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BY petevanepps

PCS’ing to Corporate America is a Team Effort (E208)

Roughly half of the military officers who attend a Cameron-Brooks Career Conference are married when they are PCS’ing to Corporate America. Though we do not measure it, my guess is another 25% of the unmarried officers are in a serious relationship where their significant other plays a major role in the transition. Making the move is a team effort and a big deal. We know that firsthand because every former military officer who works at Cameron-Brook was married when we made the move from the military to the business world.  That is why Cameron-Brooks puts a significant premium on inviting spouses and significant others to participate in the process and create pathways to ensure that can happen.

In this episode, you will meet Richard and Shelby Snyder. Richard is a former Army Field Artillery officer. He graduated from West Point in 2014 and spent 10 years in the Army. He recently attended the June 2024 Cameron-Brooks Career Conference and launched his career at Corning, Inc. I really enjoyed working with Richard as he prepared for his transition. One of the things I remember most about working with Richard was Shelby was always by his side. As a matter of fact, the first time I met Richard, I also met Shelby. She participated in our program alongside Richard and was there throughout the entire process.

This episode is fun because you’ll hear how Richard and Shelby worked through their decision-making process in order to ultimately choose a leadership role at Corning in Saginaw, Michigan. A few highlights that you’ll hear from the conversation are:

Prepare as a Team

Richard and Shelby worked together in the interview preparation process. From reading business books together to working through interview practice, Richard said that Shelby’s participation in the process was a key to his success. As a point of note, at the Career Conference, each of the 12 companies that Richard interviewed with expressed interest in pursing him. Needless to say, Richard was very prepared to interview, and Shelby played a big part in that.

Attend the Career Conference Together

The Cameron-Brooks Career Conference is an action-packed 4-day event. During the first two days of the Conference, officers are preparing to interview. They attending a 30-minute briefing for each of the specific companies for which they will interview, they are studying company literature and they are building a game plan for each interview. It is a busy two days, and some have likened it to drinking from a firehose. Having your spouse with you to take in, process and discuss the information that is coming at you can be a real win for your overall preparation.

Location Preference

There are so many unique aspects to the location discussion; the bottom line is location is really important to most military officers with whom we partner. We know it. We get it. We sweat it. As a matter of fact, during the matching process when Conference interview schedules are built, location is one of the preeminent factors we consider during the process. The advantage of having your spouse or significant other as part of the process is they get a say. Their voice is heard, and they get to be a part of the conversation. If you want to read more on this topic, we’ve generated a ton of content over the years. You can find some of our most recent podcasts and blog posts here, here, and here.

I am grateful that Richard and Shelby carved out time to meet with me and share their story. If you want to know more about Cameron-Brooks, you can find more information on LinkedIn and YouTube.

If you (and your spouse) want to meet over the phone to discuss your options, please let me know. I am glad to set up some time for us to meet.

Best,

Pete Van Epps || pete@cameron-brooks.com || (210) 874-1519

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