November 6, 2009

Cameron-Brooks November 2009 Career Conference

We have completed our last Career Conference for 2009 in Austin, TX.  Our candidates averaged 9.6 interviews each, continuing the trend of opportunities increasing as the economy heads into recovery.  17 support team members helped the candidates convert initial interviews into over 5.5 company pursuits.  We’ll continue to provide you access to the results of our November candidates through Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/ylztw96) and our discussion forums (http://cameron-brooks.yourwebforum.com/).  We encourage you to use these resources to gain confidence about your transition and get excited about your ability to find a great business career.

At each Conference, we take time to listen to our client companies.  Their perspective should help you understand why the combination of military leadership experience and effective preparation results in success.  We’d like to share with you some of their comments and how you can use them to impact your transition process.

“The tough times are the new normal.  We need leaders with a track record of working through adversity.”  You have served in the military during one of the most challenging periods in several decades.  Your leadership is forged in an environment that is constantly changing and testing your resolve.  While it hasn’t been easy, it has developed your ability to overcome obstacles, focus on success and innovate.  As businesses drive forward into the economic recovery, they expect to face continued headwinds from changing markets and intense competition.  At the Conference, candidates who stepped up to show their ability to get results in tough situations impressed the recruiters during the interviews.

“Markets are changing and we need change agents who can lead us through the transformation.”  Even the news has started to change.  After many months of negative reporting, you are likely seeing the positive signs as economists and business leaders comment on the recovery.  News articles like this one in U.S. News from September http://tiny.cc/H80c8 and this “Opinion” article from The Wall Street Journal in October http://tiny.cc/nT6VL highlight the changes that businesses are facing.  While it is good to see evidence of the turnaround, this means that businesses that have focused on streamlining operations and cutting back must now prepare their organizations for growth.  Several Cameron-Brooks client companies noted how impressed they were with the ability of our candidates to lead through change.  One company at the November Conference that created a new business initiative targeted Cameron-Brooks candidates as their only source for filling the new position.

“We are hiring leaders who can develop other leaders.”  By hiring leaders who can develop others, companies are able to multiply their success.  As a junior military officer, you have the opportunity to work with a wide range of military personnel and help them move their careers forward.  Few people in your age group have had the opportunity to impact others in this way.  For a business that faces the retirement of the baby-boomers, hiring a leader that can mentor, coach and develop others is a step toward meeting today’s and tomorrow’s leadership needs.  We continue to hear about businesses that are working to develop their leadership “bench strength” and they are working on it now.

We recently released the Candidate Resource Center (https://cas.cameron-brooks.com/CandidatePortal/), our new online access to the Development and Preparation Program© (DPP©).  We feel this is an important step in making career information available to you, wherever you are.  DPP© has been updated based on the feedback we have received from you on how we can best help you prepare.  As always, we appreciate our relationship with the great men and women of our Armed Forces.  Our best wishes to all as you head into the end of 2009 and the holiday season.  Steve Sosland and Scott LePage will continue to visit military bases worldwide to bring you the most current information on the economy and business careers for junior military officers.  Please visit our updated website for information on a base trip near you or our next webcast where you can gather information to help with your decisions and your preparation.

Roger Cameron and the Cameron-Brooks Team

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November 5, 2009

JMOs Key to Leading Lean Manufacturing Efforts

A timely article appeared in the USA Today on Monday, November 2, the first day of the Cameron-Brooks November, 2009 Career Conference.  The article titled “Lean Manufacturing Helps Companies Survive Recession” pointed out that manufacturing facilities that have adopted Lean Manufacturing initiatives have converted from batch processing to uninterrupted flow, and reduced waste and inventories.  This has allowed them to reduce costs and improve quality and profitability.  The current recession forced many companies to make these changes in order to compete in the tough economy as well as better position themselves against manufacturing operations outside the US.

You can read the article at:  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2009-11-01-lean-manufacturing-recession_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip&POE=click-refer

 Here are some key points I took away from the article:

- One purpose of Lean is producing what customers order versus stocking inventory.  This reduces inventory thus reducing costs.  “Inventory is evil.”

-  Lean helps companies compete against low cost producers outside of the US.  This has allowed them to continue to hire and retain employees during the recession.

- Lean contributed to a 4.9% increase in manufacturing productivity in the recent quarter.  This was the highest increase since early 2005.

- 61% of manufacturers are using Lean.

- Lean leads to smoother production operations and more teamwork.

- Lean requires continuous improvement and constant vigilance and monitoring.  This is a key reason why companies like the JMO for Lean initiatives.

We had numerous manufacturing and supply chain opportunities represented at our November 2009 Conference utilizing Lean.  These clients identified Cameron-Brooks JMO leaders as critical to successfully launching, improving and sustaining their Lean programs.  Here are some quotes from their job descriptions about Lean responsibilities and you can easily see why the companies wanted talented JMO leaders.

“As a Manufacturing Supervisor, you will play a critical role in driving Lean transformation.  Key tenets of Lean include continuous process improvement in the areas of customer focus, waste elimination, employee involvement and a disciplined approach to operations.  To be successful, you will have to lead and engage the manufacturing team in Lean initiatives such as Kaizen (continuous process improvement).  You will also have the responsibility of developing the skills of your subordinate leaders so that they effectively engage their team members in continuous improvement activities.  This will require you to use your change leadership skills to communicate the vision and the purpose, identify obstacles and work with individuals who may be resistant to change.”

“You will use data analysis, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and other analytical tools to conceptualize process improvements to yield savings in material costs while reducing cycle times and improving quality and delivery.”

“You will get involved with Lean projects and act as the Lean Deployment Leader.  You will use an involved leadership style to set goals, plan operations and lead the team to achieve objectives.  You will drive innovation and change by communicating key business unit initiatives and promoting employee engagement.”

To learn more about Lean, I highly recommend the book Lean Thinking by Womack.  The introduction and first 5 chapters are especially informative.  You can also research Lean on Wikipedia.

We had a very successful November 2009 Conference and started the follow-up interview process today.  We will publish some posts on our Facebook page and blog with updates soon.

Joel Junker

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October 30, 2009

Insight and Quotes from Integrity Selling

I am currently re-reading Integrity Selling for the 21st Century by Ron Willingham.  Every year, I re-read a book or two from the Cameron-Brooks Reading Program.  I select a book that will help improve my ability to better serve the junior military officer (JMO) and Cameron-Brooks client companies.  As I read Integrity Selling for the 21st Century, I am impressed with Willingham’s advice and how much sense his “AID, Inc. System”  makes.  For any JMO considering a sales career or starting out in sales, I highly recommend this book.  For those JMOs who have not considered sales, I highly recommend this book as well. Willingham will break just about every pre-conceived notion one may have about selling.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the first 1/2 of the book.  I will write a second blog in the future after I finish re-reading it. 

-  “Selling success is more of an issue of who you are than what you know.  While knowledge is necessary, sustained success comes to the person who’s driven by strong values and ethics.”    My college Marketing Professor, Bob Drevs, told me several times, “It’s not what you do, but who you are that will make you successful.”  I am sure someone passed that on to him and I am glad he passed it on to me because I think about his advice just about every day.  Success is about the “who” I am, not the “what.”

- “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.“  Willingham quoted William James, a modern-day psychologist.  Willingham uses the quote to support the fact that one can overcome fear by facing it head on.

- “People are more apt to trust and open up to you when you listen to them, care about them, and have a sincere desire to understand them.”  This is true in selling, leading, parenting, marriage, friendship and more.

- “Your interest in a person’s values, feelings, and business must be 100 percent sincere.  That’s why we call it Integrity Selling.“  People buy from people they trust.  Trust is built on sincerity.

- “The art of persuasion is paradoxical.  The more we attempt to persuade people, the more they tend to resist us.  But the more we attempt to understand them and create value for them, the more they tend to persuade themselves.“  And, “People are silently begging, Don’t try to sell stuff to me.  Listen to me, value me, understand me, and let me know that you want to help me.”  This reminds me of philosophy, the more one gives the more one receives. 

- “Integrity selling is doing something for people rather than to them.  Its focus is to create value for customers.  It’s all about them, not you.“  Mary Lou White, who has been with Cameron-Brooks for 32 years, has a sign on her desk (it looks as if it has been there for all 32 years) that says, “Remember:  It’s not about me.”  Probably why she has been at Cameron-Brooks for so long.

We are off to the November 2009 Conference this afternoon.  Posts will soon follow with an update on the Conference.

Joel Junker

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October 27, 2009

Advice from a Cameron-Brooks Alumnus

Cameron-Brooks Alumni always do a better job of explaining the Cameron-Brooks experience than any member of the Cameron-Brooks team.  First, recent Alumni have just lived the experience and it’s fresh for them.  Second, the Cameron-Brooks Alumni can easily relate to the concerns/questions other junior military officers (JMOs) have about a military to business transition and Cameron-Brooks’ services.

The following is a copy of Tish Bivins’ posting on the Cameron-Brooks Discussion Forums about her experience with Cameron-Brooks and the August 2009 Conference.  Because her advice is spot on about preparation and how to approach the Conference, I am including it in the blog since many of you following the Cameron-Brooks blog do not regularly visit the Discussion Forums. 

Just a little background about Tish.  Tish has a business undergraduate degree and was an Army Finance Officer who had a wide variety of positions while in the military to include a company command.  She prepared for her Conference while she was deployed.  She stayed in excellent contact with Cameron-Brooks via e-mail and occasional phone calls.  She also had 5 face to face meetings with us at Fort Bragg and made the drive to Fort Benning for extra sessions.  Tish had a successful career search and is now a Process Improvement Analyst with one of the fastest growing companies in the US. 

Tish’s advice:

“I know everyone is getting amped for the November and January Conference.   As you make your final preparations I’d like to give you a few tools that you might find helpful:

1)      “How was the conference?”   Yes it’s hard!  I spoke with a few CB alumni before attending the conference and everyone said it would be a breeze, and it would be easy.  Don’t believe it; let me define hard for you.  Hard=an encyclopedia of information given to you in a 48 hour period; self-induced pressure to perform; and a serious case of claustrophobia.   Because you are some of the military’s top performers, you are probably accustomed to performing under these conditions.

2)      CB Questions: Think through and prepare responses to all 25 questions.  Take a great deal of time developing your processes and formalizing your thoughts and actions.  Then ditch the questions.  DO NOT GET HUNG UP on the questions.  To avoid the canned answer experience, learn how and why you think and act the way you do, what attributes have made you successful in your career,  then convey that using thorough examples from your career. 

3)      Sleep:  From the time you enter the hotel and receive your packet of information until Sunday night, you will be cramming in as much information as you can.  After the company briefs, you will retire to your rooms and continue to cram, you will find yourself cramming well into the night…STOP.  You will not be receptive and alert if you do not get ample rest.  We in the military can survive on four hours, but you will need at least six.  Develop a study timeline stick to it and get some rest. 

4)      Company Bias: Don’t fall into this trap, you will be given company data sheets, that will list salary ranges, possible locations, position and industry descriptions, you will fall in love with some while others you will be uninterested in immediately.  It’s only common that you will be concerned about the location and the salary, but do your best to avoid focusing on either of these facts.  Focus on the company and the industry.  The position would probably be the next important fact, because you want to enter a company in a position that affords you the opportunity to learn the most about the business. 

5)      Interview Prep: Sunday night you will stay up late selecting/reviewing your accomplishments and aligning them with the job positions, you’ll develop your company questions and your respective closings.  For Sunday, only focus on the interviews you have for Monday.  Monday night do the same routine for the interviews on Tuesday.  Regardless of how it goes on Monday, Tuesday starts anew.  Every interview is your only interview!!!

6)      Roger Cameron: Prepare yourself for Roger’s direct, “tell it the way it is” approach. Some of you may have already practiced your interviewing with him, while others (like me) tried to avoid interview practice with him. Let me paint a picture for you….remember when you first entered the military, and you sat with your senior leader for the first time? You had heard all of the bad things about how he or she was firm, extremely knowledgeable and perhaps unapproachable. You were nervous and wanted to make sure you said all of the right things? Well, it is even harder with Roger. However, the sooner you get over this fear, the better. Don’t try and hide from Roger; if you can interview well with him, you’ll have no problem with ANY company interview. I made it a point to sit with Roger to practice my interview questions and connecting points. He is a wealth of knowledge; make sure you sit with him one-on-one at least once during the conference. (NOTE: Before the conference call him to do a mock interview if you have not done so, but be ready!)

Tish Bivins

August 2009 Conference Candidate”

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October 21, 2009

The Failure Question

Sticking with the failure theme from earlier this week, I would like to address why recruiters who interview junior military officer (JMO) candidates ask the failure question, and how to respond with a successful answer. 

Recruiters ask the failure question for the same reasons I outlined in my previous blog post about the importance of failure.   Recruiters want to know that you set tough challenging goals for yourself, and most importantly they want to see you have the confidence to admit failure, learn the lesson, and apply it.  Understanding the recruiter’s view point will help you effectively answer the question.

Here are the steps I recommend:

1.  State the failure bottom line up front (BLUF).  State in one or two sentences what you did, and why it was considered a failure.  This will answer the recruiter’s question immediately and make it easy for him/her to follow your explanation, which is step 2.

2.  Explain the failure – what you did, what mistakes you made, and how it ended in failure.  This step should be a few sentences, painting a brief picture of your failure for the recruiter.  Be careful not to give too much information.  This is not the most important part of your answer, but rather just the set up for the lesson you learned.

3.  Describe the lesson you learned.  This is the most important part of your answer where you explain what you learned.  Be specific with your lesson.

4.  Apply the lesson. Describe how you applied the lesson throughout the remainder of your time in the military so that the failure was never repeated.  This is the second most important part of your answer, the application of the lesson.  It doesn’t need to be long, the recruiter just wants to know that you recognized the lesson and applied it.

When selecting a failure, the recruiter wants an operational failure rather than a personal failure.  In other words, they want to hear about a time you went over budget on a project, a project did not meet results, your team did not reach its goal, deployment  timelines were missed, your team failed an inspection etc. 

When you deliver the failure, be genuine, honest and confident.  I find when candidates deliver an answer they feel the recruiter wants to hear, or give an answer that merely answers the question without truly helping the recruiter understand who they are, it is obvious that the candidate is just trying to “get by” the question, and this could end up in the recruiter ruling the candidate out. 

Like all interview answers, developing a quality answer to this question requires self-insight, reflection, writing out the answer and practicing the delivery. 

Joel Junker

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October 19, 2009

Turning Failure Into a Positive

“It’s okay to fail.”  It’s still hard for me to accept that; and for most JMOs in the Cameron-Brooks program and for Cameron-Brooks alumni, I imagine that is true as well.  It takes a tremendous amount of maturity, self-insight and self-confidence to handle failure the correct way. 

Here is what I have learned about failure.

1.  If I don’t occasionally fail, it means I am not setting high enough goals.  Those who have seen me before, know that I am a body builder.  Just kidding!  However, I do lift weights 3 times a week for exercise.  To get the maximum benefit, I have to conduct weight lifting exercises that really fatigue my muscles. Sometimes I go to failure.  This means I have gone beyond my comfort zone, the easy part.

2.  Failure can lead to a few steps backward but eventually to growth.  Using my weightlifting analogy again, when I hit failure, I back off 10  to 15 lbs then the following week  work my way back up.  Within a week or two I surpass the point where I previously failed.  (I know, those of you who really know me have to be thinking, “You don’t look like you know anything about weightlifting.”)  Failing in business, the military, leadership, or another endeavor is the same when you stop and evaluate the failure, identify what happened/what went wrong, and apply the lesson.  Initially, it takes time to  recover from the failure, but you will carry that lesson into the future and be that much stronger.

3. Failure requires self-confidence.  Once again, in weightlifting, when I lift weights I am not trying to impress people with how much I lift but rather focus on my form, health and fitness.  I am not afraid to fail with less weight than the person next to me in the gym.  I use this same philosophy to approach my work.  When a project or conversation with a company or JMO candidate doesn’t meet expectations or achieves poor results, I take time to analyze why, and this includes asking peers and superiors for their insight.  Is it initially frustrating, maddening, disappointing or embarrassing to fail?  Absolutely.  I am a perfectionist, but improving has become more important than impressing others. 

4.  I share failures just like I share successes.  I am constantly sharing lessons I learned from my failures with teammates at Cameron-Brooks, our candidates and my children.  I do this for several reasons.  First, I learned from other people who shared their failures with me.  I didn’t have to make their mistakes, and instead I am making new ones!  Second, it lets others know it is okay to fail.  Third, sharing failures can lift others.  I know that last is unique but I find it helps others to see that they are not alone, “To err is human.”

Here is a link to a GREAT and short video from the Wall Street Journal about failure.  This link inspired me to write this post.  http://m.wsj.net/video/20091013/101309dysonfailure/101309dysonfailure_320k.mp4

Joel Junker

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October 13, 2009

Easy Motivation and Retention Tool for Leaders

“When you become a platoon leader, then company commander and so on, get to know your soldiers.  Write down their wives’ names and children’s names on note cards.  Ask your soldiers what’s happening in their lives.  Know your soldiers.”  This is the advice I received over and over again in ROTC training as a cadet and again in my time in the Army.  What I was really being told is, “Take time to really get to know the people who work for you.  Go beyond just names and dates to dreams, goals, strengths and weaknesses.  Celebrate successes with them, empathize in failure, and be supportive during challenging personal times.”

Patrick Lenciono, author of several books to include my personal favorite Five Dysfunctions of a Team, wrote a column on this for the October 5, 2009 issue of BusinessWeek.  You can read the article at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149084766472.htm.

What I took away from the article is that the people you lead, have the same basic needs as you.  They, as you, want to be recognized as a person first and then a member, employee, manager, soldier, sailor or airman.  Work is much more than pay and benefits.  Work is where your team members, and you, go every day to find meaning and professional fulfilment and to make contributions.  To create an environment with meaning and fulfillment doesn’t require fancy incentive programs, granting time off or awards.  In Lencion’s words, “A manager’s genuine interest in employees’ lives pays off at every level, in every job.”  The title of the article says it all, “A No-Cost Way to Motivate.”  I don’t need to write any more to explain, you can read the article and it says it all.

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October 8, 2009

New Cameron-Brooks Website and Resource Center

Despite the ups and downs in the economy of the last 20 months, our clients continue to recruit talented and top performing junior military officers who are well prepared for a business career.  As we have written and said before, the quality and preparation “bar” remains high.  With this high “bar,” and military officers so busy fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or conducting other operations, we have spent two years investing in new technologies and preparation materials to help JMOs who are considering a business career.  This blog, our Facebook page  (http://tinyurl.com/dfqoq4) and weekly webcasts are examples of these technologies;  AND, today, we launched the biggest initiatives of our project.

NEW WEBSITE
We launched our new website – same web link http://www.cameron-brooks.com– but new and exciting content!  (Select the “refresh” button when you first visit the site.)  You can sign up for a Personal Marketability Assessment, Information Meeting and/or Webcast; you can see if we will be visiting your area soon, learn about the Cameron-Brooks transition process, read our mission statement , frequently asked questions and testimonials; you can research career fields, AND utilize our new Candidate Resource Center.

NEW CANDIDATE RESOURCE CENTER
The Resource Center may be accessed through our website, or directly at https://cas.cameron-brooks.com/CandidatePortal.  In the Resource Center you will find a Learning Library with valuable articles about Corporate America, career transition and career guidance.  You will also find lessons learned from previous Cameron-Brooks Career Conferences, the Discussion Forums, the online version of PCS to Corporate America by Roger Cameron, and much more.  If you are a JMO candidate accepted into the Cameron-Brooks program, you will also find our brand new Development and Preparation Program© (DPP©).

The new Development and Preparation Program© (DPP©) includes the Reading Program, Tabs, and podcasts – all easily accessible online and in one place.  It has been completely redone.  It incorporates Cameron-Brooks’ 40 plus years experience in the JMO recruiting industry.  It is also based on significant feedback from our alumni and client companies.

***If you have previously registered with Cameron-Brooks or filled out an application, use the same username and password you created when you first registered  or completed the application.  If you have forgotten your password, follow the instructions on the login page.  (We do not have access to your password.)  If you have forgotten your username, e-mail candidates@cameron-brooks.com and someone at Cameron-Brooks will help you.  If you have not previously registered, it takes 5 minutes, there is no obligation, and you get access to all the content of the Resource Center except for the DPP©, which is only for those accepted into the Cameron-Brooks program.***

 All of us at Cameron-Brooks are committed to finding innovative methods to better serve JMOs in their career development.  We will continue to add rich content to all of these tools, and we always appreciate feedback.

 We do also continue to see positive changes in the economy.  We were very pleased with the success of our recent August 2009 Conference and already have many companies signing up for the upcoming November 2009 Conference.  Please keep visiting our blog as well as our Facebook page for updates.

Finally, thanks to the fabulous team at Creative Noggin Marketing (Tracy Marlowe, Trish McCabe and Cody).  This team has brought a lot of value to our company and our candidates.  I can’t say enough about their professionalism and talent.  You can visit Creative Noggin’s website at http://www.creativenoggin.com/ 

Joel Junker and the Cameron-Brooks Team

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October 6, 2009

JMO Leadership Lessons from General Tommy Franks

General Tommy Franks was speaking recently at a Conference in Austin, TX on the topic of Leadership.  Typical of General Franks, he talked about leadership with a kind of common sense that today seems to be pretty uncommon. 

General Franks told a story of a young lieutenant who declared his intention to one day become a General himself.  The young LT asked General Franks if he could share the one thing the LT could do to advance his career and achieve this goal.  General Franks told him, “Son, go out and buy two alarm clocks.”  The young officer, confused by the General’s answer, asked what he meant by two alarm clocks.  General Franks explained, “That’s right, if you can’t take responsibility for your own life and show up on time, you have no right leading anyone else. Don’t ever be late.”

General Franks also told the story of the best advice his father ever gave him as his father dropped the soon-to-be Private Franks off at the bus stop for boot camp in 1967 (Franks enlisted in the Army during Vietnam after dropping out of University of Texas). 

His father said, “Son, I have one piece of advice. Be feisty.”  Young Franks replied that he already was feisty.  His dad said, “Son, I know you’re feisty, but I mean it as an acronym. F-e-i-s-t-y.” He then went on to spell it out:

* “F” is for focus. You need to get focused on what is important and stay focused.
* “E” is for energy. Bring all the energy you can muster to every situation.
* “I” is for integrity. This is your most important possession. Don’t ever compromise it.
* “S” is for solve the problem. Don’t argue. Don’t make excuses. Just solve the problem and get on with it.
* “T” is for take the blame when no one else will. Accept responsibility and be accountable.
* “Y” is for “Yes, I do windows.” Don’t ever say, “That’s not my job.” Do whatever the boss asks and do it with enthusiasm.

Being in the recruiting business as long as we have, and talking with leading corporations about what it takes to be a successful leader, 90% of our conversations about leadership could be summed up in the acronym FEISTY.  In our opinion, too many people selectively or partly practice being FEISTY.  That’s right – they do some of it when others are watching or in one part of their lives (i.e., “I’m so focused at work that I don’t have time to do professional development.”)  To be a senior leader in any organization and gain the trust of people who follow you, we believe you need to be FEISTY all the time and with all areas of your life- at work, on the job, personal health, reading and professional development, and personal relationships.  Being FEISTY all the time is hard work and requires a lot of intestinal fortitude, discipline and drive, but nothing worth anything in life is ever easy. 

So, make sure you’re FEISTY all day long in all your commitments, and if you’re apologizing 2 or 3 times a day for being late, maybe consider getting a second alarm clock.  Achieving your leadership potential is largely dependent on doing both.

Chuck Alvarez

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September 24, 2009

How to Successfully Interview During the Site Tour

During a follow-up interview with a company, you will likely receive a tour.  This is almost always the case for manufacturing or distribution opportunities where you will be given the chance to see the production line or warehouse/distribution center operations.  I have also known companies to give candidates tours of the office complex, oil and gas drilling sites, stores and call centers.  Although these tours are designed to show you the opportunity and the place you may work, they are also an occasion for the company to evaluate you.  To be successful, you must prove your interest and excitement about the site through your verbal and non-verbal communication.

Here are the keys to continuing to prove your interest and fit during a tour.

1.  Approach the tour with a curious attitude.  When you see equipment, people or processes, be curious, and ask questions to learn more.  When you see something that interests you, do not just take it at face value, ask the person giving the tour to provide more information.  A mistake some candidates make is going through a tour only listening the entire time.  Asking questions communicates interest.

2.  Take notes.  Taking notes also demonstrates interest and a desire to learn.  Additionally, at the end of the tour, you can refer to your notes to ask questions.  It is also possible that during one of your subsequent interviews, someone may ask you about the tour and what you learned.  They will be impressed when you whip out your notebook and refer to specific notes.

3.  Interact with those you meet.  Your tour guide will introduce you to people.  Ask them questions.  Find out what each person does, how long he/she has been with the company, what they like about working in the role, etc. 

4.  Understand how equipment, people and processes relate.  This is really for manufacturing, distribution and call centers.  You will see a “flow” on the tour.  Identify how things fit together and write it in your notebook.  Ask questions about the flow demonstrating that you see how things relate.  I remember one time a candidate took a tour of a new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Outside the filling operation stood a big white board covered with equations and statistics.  He never asked about the board.  A simple question could have been, “Do the calculations on the board pertain to some of the filling operation?”  If the candidate had studied Six Sigma, a better question would have been, “Are those filling operation statistics to drive some sort of process improvement or Six Sigma initiative?”  I assure you the tour guide would have been impressed.

5.  At the end of the tour, be ready for the question, “Did you notice anything that we could do to improve or change?”  Recruiters want to know you took an active part in the tour and did not merely observe.  They also want to hire JMO candidates who focus on continuous process improvement.  When you answer this question, it is best not to be ultra direct in suggesting what could be improved.  Rather, you could phrase it, “Yes, I saw in the glass cutting line that the person stacked glass on the far wall.  It seems to me the near wall would be a shorter route and cut down on time.”  Notice how I did not tell but rather noticed and suggested.

The bottom line of the 5 points. Be an active participant not a passive one, ask questions, be “interested” and not “interesting.”

Joel Junker

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