Our Blog
Interested in Subscribing to our blog?
BY Brock Dudley
Mindset Matters: April 2024 Conference Follow-Up
Hello everyone! Welcome back. I want to provide everyone with a quick update on our April 2024 Career Conference, the state of the economy, and talk with you all about why mindset matters.
We have concluded our April 2024 Conference and are busy working with our candidates and client companies to conduct follow-up interviews! Some candidates earned offer(s) not even 3 days after their initial interviews. Yes, 3 days!
The follow-up process consists of a mix of virtual and in-person interviews with companies where there was mutual interest in moving forward in the interview process. For the next two to three weeks, the candidates will be involved in the follow-up interview process where they will conduct site visits and learn more about companies. On average, the entire process takes 18 working days for candidates to conduct follow-up interviews, earn and compare offers, and choose their companies!
So, what were the statistics?
The candidates conducted a total of 447 interviews in two days, with an average of 11.5 interviews per candidate! The pursuit rate for this Career Conference was 65.8%.
The “pursuit rate” is defined as the number of interviews in which the candidate achieved success divided by the total number of interviews. “Achieving success” in an interview at the Career Conference simply means the candidates got over the “bar” set by our client companies, and the companies expressed interest in moving forward with the candidate.
Economic Update: April 2024
The Economy is tough to pinpoint. We’ve been doing this for a long time at Cameron-Brooks and we would best describe this as a Rubber-Band effect. It’s expanding, then tightening, repeatedly. In November 2023, candidates averaged over 10 interviews. In January 2024, we averaged around 9 interviews per officer. Now, we are back to 12. Some people had 14 interviews at the April Conference. Inflation has ticked up, so the Fed hasn’t cut rates. We thought we were going to have 3 interest rate cuts this year, but now we might not have any. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we are sitting at a 3.8% unemployment rate. According to the March 2024 Jobs report, over 303,000 jobs were added in March!
No one knows where it’s at. No one can necessarily say where it’s going. The economy is an uncontrollable factor in your transition. You can always focus on the controllables and one of those factors is your mindset. Companies WANT to interview you. They will not stop investing in future leaders of their company. You ARE THAT!
Mindset: The most powerful controllable factor in your search
So, what do JMOs making the transition out of the military to the business world have in common with championship-winning teams? A lot!
I like sports. What can I say? I played soccer at the collegiate level, and I find that sports are a great way to make analogies. If you are making a transition to the business world, your Super Bowl is successfully getting off Active Duty, out into the business world, and launching your business career. I hesitate to say this because at Cameron-Brooks we focus on careers and not necessarily “jobs”, but landing a job post-military is your Super Bowl.
You have your eyes set on the prize well before you submit your resignation, and this is looming over your head for months and months and maybe even years. Same with the Kansas City Chiefs. As they went through the season, they encountered bumps in the road. Obstacles. They went from being 6-1 to being 9-6 at one point. People counted them out. Things weren’t necessarily going their way, but they adapted. They had a growth mindset, not a fixed one! They adjusted. They were open to trying new things, adapting, and not just relying on their old ways all with one thing in mind: To win the Super Bowl. They achieved just that.
Mindset matters.
Another sports analogy. Do you think an MLB player walks up to the plate, bottom of the 9th inning in the World Series, bases loaded, and thinks to themselves: “Wow, my cleats are scuffed.”? No way! They are worried about getting the winning run to home plate and winning the World Series! So, what does this have to do with launching a business career? Everything! Mindset is the secret sauce in the recipe for a successful transition.
Mindset matters.
Growth Mindset
Your mindset significantly influences how you approach your career search and ultimately affects your success. I thought I’d leave you all with some tips or topics to think about.
- Confidence: A confident mindset enables you to present yourself effectively and make a strong impression on potential employers. Being confident means having a good plan, knowing you have a guide, and knowing that you put in the work so that when it is gameday, you can execute. Cameron-Brooks can help you with that.
- Openness to Opportunities: Having a growth mindset encourages you to explore various career paths and opportunities. Instead of limiting yourself to a narrow set of options, remain open to new possibilities and experiences. I challenge you to lead the transition with what you don’t know, not with what you know. This is a mindset. Be more curious about what you don’t know as it pertains to industries and career fields than about what you do know. Cameron-Brooks can help you with that.
- Adaptability: The job market is constantly evolving, and industries may undergo significant changes. Company standards may go up, like they have since the COVID pandemic. A flexible and growth mindset allows you to adapt to these economic shifts. You need to be prepared to interview competitively as the bar has gone up on you. Cameron-Brooks can help you with that.
- Learning and Growth: Viewing your career search as a learning process encourages you to seek feedback, reflect on your experiences, and continuously improve. It forces you to lead with what you don’t know, and not with what you know. A growth mindset enables you to make decisions differently than you used to make decisions. Cameron-Brooks can help you with that.
In summary, your mindset shapes how you perceive and respond to the challenges and opportunities encountered during your career search. Cultivating a positive, resilient, and growth-oriented mindset can significantly enhance your chances of finding fulfilling employment and advancing in your career.
Stay Tuned!
On May 2, my colleague Pete Van Epps will conduct the post-April 2024 Career Conference webcast that will include several Cameron-Brooks alumni who attended the April Conference and have successfully launched post-military careers. Our alumni will share their experiences in the Cameron-Brooks program all the way through their Career Conference and the follow-up process.
Are you interested in exploring your options with Cameron-Brooks? Curious about how to make a successful transition? If you are a JMO considering making a transition to Corporate America and would like to be part of a future Cameron-Brooks Career Conference, reach out to us for a personal consultation with one of our Transition Coaches. You can never start too early! If you are even remotely considering making a transition, why wait? Start now!
Brock Dudley
Principal, Transition Coach
