JMOs to Business Leaders

FORTUNE Magazine’s upcoming issue highlights JMOs as the future of corporate leadership.  The article points out what we started hearing from our clients 5 years ago – there is a shortage of leadership talent in organizations.  The tried and true methods of grooming all future leaders from within and poaching from competitors will not be enough.  It is much easier to hire leaders and train them. 

FORTUNE also quotes Cameron-Brooks President and CEO, René Brooks, about the value of JMO combat experience.  Here is an excerpt:  “That’s the kind of maturity that corporate recruiters covet, says headhunter René Brooks, who with her husband, Roger Cameron, runs a firm, Cameron-Brooks, that specializes in placing junior military officers. Brooks says that her clients noticed a difference right away when she began sending them veterans of the conflict in Iraq. ‘There’s definitely a difference in the breadth of experiences of the officers who are coming out of combat,” she says. “They’re able to go from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C without missing a beat.'”

To read the full article on FORTUNE’s website go to – http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/04/news/companies/military_business_leaders.fortune/index.htm

Cameron-Brooks is also proud of the article because it features one of our alumi, Tracey Lloyd who made the transition to Wal-Mart at our August 2008 Career Conference.  Tracy is now a Wal-Mart store manager in Florida.  To learn more about her story, watch the video on FORTUNE’s website at – http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/03/05/f_west_point_wal_mart.fortune/.

With the unemployment rate dropping from 10% to 9.7% at the start of 2010, US Gross Domestic Product growing again, and demand for leaders which the FORTUNE Magazine article supports, Cameron-Brooks expects the job market for talented JMOs to continue to improve.  We are currently wrapping up our January Career Conference follow-up interview process with most candidates accepting positions.  Those January Candidates had an average of 10 interviews at the Conference, every candidate had the opportunity for follow-up interviews with a company, and the average number of follow up interviews per candidate was close to 4.  These numbers are an increase from 2009 and demonstrate that companies must continue to bring in talented leaders.   Here is the key to capitalize on:  You cannot just “wing” your transition.  The bar is still high.  Not all companies are hiring, and not all companies have positions open that are well matched for your background.  It takes the right preparation and career strategy to make a successful transition from the military to a high quality company in a position that will allow you to use all of your JMO skills.

Finally, Cameron-Brooks is now on YouTube.  In addition to our Facebook page, Website and this Blog, our YouTube page is designed to bring Cameron-Brooks closer  to you.  I encourage you to visit the page – http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameronBrooks?feature=mhw4.

Joel Junker