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BY Joel Junker

Top 4 Business Trends for JMOs in 2022

Are you considering a transition to Corporate America in 2022?  Have you wondered what it’s like on “the other side”?  This blog post explores some of the top business trends that are relevant to JMOs considering and/or making a transition to the business world this year!

Unprecedented Need for Leadership:

There has always been a need for strong leaders in Corporate America. In fact, this is the key reason Cameron-Brooks exists. We help our client companies grow their businesses by partnering with top JMO talent for their key leadership positions. But today, we live in unusual times with the Pandemic, civil unrest, political divide, etc. The economy has improved since the early days of the pandemic but there are still many problems facing our economy and Corporate America. This is why we have continued to see unprecedented demand for leadership. In fact, for the first time in our company’s history, we have been forced to turn client companies away from attending our Career Conferences.  The average number of interviews has quickly rebounded from a historical low of 7.5 in April 2020 to an average of 13 interviews at our most recent January Career Conference. An additional interesting note happens to be the complexity of the positions our client companies are coming to recruit for.  Our CEO, Chuck Alvarez, often calls them “and” jobs. So, what is an “and” job? Typically, it sounds something like “Chuck, we really need someone who is a strong team builder, AND they have to possess strong analytical skills, AND with all that is happening in the economy, we need someone who can drive change, etc.” Opportunities are truly abound right now for the JMO who is well prepared and has the right transition strategy.

The Great Resignation:

In 2021, three words shaped the world of work: “The Great Resignation.” Anthony Klotz, an organizational psychologist and professor at Texas A&M University, coined the phrase during an interview with Bloomberg last May.  Americans quit jobs at a record pace during the second half of 2021 and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 4.5 million workers left their jobs in November 2021 alone. The research shows about 23% of employees will seek new jobs in 2022, while 9% have already secured a new position, according to a December ResumeBuilder.com poll of 1,250 American workers. In a recent article, Klotz predicts that while quitting will continue this year, he doesn’t expect turnover to spike as high as it did last year. Part of this is because the tight labor market has pushed companies to offer better benefits, flexible work environments and higher wages. This again bodes well for the JMO looking to transition this year. When you consider the point above with companies needing strong leadership coupled with people leaving their jobs, this presents opportunity. At Cameron-Brooks, we have seen evidence of this, with the average number of interviews at 12-13 per officer (pre-pandemic numbers) and starting salaries for our candidates increasing by nearly $10k in 2021 compared to our historical 5-year average.

The Virtual Interview Process:

Until March of 2020, we saw a small number of interviews conducted virtually. Today a virtual interview process is considered a norm. Prior to April 2020, every Conference Cameron-Brooks conducted in our 50+ year history was conducted in-person. We never imagined we would be running virtual Career Conferences. Alas, here we are now having completed our 10^th virtual Career Conference. What have we found? Our virtual conference is just as effective as in-person interviewing provided you prepare well for them. Some quick tips on how to prepare? First, your virtual interview set up is critical. You are no longer in a room with the recruiter so your “presence” is now what they can see on their computer screen. The background, connectivity, quality of the camera, lighting, etc. are paramount to conducting a high-quality virtual interview. Additionally, you have to work even harder to build rapport and demonstrate interest because the interviewer can only see you from your shoulder up. So how you frame yourself in the camera, facial expressions, making eye contact with the camera (and not the screen) are also very important in the virtual world.

Remote Work Opportunities:

The freedom to work from anywhere has become one of the most sought-after benefits during the pandemic—so much so that people value flexibility as much as a 10% pay raise, according to new research from the WFH Research Project. We’ve started to see more remote work opportunities at our Conferences. In fact, approximately 10% of the officers we placed in 2021 accepted a position that was remote work, and I do not believe this trend will be going away anytime soon. However, there are some caveats to remote work. First, it depends on the role whether remote work is even viable. For example, if you are working in a manufacturing or distribution operation, remote work is virtually impossible since you need people present to make the product or get a product to where it needs to go.  Additionally, sales positions might be remote but time has to be spent with the customers to build the necessary relationships. In 2020 we had a vast majority of our officers entering Corporate America in remote work, at least to start due to the height of the uncertainty of the pandemic. What we observed, is that while remote work can sound enticing, when you are trying to learn a brand-new industry, company, position, etc. it can be very challenging being isolated from your boss, team, and organization.  It is typically easier to do remote work when you have had the opportunity to become familiar with all of those things first.

These are the top four trends for JMOs in 2022 that we are seeing. Curious about how to make a successful transition? Check out our website, YouTube Channel and follow us on LinkedIn. Additionally, I encourage you to check out and download our transition guideline white papers that are packed full of useful information and tips as well as our podcast. We have a link to our top 10 podcasts of 2021 and you can listen to those here.

If you are ready to explore your options with Cameron-Brooks, you can click this link to learn more about scheduling a Personal Marketability Assessment.

Rob Davis