Cameron-brooks

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! We have a special year in review  episode as Joel Junker and I review 2018 and take a look back on the year we experienced at Cameron-Brooks. In this episode, Joel and I dig into the quality and quantity of companies who filled important and complex leadership roles in 2018. More than 100 different divisions of companies made offers to our clients across five conferences last year. On average, 45 interview rooms were in full use during these conferences, with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, Stryker Medical, and more. We explore the complexity of those roles and the fact that companies are looking for great leaders AND team players AND those who are adaptable AND analytical AND have learning agility AND...  When Corporate America hires military officers into roles typically reserved in for industry-experienced hires, they are looking for something special. Lastly, we touch on corporate leadership rotational programs and explore the pros of

Listeners often give me feedback that Cameron-Brooks Podcast Episodes are "fresh" and "not canned or rehearsed."  When Pete Van Epps and I interview our Alumni for these episodes, we do not prepare them ahead of time and only edit episodes when the alumnus asks us to.  We want to ask the questions and then let the  Cameron-Brooks Alumnus provide an honest answer from his or her experience. Keep in mind this concept of allowing our Alumni to be honest in the podcast as you listen to C-B Alumnus, Josh Halu, explain how hard it was for him to agree to partner with Cameron-Brooks 5 years before he made the transition.  Because the Cameron-Brooks Partnership Agreement asks JMOs to wait until after the completion of our Career Conference before they contact other companies or recruiting firms to set up interviews, Josh feared he would be missing out.  Yet, instead he trusted Cameron-Brooks and the process.  Because of his trust, the line up of companies for Josh's January 2016 Conference "shocked" him.  He could n

When I speak to Junior Military Officers (JMOs) with engineering degrees, they often want to avoid doing engineering related work because they believe that companies would only hire them for their technical knowledge.  When I ask them to explain more about their perception, they voice concerns about being “stuck” or “pigeon holed” into one specific technical area within a company.  While companies absolutely need technical experts and engineers who want to further their expertise, the development positions Cameron-Brooks represent for those with engineering degrees are multi-dimensional where JMOs use their leadership, problem solving, project management and technical skills.  They also have the opportunity for promotion and increased responsibility throughout their company. In this episode, Scott Grigg, Cameron-Brooks Alumnus from November 2015, describes how he has used his Aerospace Engineering education and military leadership experience as a Development Candidate with Eli Lilly, an industry leading phar

WELCOME BACK! This episode features Peter Sceusa. Peter is a former Army Air Defense Artillery officer who transitioned to business in early 2014. Peter started his post-military business career at the consulting firm, PwC as a Senior Associate in Compliance and Data Analytics. He quickly learned the ins-and-out of that part of their business and shares some key insights on the podcast on how to get up to speed quickly in an unfamiliar environment. He specifically mentions using Coursera as a great platform to expand your knowledge in different areas. Peter also shares some interesting perspective into the world of consulting and why he chose PwC after the Army.  One of my favorite parts of the conversation came toward the end when he talked about what he focuses on regarding career growth, development and taking ownership of his career. He shares some excellent advice, including using your strengths immediately when joining a new team. He also shares how companies are  harnessing the power of the JMO, who

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Melanie Mansbach, a JMO who transitioned to the biotech contract manufacturing industry. She is a former Army Aviation officer who transitioned to Lonza in 2016. She is managing a technical team of people who essentially produce very technical and intricate pharmaceutical products. Lonza a 120 year old Swiss company. They are a contract manufacturer for the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. For the first half of the podcast, Melanie gives an in-depth description of what biotech contract manufacturing is and what she does in her Manager role. She has a lot of different responsibilities and it is very interesting to hear how her role relates to her military experience. We also get into the discussion of finding meaning in what she does, as well as and working with other JMOs at Lonza. Melanie has also been back to a Cameron-Brooks Conference as a Hiring Manager and gives some great advice to JMOs as they are transitioning and preparing to interview in

Location, location, location. While those are typically the top 3 criteria for opening up a retail business, it commonly seems like top criteria for a JMO transition. Yet, when JMOs narrow down a search based on location, they miss out on exploring many unique opportunities. Paul Speckin is Cameron-Brooks Alumnus who attended our April 2018

A lot of JMOs wonder why they should partner with Cameron-Brooks versus other recruiting firms or striking out on their own. They also wonder why they should enter a Cameron-Brooks agreement and wait to send out resumes or contact other companies until after the Cameron-Brooks Conference. In other words, they wonder, “How does this benefit

Welcome back! On this episode I interview Scott Holtman. Scott is an Operations Manager at a leading textile manufacturer. He's a former Navy E-2 Pilot who transitioned in January 2014. On this episode, we explore how to see an acquisition as an opportunity as well as: The value of conducting a broad career search and leading with your leadership strengths The large overlap of Manufacturing and Naval Aviation Scott's day-in-the-life and career progression as a Safety Analyst and Operations Manager What it's like to go through an divestiture and acquisition Scott shares some excellent insight about where he sees his career going, and I think you will be energized from his experience. His story is an interesting one, especially the twist and turns that led him to his current company after attending one of our Cameron-Brooks conferences. We also get into the conversation of what it's like to go through an acquisition process and what kind of opportunity can be present as a result.  We don't get a chan

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! On this episode you will meet Ashley Philbin, who talks about her first year in Corporate America. She is a former Army Ordnance officer who transitioned from the military after finishing an EOD Company Command. She had a perfect Cameron-Brooks conference, with 13 interviews and 12 companies that pursued her.

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Trey McAfee. Trey is a former Army Chemical Corps officer who transitioned from the Army in early 2015 and is currently a Plant Manager at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope. Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope is a company that primarily makes commercial glass for some very interesting and beautiful buildings across America. Trey was recently promoted and moved cross-country from Arizona to New Jersey. He attended our January 2015 conference, before starting his career at Oldcastle. I really enjoyed the conversation with Trey because we ended up talking about a broad range of topics, but tended to center most around making a difference every day. Trey has a really interesting background. We discussed: His partnership with Cameron-Brooks and why he choose to transition from the military. What 21st Century manufacturing is really like. His first year at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope. The difference between production ("back end") and customer-facing ("front end") operations.

Considering a transition from the military?  Do you feel a little anxious about your decision?  This anxiety is natural.  In this podcast, I interview Cameron-Brooks Recruiter and Principal, Rob Davis, about his decision to make the transition 19 years ago.  What makes Rob's decision unique? His dad and father-in-law both retired from the military.  Rob attended West Point with the goal to follow in their footsteps.  He stayed in the Army beyond his original commitment to command a Tank Company on his way to making the Army his career.  Yet, he decided to transition and did so successfully to Cisco Systems. Rob explains how he made his decision and offers advice to others considering their future as well.  He recommends:  Map out your next 5 years in the military.  Does it excite you? What is going to be important to you in 5 years?  Does the military help you align with those priorities? Research business by reading business books like PCS to Corporate America, 4th Ed. and business periodicals like F

Cameron-Brooks' mission is to help JMOs reach their potential and dreams.  The path to get there starts with understanding goals, values, and strengths.  The Personal Marketability Assessment with Cameron-Brooks (PMA) is a proven resource to help JMOs identify these career drivers.  During this session, an experienced Cameron-Brooks Recruiter asks JMOs specific questions to help them reflect on, evaluate, and verbalize their thoughts on these areas.  It is a powerful exercise to help JMOs make the best decision about their future whether that is continuing with a military career, transitioning to business, or pursuing some other endeavor.  The Personal Marketability Assessment also lays the foundation for how JMOs should prepare and what to focus on, if they do decide to pursue business. In this podcast, Cameron-Brooks alumnus Bob Schultz describes how his Personal Marketability Assessment with Cameron-Brooks Partner Joel Junker helped him clarify his goals and set him on a path for a successful career with

Is Sales for Development Candidates? In our latest episode, I interview Cory Nordstrom to find out. Cory is a former Air Force officer who transitioned to Corporate America in 2014. He started his career at Medtronic selling spinal implants in the hospital operating room to orthopedic and neurological surgeons. For this podcast, I asked Cory to describe his experience leaving the Air Force and going directly into a medical device sales role. In doing so, he essentially describes a-day-in-the-life, which I found helpful in fully understanding what sales looks like in that environment. We also get into the topic of career progression and some possible areas that he can move to after this role. He shares some memorable advice that he is considering as he evaluates his future options. What he shares is not only relevant to sales, but really every career field in business. I hope you enjoy the conversation with Cory. To learn more about Cameron-Brooks, visit our website and check out PCS to Corporate America. Yo

With so many veteran recruiting initiatives, social media sites like LinkedIn, and an unemployment rate of 3.9%, it has become a lot easier for transitioning JMOs to land a job.  While seemingly positive, this can be a problem. Why? Most JMOs do not want a job, they want a career.  The definition of a job is, "work that one routinely does in return for pay," whereas a career is defined as, "the natural progression of one's professional life". Let's look at why a career search is better than a job search. How do JMOs end up in a job when they want a career?  They do not conduct a career search.  A career search includes interviewing with multiple companies over a short period of time to evaluate them and find the right fit.  This allows the JMO to compare their options with factors such as industry, promotional opportunities, career field, culture, location and money.  Careers have a mix of these and short- and long-term trade-offs in each of these areas.  No one opportunity will be perfect.  The career searc

When it comes to your career, can your attitude really determine your altitude? We talked to Abby Horvath, a Cameron-Brooks alumna and manufacturing manager at Ethicon, one of the largest operating companies within Johnson & Johnson. A former Army MEDEVAC pilot who transitioned into a team leadership role as a manufacturing supervisor, Abby has occupied many different roles across her organization in just five short years. In this podcast episode, she explains how she did it. In some ways, Abby found working for Johnson & Johnson to be lot like working in the Army. But one of the biggest differences she noticed is her ability now to have control over her career. Abby impressed me when she explained the steps she took in her career progression. Her approach should be natural to JMOs starting a new career in a new industry. But, unfortunately, the humble attitude she took when starting out is not always the attitude JMOs start with. One thing she said that particularly stuck out to me is, "You don't get succe

Two weeks before former JMO Jenna Sanders attended her Career Conference, she wasn't considering sales as a possible career opportunity.  Based on the companies attending her Conference, I called and asked if she would consider a few sales interviews.  A few specific sales positions really fit her personality and interests; most importantly, because she was conducting a joint search with her spouse, Bryan, it would provide them with more overlapping locations. Jenna listened to me with an open mind, although she still had some reservations.  In addition to her other interviews in Team Leadership and Business Analysis, Jenna interviewed for a few sales positions and received several offers.  She chose a sales position with Textron Aviation.  She has since moved on from Textron and is now the VP of Sales at VistaJet. In this podcast you will hear about how she applies her experience as an Army JMO to succeed in her career.  You will also hear my envy when discussing her client engagements.  She has been to th