Cameron-brooks

Today we interview three former officers and give you three keys to success! I often get positive feedback on the Post Career Conference reviews webcasts that we do after every Conference. People tell me that it is so helpful to hear the stories of recent Cameron-Brooks alumni as they navigated the Career Conference and Follow-Up Interview Process in order to secure their next career. That is exactly the reason that we introduced these webcasts over three years ago and why we converted the Q&A with the alumni to podcast episodes. It's one thing for me, Pete Van Epps, Cameron-Brooks Career Coach, to explain the process, but it's quite another to hear a few military officers who recently finished the process tell their story. On this episode, I am glad to introduce three of our most recent alumni: Valerie Roberts - Navy Intelligence Lieutenant who accepted a position as an Associate Brand Manager position with Mars, Inc. Beau Hughes - Army Logistics Captain who accepted a position as a Procurement Specialist

Welcome back. In this "3 reasons for gratitude" episode, Brock and I sat down with some coffee to discuss the benefits of being thankful and having a strong sense of gratitude. As we approach Thanksgiving, we thought it’d be a great idea to share the things that we are most thankful for in our lives that may resonate with you all. We briefly touched on the personal and professional things we are thankful for such as family, friends, mentors, and individuals that have made an impact on our lives. As we enter the holiday season, we are grateful for our nation’s military and first responders. Our goal is this episode was to provide you with material that you can take and apply to your personal and professional lives. How can you use this to be a better spouse, sibling, parent or friend? How can you use this to grow as a leader in the workplace? That said, here are our 3 reasons for gratitude and why you should make it a daily practice. Gratitude increases clarity and improves mental health. Gratitude gives

Are you waiting to prepare for your military transition? Junior military officers have a distinct advantage over those who graduate college and straight into the workforce. Simply put – they have leadership experience and leadership potential. There is just no denying that JMOs are given the opportunity to lead as soon as they hit the force. They get to lead teams, manage programs, solve problems, and ultimately make their organization better. You would be hard-pressed to find a company that gives a new college hire the level of leadership and responsibility that a military officer gets from the get-go. And it’s not just that first job in the military. A JMO's leadership experience builds and grows on itself with each successive promotion. It’s that leadership experience and potential that corporate America is looking for. That said, one of the biggest mistakes some military officers make when they exit the military is assuming that their military experience is sufficient preparation to make the move from

For three decades, I have led teams, coached leaders, helped thousands of Junior Military Officers (JMOs) transition to business, and worked with hiring managers to hire and develop leadership talent. One common theme is that people want meaning and purpose in their work. They want to create something or serve someone beyond themselves. They want to live undivided lives where their values align with their profession. Organizations Need to Create Meaning and Purpose Now, more than ever in my career, I am convinced we need leaders in corporate America to create and support organizations that provide a place for purpose and meaningful work. I believe the JMO transitioning to a business leadership career can be a part of the solution. When I speak with JMOs about their marketability for business careers, they often explain that they want to leverage their functional experience in logistics, engineering, project management, or acquisitions. Yes, corporate America does want that, but the JMO's greatest strength, w

Welcome back! On this episode we bring you a Career Conference BTS as we wrap up our August 2023 Career Conference. We enjoy doing these episodes because it's a bit of a "peek over the fence" as some of our most recent alumni share their experiences through their process and journey. In this episode, we feature: Brad Franke, a former Navy Submarine lieutenant, graduated from the United States with a degree in Economics and Political Science and spent 7 years in the Navy.  Brad accepting an Engineering Management position with Edward Lifesciences. Aaron Markey, a former Army Armor captain, graduated from the United States Military Academy with a degree in Engineering Management and spent 6 years in the Army. Aaron accepted an Engineering Team Leadership position with Modine. Hamilton Jones, a former USMC captain, graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Comparative Politics and spent 6 years in the USMC. Hamilton accepted a position with Senior Account Management position with Motorol

We are in mid-September and kicking off the football season.  With Cameron-Brooks Team Members who attended Texas A&M, Baylor, Notre Dame, West Point, and the Naval Academy, we are huge college football fans. Football is a holiday season here in Texas, you know. So, to celebrate, I hosted a podcast with my good friend, Troy Prehar, who played football at West Point from 1990 to 1993. Troy's second oldest son is a freshman football player at Mary Hardin Baylor, and Troy is also a youth football coach. Additionally, his brother, Mark, played football at West Point. Football runs deep with Troy and his family. Troy partnered with Cameron-Brooks in 1996 and transitioned from the Army to a medical device sales career. Troy has held numerous sales and sales leadership roles over his 27-year career. During this time, Troy has mentored hundreds of junior military officers (JMOs) transitioning from the military into sales careers. During this podcast, Troy tells his transition story. He explains how his dad modeled

Choosing to make a move from the military is an important decision and one that most military officers do not make lightly. We understand. At Cameron-Brooks, we have over a half-century of experience helping military officers navigate that decision. Our company is led by our CEO, Chuck Alvarez, who transitioned from the Army in 1993, and our Senior Vice President, Joel Junker, who transitioned in 1999. I made the move to Corporate America in 2003, and our most recent team member, Brock Dudley, started at Cameron-Brooks earlier this year. In this podcast episode, Joel and I discuss the three biggest reasons we heard through the years as to why military officers transition from the military. Quality of Life This is probably the number one reason we hear as to why officers transition. It's not that officers aren't proud of their service - quite the opposite. Most of the officers that I speak with are glad to have served and are proud to wear the uniform. As officers progress in their careers, they tend to also

Ted Lindell is a former Marine Corps F18 Officer who transitioned to a business career with Conagra Brands in 2017. His transition journey started in 2015 when Ted and his wife, Carrie, reflected on what they wanted for their family. They decided they no longer wanted the long deployments and the risk of Ted’s flight operations. They wanted a better quality of life. While they knew they were going to leave the Marine Corps, beyond that, they had two main options on what to do next. One option, they could exit the military and focus on just the quality of life by conducting a job search focused on the northeast region of the US near family. This would meet the need to be home more frequently, spend time with each other and their children, and be close to siblings and parents. This would have narrowed their search and opportunities to a smaller geographic area. Fewer options meant an increased risk of starting in a “good enough” role but not the right fit. As a Marine Corps F18 pilot, settling was not in Ted’s

You've already met Quinton Cookis. We actually featured him a year ago on Episode 154 of the podcast. Now he's experienced one year in Corporate America. Quinton is a former USMC Logistics officer who attended the June 2022 Carrer Conference. He interviewed with 14 different hiring groups and launched his career with Campbell Soup Company as an Associate Brand Manager. When we recorded Episode 154, Quinton was preparing for his transition and participating in the DoD Skillbridge program through Cameron-Brooks. That episode focused on how he was using the Skillbridge program in order to maximize his success at the Career Conference (which is what he did.) It's been one year in Corporate America, so now is a great time to check in with Quinton. In this episode, we hear about what he's been up to since starting work in Corporate America. I think you'll really enjoy this episode because Quinton does an excellent job describing what he does as a Senior Associate Brand Manager, how his military background directly

In this episode,  JMO Brock Dudley explains: "Why I trust Cameron-Brooks with my transition to business." As a transitioning Junior Military Officer (JMO), you have several options for making the transition. You can do it on your own, attend full-time grad school, attend a job fair, or partner with one of the several recruiting firms. To help JMOs understand the options and what Cameron-Brooks offers, we have had numerous Cameron-Brooks Alumni as guests to talk about their experiences. We have a unique episode on the same topic where I interviewed Brock Dudley, who is preparing to attend our upcoming August 18-22 Career Conference. Brock and I cover many topics in our 30 minutes together. They include: What made Cameron-Brooks the right transition path for him. How he made the decision to separate now versus taking another assignment. His experience with the Cameron-Brooks Skillbridge Program. And, most importantly, what’s going through his mind and how he feels while waiting for the August Confere

Welcome back. As many of you know, we like to record an episode after each Career Conference capturing some of the Conference's best practices from a few of our most recent alumni. We have found that these podcast episodes help soon-to-be transitioning military officers get a good handle on what to expect and how to be as prepared as possible. This episode features three of our most recent alumni - each attending the June 2023 Career Conference. Ben Carey is a 7-year Space Force Captain who is going to go work for Campbell Soup Company as an Associate Brand Manager. Meredith Frey is a 4-year Army Logistics Captain who is going to go work for NextEra Energy as a Senior Project Manager. Jack Thompson is a 5-year Navy Cryptologic Warfare officer who is going to go work for Eurofins Scientific as a Project Manager. Each officer brought their own unique perspective to the conversation and was able to shed much light on their experience through the entire process, from the beginning of the Career Conference

Welcome back to the podcast! One of the questions that I get on a fairly regular basis is, "What's going on with the economy?" I totally get it! So let's have a 2023 mid-year economy check. From the Spring 2020 to now, we've seen the economy move in a few different directions. I remember being in the Army and wondering if the economy was strong enough to support me, an Army Field Artillery officer with no business experience but with a lot of desire to contribute, grow, and succeed. One of the most enlightening things that occurred in 2020 is what didn't happen. Even during May, June, and July, during what some would argue was the height of economic uncertainty, Cameron-Brooks did not cancel a Career Conference. We entered the year planning to conduct 5 Career Conferences, and at the end of the year, that is exactly what happened. Because of that, I am convinced that companies will never stop hiring leaders. It's no different than the military in that aspect. The military never stops commissioning officers.

Almost 80% of the junior military officers (JMOs) we help transition from the military to a business leadership career are either married or have significant others involved. This creates complexity in developing a transition strategy that makes it possible for the JMO and civilian spouse/significant other to reach their career goals. In this episode, you will learn transition strategies for JMOs with a professional spouse. You will want to listen to this podcast to hear how one couple pivoted their strategy after speaking with Cameron-Brooks and propelled their careers forward. In this podcast, I interviewed Mark and Jade Rupinski. Mark, a former Army Logistics Officer, accepted a Senior Project Manager position with NextEra Energy Resources. Jade manages a legal office and will now open a new office for her firm in south Florida, near NextEra’s headquarters. The Challenge of Narrowing to One Location When I first met Mark in January this year, he had been applying for positions in Tampa, FL, because it wou

Many Junior Military Officers (JMOs) transitioning to business are curious about what to expect in an interview and what hiring managers want to see or hear. From a high level, they wonder how they should communicate their experiences to business leaders. Then they even worry about the more minor details. Do they call the hiring manager by their first name or more formally? Do you have the same questions? Hear Directly from a Hiring Manager You can listen to this podcast and hear directly from Erik Fihlman, who has hired JMOs for his global company for over ten years. Erik is also a former Navy officer, so he has been on both sides of the interview. You will be surprised to learn that the most essential characteristic Erik looks for is someone who can carry on a conversation. This will blow the paradigm that an interview is a recruiter or hiring manager working down a list of questions; all the candidate does is provide answers. Instead, Erik explains he wants to speak to candidates who can share ideas bac

We are honored to bring this episode to you. You might say it's a story of "hoops to heroes". Last year, Melissa Miles, Cameron-Brooks alumnus from 1994, approached Cameron-Brooks and shared with us a project that she and West Point teammates Melody Lutz and Dena Caradimitropoulo were working on. Melissa (Miss) and Dena were USMA class of ’81, and Melody was USMA class of ’84. Miss, Melody and Dena were among the first graduating classes with women at West Point (the first class with graduating women cadets was the class of 1980.). Basketball was the first varsity athletics team that women formed at West Point. Those three, along with many others, were pioneers as some of the original members of the Army Women’s Basketball team. A few years ago, Miss and Dena formed a nonprofit organization with the purpose of commissioning a professional writer to tell this special story, as seen through the eyes of West Point leaders, team supporters, coaches, and Army women’s basketball players. It covers from the start of

Welcome back for another special episode where we will give you keys to interview success! Rob Davis interviewed 3 of our most recent alumni from the April 2023 Career Conference for our post-April 2023 Conference review webcast.  At the time of the interview, all three alumni had already accepted an offer of employment.  These episodes are particularly valuable as it allows those who are planning to attend an upcoming or future Career Conference a glimpse behind the curtain to how everything transpired.  It is also helpful for those just curious about how a Cameron-Brooks Conference runs. Our featured alumni included: Taylor Compton:  Navy Submariner, USNA '15 Applied Mathematics Javy Rodriguez:  Army Infantry, USMA ' 16 Economics Zach Thompson:  Army Armor, USMA '15 Military History In this episode, Rob spends the initial part of the webcast covering some of the details, statistics, etc. about the April 2023 Career Conference and sharing some of the companies that attended the Conference, types of role

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

If you are a JMO, do you have what it takes to be a Development Candidate? I interview thousands of JMOs a year who tell me they want to leave the military and continue their leadership career in business. They express the desire for increased responsibility and the opportunity to grow and develop to reach their full potential. They want to become a part of the top 10% of leaders in corporate America. I get excited; they describe what Roger Cameron labeled the Development Candidate in the early 1970s when he helped companies discover the JMO. Ability to be a Development Candidate When Roger created this Development Candidate concept with his client companies 50+ years ago, he said it takes two things to be a Development Candidate: ability and desire. He then went on to say that ability is the easy part. Ability is the track record of success over time. A JMO who has been a leader and top performer in college and in the military, demonstrated by academic success and military evaluations, has the demonstrated

Many blogs, books, and LinkedIn posts advocate negotiating the initial employment offer.  Their advice sounds well-intentioned and thoughtful on the surface.  They assume the company needs to provide a better offer, is holding back, and wants the candidate to negotiate. These resources provide the questions and statements to ask that will help the candidate earn more base salary, signing bonus, and potentially more vacation. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned advisors do not explain the risks of negotiating. When a candidate negotiates an offer, you are essentially turning down the initial offer and asking for a different one. For 23 years, I have advised military officers on transitioning well into business.  Transitioning well includes earning and accepting an offer professionally.  When these officers bring up the idea of negotiating an offer, I first want to understand their reasons.  If their primary reason is that is what they are being advised or read, I explain to them the downside before they sta

Welcome back for a special episode where we will give you keys to interview success! Pete Van Epps interviewed 3 of our most recent alumni from the January 2023 Career Conference for our post-January 2023 Conference review webcast. At the time of the interview, all three alumni had already accepted an offer of employment. We really enjoy doing this type of episode because it gives those who are planning to attend a future Career Conference (or those who are curious about the details of the conference) a "peek over the fence" to how exactly everything went down. Our featured alumni included: Hannah Legler: Lieutenant, Navy Helicopter Pilot, USNA '13 Eric Poletti: Lieutenant, Navy Submariner, USNA '16 Wyatt Boyd: Captain, Army Field Artillery, USMA '18 In this episode, Pete spends a few minutes going over some facts and figures about the January 2023 Conference as well as sharing some of the companies that attended the Career Conference and the types of roles they represented. He also shares the