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BY petevanepps

A Prepared Officer Has Options (Episode 170)

Welcome back! We are pleased to welcome Connor Pratt to the podcast. Connor is a former USMC Logistics officer who attended the Cameron-Brooks Career Conference in January 2018— and the perfect example of how a prepared officer has options when making the transition to business. He spent eight years in the USMC and held many positions, including Battalion Maintenance Management Officer, Platoon Commander, Battalion Motor Transport Officer, and Joint Logistics Directorate Officer. Connor has a degree in Marine Transportation from the US Merchant Marine Academy. When he attended the Career Conference, he interviewed for roles in Team Leadership and General Management, Business Analysis, and Business-to-Business Sales.

Breaking Down Misconceptions

At the Career Conference, Connor interviewed with 15 different industry-leading companies, including Boston Scientific, Corning, Kaeser, and Altec. He intimately chose to work for Globus Medical, a world-leading spinal and trauma medical device company. He started his career in a business-to-business sales role, and we spent the first part of the conversation diving into his day-to-day work life. Because many Junior Military Officers have a skewed view of what life is like starting in a sales role, it is always good to hear from someone who has been at it for many years now and understand their perspective on the nature of the work.

A Prepared Officer Gets Results

Connor spent 13 months in the Cameron-Brooks Development and Preparation Program© (DPP) before attending the January 2018 Career Conference. During that time, Connor participated in a robust professional reading program, learned about the different career field options available to him, created a relevant and specific professional resume, and prepared to interview with multiple hiring managers. Through that in-depth preparation process, Connor attended the Career Conference and got every company he interviewed to pursue him. In this episode, he explains how he thoroughly engaged in the DPP to get those kinds of results.

Have Friends and HAVE FUN!

Connor’s friend, Chris Wilkeson, attended the November 2015 Career Conference. The two pieces of advice that Connor gives that helped him to be more successful through the process are: 1) keep in contact with those who went before you and 2.) have fun. The first seems logical; the second seems counter-intuitive. That said, the officers that are more successful at the Career Conference are those who are prepared and, thus, have the mentality to have fun. At the Conference, you will meet a wide variety of interesting and experienced business professionals. Those officers who see that as an opportunity tend to have more success through the process; that is just more fun!

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If you’re interested in learning more about your transition options, please feel free to contact us.

You can also check out our Transition Guide on “3 Game-Changing Strategies for JMOs Making the Jump to Business” for additional transition tips.

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