Our Blog

BY Joel Junker

What Makes Cameron-Brooks Different from Other Transition Options?

I get asked a lot of questions about what sets Cameron-Brooks apart from other military to business transition options.  Without knowing more of the why behind the officer asking the question and what is important to them in their career search, it can be difficult to answer.  So instead of trying to compare Cameron-Brooks to different paths, I want to share our vision of who we are and what we strive to accomplish every day.  I believe this will help JMOs compare options on their own when researching Cameron-Brooks and others.

First, let me share with you what we are not.

Earlier this week, I interviewed a Marine Officer with about 7 years of experience with business related undergraduate and graduate degrees.  On paper, he looked great.  He communicated really well.  When I asked him why he was interested in forming a partnership with Cameron-Brooks, he said he needed help with preparation, wanted to learn some new skills to prepare for the business world and needed a job lined up by the end of the year.  I explained that we don’t just help officers find jobs. We do more than that.

So, what makes Cameron-Brooks different?

While we have an excellent in-depth and personal development program, resume consultation, the best interview coaches in the industry and career conferences that help people line up positions before they start terminal leave, those are means to the ultimate goal of what we do.  Our ultimate goal is to partner with top performing military officers who have exceptional attitudes and want to grow to significant leadership positions in business.

Cameron-Brooks is and has been the most consistent program for junior military officers to transition from the military into business leadership tracks.  We extend beyond the preparation, high-quality companies and a conference experience unlike any other.  Therefore, we partner with JMOs who do not just want a job, but rather a career that will grow and develop into higher level leadership roles.

Sure, there are other sources and even former JMOs who did the transition on their own, who are CEOs, in other C-Suite roles, Vice Presidents, Senior Directors.  I do not argue that.  Yet, I would argue that Cameron-Brooks is the most reputable and consistent in helping JMOs take their leadership potential and help them become successful business leaders.

We have a lot of executives we can point to.  Some examples include: CEO of Post Consumer Brands, CEO of Welch’s, CIO of Lennar Corporation, President of Diageo North America; CEO of SoFi; former Chairman and CEO of Office Depot; CEO for Hostess Brands; former COO and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and current founder and CEO of Zibo; CEO of Pactiv Evergreen; CFO of Weber Stephen Products, LLC.; Business Unit CFO of Shell Deepwater Gulf of Mexico; Executive Director of NextEra Energy; Executive Vice President of Global Engineering and Supply Chain Edward Lifesciences, and I really could keep going.

What do we do that leads to success like this?

• Identify top performers – the objective assets.
• Interview prospective JMO candidates for their “soft” skills, ensuring they have the right type of attitude and grit to be a business executive.
• Provide a world class Development and Preparation Program exposing candidates to business concepts and interviewing skills that will help them not only in the transition but also throughout their career.
• Numerous one-on-one coaching sessions to learn about each candidate’s interests and background to match them with companies at a Conference.
• A Career Conference where they will learn more in four days about business and themselves than any other program I know of. If you have a question on this, email me and I will put you in touch with our Alumni who completed the Conference.
• At our Career Conferences, we provide the opportunity to interview for open positions with decision makers with leading companies from a variety of industries. This allows the JMO to compare options and to make a good choice about where to start their career.
• Seamless follow-up interview process that allows the JMO to conduct final interviews with multiple companies over two weeks to compare options.
• Coaching and mentoring post-transition from the military. Just last week I helped one of our Alumni interviewing for a CEO of a division of his company negotiate a compensation package.  We placed this JMO in 2004.

What does this process lead to?

• Allows JMOs to enter the business world ready to achieve results. Our companies will train and develop JMOs but they do that while the JMO is delivering value and gaining valuable hands-on experience.  These are not rotational programs where you progress in the program along with all kinds of other veterans.
• Avoid “do overs”. If you want to rise to the top, you better have a strong foundation.  Those first 3-5 years post military in business are critical.  We did a recent study from 4 years ago of those we placed with one of our client companies compared to those who started in our program and later decided to go a different path.  78% of our JMOs were still with their original company and average tenure was 42 months.  Only 50% of those who were once in our program but decided to pursue another option were still with their original company. The 50% rate is closer to the industry average, which means the 78% retention rate of our alumni is incredibly high.
• Access to the Cameron-Brooks continuous coaching and advice and Alumni network throughout your career.

So who are our ideal JMO partners?  Top performers, who have a giver attitude and the work ethic to succeed. Someone who wants to reach their leadership potential in business.

Want to see where you fit?  You can contact me directly at joel@cameron-brooks.com or sign up for a Personal Marketability Assessment to speak with one of our recruiters. Want to stay connected? Check out our website, YouTube Channel and follow us on LinkedIn.