Many junior military officers transitioning out of the military are attracted to Cameron-Brooks because of our world-class preparation program. Because we accept less than 15%, many officers will not qualify for our Development & Preparation Program ©. This should not be used as an excuse to not be prepared.
I have interviewed thousands of JMOs considering a transition from military to business in the last 12 years, and I am always attracted to those officers who have already established their own self-development program. I know other companies will be impressed as well. You can start your preparation on your own with a reading program. Go to one of our early blog posts at http://cameronbrooks.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/suggested-reading-for-military-to-corporate-transition/ . Ensure that you read Roger Cameron’s book PCS to Corporate America, 3rd Edition. It is full of advice as well as exercises to prepare you for an interview.
Finally, we will be adding a career transition resource center to our web site in the near future. This will be open to all JMOs regardless of whether or not they are accepted into our program. You can also e-mail me at ssosland@cameron-brooks.com or post your questions here, and I would be happy to provide you with guidance. Most officers prepared for four years before assuming their first leadership position in the military. If you come to corporate America you will be expected to multi-task and continue your self-development to get promoted. Why wait until you are three months from your separation date to begin? I encourage you to start now.
Steve Sosland
C_B is a joke
you people are so self serving that you don’t even know it
all JMOs hate C_B
Jeff,
We take feedback at Cameron-Brooks as seriously as we give it to all those with which we work. Unfortunately, you do not provide any specific feedback for us to continue to improve our services to JMOs and companies. I do want to address your points however.
First, we take our business very seriously and we are not a “joke.” Serving JMOs and clients such as ExxonMobil, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson for almost 45 years now proves that we are for real and to take from Jim Collin’s book title, Cameron-Brooks is “Built to Last.”
Second, it is true we are a business that must earn a profit to take care of our employees and invest back in the business but I am sure if you speak to the thousands of Cameron-Brooks alumni and many other JMOs that we meet and speak with on a day to day to business, you will hear that we are direct, honest and fair. So, yes, we have to serve ourselves but we choose to do it in a way that respects everyone we encounter and ulimately we strive to achieve a “Win” for our clients, a “Win” for a our candidates, and if that happens, and only when that happens, Cameron-Brooks “Wins.”
Third, based on the fact that we are still conducting hundreds of Personal Marketability Assesments a month, having successful career conferences amidst the worst recesssion in 60 years, having numerous people access our website and blog each day, meeting JMOs personally each week at their military bases, and being given 120 referrals alone from the candidates who attended our June 2009 Career Conference, not all JMOs “hate” us. I am currently reading the book, “Once an Eagle”. In the first chapter, the lead character Sam Damon shares his dream of some day being military officer but complains that people in his small Nebraska town are making fun of him. His sister says, “If you want to be different, you have to be willing to pay the price.” When Roger Cameron and Rene Brooks chose to create this business, they wanted it to be very different than any other recruiting firm or JMO recruiting firm for that matter. We do have to pay the price for being selective, holding people and ourselves to high standards, being honest and direct.
In closing, I want to share with you the first paragraph of an e-mail Roger Cameron received today from one of our Alumni at Alcoa. I believe it demonstrates how we conduct our business. Roger and Helen Davenport wrote this letter of recommendation for this alumnus because this is part of our commitment to our alumni. There is not a future dollar value benefit from what Roger and Helen did.
“I had my interview with the Assistant Dean on Thursday July 9th and received this letter Friday July 10. I’m in! During the interview, The Assistant Dean commented that Roger Cameron’s recommendation letter was simply phenomenal and had a resounding impact on my application. Specifically, he commented that he had never seen a letter so professionally crafted. My sincere appreciation goes out to you and the Cameron Brooks team for assisting in all of my post-military endeavors. Service unsurpassed. Thanks again” – Cameron-Brooks Alumnus at Alcoa
Joel Junker