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BY Cameron-Brooks

The Coronavirus and Your Career Search. Any Correlation?

News updates on the coronavirus have been flashing, buzzing and vibrating their way into our daily routines for the past couple of weeks. With the market responding to the uncertainty that comes along with a pandemic coupled with the typical market reactions due to an election year, how do these factors play into a career search? Do the Coronavirus and your career search have any correlation?

Cameron-Brooks has been through many dips like this throughout the past couple of decades to include the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, the economic recession in 2007-08, SARS, the Bird Flu, etc. We’re familiar with market reactions, so our team knows how to adjust accordingly. The challenge for transitioning JMOs will be the tightening around the “candidate’s market” as we’ve come to know it. As companies prepare for the winds of change, they tend to shift their hiring strategies and set higher standards for their potential new hires.

Our Developmental and Preparation Program (DPP) is designed to keep the “bar” high for our candidates as they interview with our client companies. Every Cameron-Brooks candidate works through the self-paced program, which is designed to help military officers bridge the gap between military life and the private sector. Our founder, Roger Cameron, used to say, “You have to prepare to interview with the economy in mind.” Our DPP shines through here.

Additionally, the Cameron-Brooks program is comprehensive in nature. Our team offers individual career coaching sessions, mock interview preparation, digital and in-person interview preparation workshops, and resume consultancy. We value the partnerships we have with our candidates. We feel personally invested in their career search, which is why we’ve designed our program to function the way it does.

So, how can you prepare for uncertainties like the Coronavirus AND a career search?

1. Keep up with the latest business news – business trends, leaders, industries, etc. This includes everything from business podcasts like HBR, business books, periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE, etc.  This will help you learn more about the world you will be entering, better communicate your background to businesses, and most importantly hit the ground running when you start.
2. Prepare to transition through interview preparation.  It’s one thing to learn about business, but its another to be able to effectively connect your background coming from the military and show how it relates.  Be PROactive instead of REactive.
3. Ask questions. If you’re concerned about conducting a career search in the midst of an uncertain economy, let’s chat.