. The outreach is well-rounded.”
A spouse to an Army captain, Mitchell didn’t imagine needing help with employment when she married two years ago. She had a virtual job. When a PCS took the couple to Louisiana, she didn’t worry – until her position was eliminated. She’s at Fort Polk. Pretty remote, she said. The nearest Target is an hour away.
Mitchell’s former boss, who had been in the Air Force, understood – and also had a former co-worker – Sean Passmore, now at Wells Fargo — who did, too. He happens to be head of military talent strategic sourcing and enterprise military and veteran initiatives. Mitchell’s old boss introduced the two.
Launched on Military Spouse Appreciation Day in May, the Wells Fargo Military Spouse Homefront Heroes Hiring (HHH) is designed for mid- to high-level employees. The average salary is $75,000. Jobs are remote, hybrid and in-office, and are structured with portability as a top priority. In case of a PCS, military spouses can bring their jobs along.
Wells Fargo’s HHH even offers help before someone is hired. Those who join their talent community give their resume to the program team, which reviews it, fine-tunes it with the participant and trains him or her to present relevant experience in the best light.
“Wells Fargo is not just a thought leader in this space,” said Maggie Reinagel, head of military talent, events and programs, and a former Marine Corps wife who moved six times. “We actually have our entire executive team behind this initiative fully. We are making families whole and strong. This program (HHH) addresses the uncertainty that military spouses are faced with upon a permanent change of station and provides the opportunity for them to take their career with them. This opens the door for portability and career progression during these times.”
New hires will join Wells Fargo’s human resources, consumer and small business banking, technology, wealth and investment management, and consumer lending teams. The first goal: Add 500 new employees over the next five years.
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Along with Mitchell, Lauren Ramos was one of the first HHH new hires. Key features, in addition to portability, attracted her to the job where she is a program manager, after five cross-country moves with her active-duty Marine Corps spouse:
“It offers fulfilling and meaningful career opportunities with growth potential at a large and reputable company,” Ramos said, “and in the end, it really provides some financial stability for military families, and an opportunity for a military spouse to stay with a company long enough to take advantage of employer-sponsored savings accounts.”
Maybe best of all: Ramos has already been able to help two fantastic former coworkers turned friends who are fellow military spouses join Wells Fargo.
Applicants interested in joining the HHH talent community should visit the Military Spouse Homefront Heroes Hiring Program website and join the Military Spouse Talent Community to be the first to learn when new positions post.
