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BY Joel Junker

November 2016 Career Conference Results

The final Career Conference of 2016 is now “in the books” and we want to give a big congratulations to all of the November Career Conference candidates and their spouses and support team members on a lot of hard work that paid big dividends as they begin their career search in Corporate America.   As we get closer to the election next week, there remains uncertainty in the economy and how the election will impact the market.  As I said in my earlier blog post, I transitioned during an election year and there was much of the same sentiments even back in November 2000.  However, one constant that has remained, and even in the recession in 2008/2009, companies still continue to hire strong leaders for their organizations.  The November Career Conference only reinforced this.  In two days, over 580 interviews were conducted with an average of 11.9 interviews and a pursuit rate of 63%.   The pursuit rate is defined as the number of interviews in which the candidates achieved success divided by the total number of their interviews.   Achieving success in an interview at the Career Conference simply means the companies expressed interest in moving forward in the interview process with the candidate.   So, for this Conference, the candidates converted right at 7.5 of those 11.9 interviews into a successful interview.

There were 33 distinct companies attended but several companies had multiple divisions attend.  Additionally, there were several new companies attending in addition to some long standing Cameron-Brooks client companies.  The size of the companies attending varied from several smaller privately held companies to some of the largest companies on the most recent FORTUNE 500 list.

Sample industries represented at the November Career Conference include: Bio pharma & Pharmaceutical, Consumer Services, Consumer Products, Medical Device, High Technology, Energy, Consulting, Health Care, Construction, Building Materials, Advertising, Marketing, Transportation, and more.

Sample companies include:  Mars, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Enerflex Energy Systems, Michelin North America, PACTIV Corporation, USAA, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, The Wine Group, and many more.

Same positions include:  Account Manager, Program Operations Manager, Development Project Manager, Engineering Team Leader, Facilities Manager, Brand Manager, Manufacturing Supervisor, Project Engineer, Associate Account Executive, Warehouse Building Manager, Process Engineer, Terminal Manager, Senior Financial Analyst, Automation General Manager, Decision Science Analyst, and many more.

Sample locations include:  Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta, GA; Milwaukee, WI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; New York City, NY; Nashville, TN; Minneapolis, MN; Greenville, SC; Los Angeles, CA; Grand Rapids, MI; Phoenix, AZ; San Antonio, TX; and many more.

Some of the client companies represented at the June Career Conference included the following:

• A diversified financial services company known for its financial strength, outstanding service, and competitive products.  Founded in 1922 to serve members of the military and their families, this company provides insurance, banking, investments, and financial planning to more than 11 million members.  They have been ranked by FORTUNE magazine among the “100 Best Companies to Work for” for the past six years.  They attended the Conference recruiting for a variety of business analysis and project management positions.
• This company develops medical technology and services that focus on putting more control into the hands of those who treat cardiac, neurological, and chronic-pain patients worldwide.  Their product portfolio includes implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, pacemakers, electrophysiology catheters, mapping and visualization systems, etc.  FORTUNE magazine has ranked this company #3 within their industry on the 2015 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies.”  They attended the conference recruiting for sales positions.
• An international company supplying advanced packaging solutions for more than 1,600 customers in the foodservice, food packaging, supermarket, and various other packaging markets in virtually every corner of the world.  FORTUNE magazine named this company the #1 “Most Admired Company” in the group “Packaging Containers,” for 9 consecutive years  and their current CEO is an ex-Army officer and Cameron-Brooks alumnus. They attended the conference hiring for team leadership positions.
• A 30+ year old company offering industry-leading technology that simplifies building automation.  They specialize in the design and manufacture of energy management solutions for all types of buildings, making them smarter, more efficient, and more comfortable.  Their innovative solutions allow building operators to optimize and manage all of their building systems – including HVAC, lighting, fire, access, video, electrical, elevators, and security – all within a single platform.  This company is part of United Technologies, a $54 billion global high tech solutions company.  They attended the conference recruiting for engineering, project management, and logistics roles.
• And many more……….

Additionally, below are some testimonials from the June Conference candidates sharing their experiences:

Here are some of those candidates sharing their experiences!

Rob Davis