Let’s face it, finding a job as a military spouse can be difficult. The job search is tricky for anybody, but for military spouses there can be different and specific challenges. There’s travel, the sometimes one-parent household that needs priority over jobs (during deployment or training), being moved around, resume gaps, the long list of jobs you’ve had over the years, and many more.

Below are three basic factors that help address some of these challenges, including continuity, family prioritization, and new locations.

###Does the employer accommodate scheduling conflicts?

This can be a difficult subject to broach with a potential employer, particularly since you shouldn’t begin an interview asking about flexibility and benefits. However, it’s still an important factor to consider. Are there work from home allowances in the case of sick children? Are the hours conducive for child care and school pickups? Is there overtime required (or available, as the case may necessitate)? Seeking companies who understand the unique challenges of military spouses and military spouse employment can be very helpful in these situations. A simple Google search can guide you to military spouse friendly employers, which can help make it easier (and more appropriate) to discuss these topics and more likely for the accommodation to be available.

###Does the company or business have locations in other areas? Are there transfer opportunities available?

One of the biggest hurdles for military spouses pursuing careers is the lack of continuity in their job history. Moving from duty station to duty station every couple years makes it difficult to climb up the ladder in one particular job, and for many, this results in a stagnant career trajectory. Finding employers with locations across the country who offer transfer opportunities (without starting over at level one) is a huge benefit.

###Are there work from home opportunities?

This is a greatly overlooked but incredibly valuable career path. More and more companies are turning to remote employees to do important jobs. With the connectivity of internet, video chat, instant messenger, email, and the bulk of office work being done on computers, work from home or remote employees are taking on high responsibility roles. There are opportunities for advancement within these positions, and companies that are already comfortable with the idea of remote employees are a great possibility for military spouses.