Holiday Greetings from the Cameron-Brooks Team

This Holiday Season, we take a moment to reflect on 2013 and consider 2014. As we do so, we are grateful for the opportunity to work with such a fantastic group of officers, alumni and client companies. Our mission is to serve others to help them reach their potential and dreams. We have been able to do that this year and look forward to continuing to fulfill our mission in 2014. We also take a moment to especially thank the men and women who are serving overseas. We recognize that it is difficult to be away from family and friends during this time of year, but are thankful for your sacrifice.

We hope that this season is a time of rest and reflection, and pray that 2014 brings success and prosperity.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Cameron-Brooks team!

Chuck, Joel, Mary Lou, Rob, Pete, Lauren, Aimee, Danielle, Leslie, Debbie, Josie, Candy, Wade, Michelle, Rachel, Diana, Bernadette, Janis and Pam

Conference Advice from Recent Cameron-Brooks Alumni

At the end of each of our Career Conferences, we strive to continually improve our services by asking our candidates for their feedback in several specific areas. Keep in mind that these candidates have just completed a four-day intensive Career Conference (two days of briefings and two days of interviews).  With this fresh – and often fatigued – perspective, they graciously provide us immediate feedback on their experience.

Since the Recruiters and Recruiting Team Leaders at Cameron-Brooks emphasize the importance of DPP© (the Development and Preparation Program©) from the moment a candidate steps into partnership with us, we thought it might be helpful to glean a different perspective on DPP© from our most recent Alumni.  One of the questions on our end-of-Conference feedback survey is directly focused on advice to incoming candidates.  The question reads, “Now that you have attended a Career Conference, what specific preparation advice would you give to other Junior Officers to help them succeed at a Conference (i.e., Reading Program, Workshops, DPP©, study groups, etc.)?”

Many candidates listed the Reading Program, starting early, knowing your resume well, and focusing on significant accomplishments, but over 60% of our candidates listed study groups with other JMO candidates and Interview Preparation Workshops as keys to their success at our Career Conferences. 

 Each section of our DPP© is intentionally selected and carefully crafted to methodically and thoroughly prepare the individual candidate.  One step builds upon the previous one until the candidate is ready to participate in a study group or Workshop that simulates an actual interview environment.  Yet, the overwhelming majority of our August candidates want to strongly communicate to future Conference attendees the importance of starting earlier in DPP, attending more workshops, and interacting more frequently with effective study groups. 

For decades it has been proven that the skills that propel a military officer to success in their military career are the same skills that will create success in the business sector.  However, translating those successes into business terms – and communicating them in a compelling and effective way in a 45-minute interview – is a completely different skill altogether.  Refining skills takes EFFECTIVE PRACTICE, and that is the point our new Alumni want to drive home.

Some additional sage advice from our August candidates:

  “Start the reading list early enough to implement in your military career.”  – Marine Corps CAPT, Logistics

  “Approach the process with an open mind and listen to C-B advice.”  – Army CPT, Logistics

  “Dig deep into your accomplishments to find the connections to business.”  – Air Force MAJ, Pilot

  “Dedicate time to perfecting your answers long before the Conference.”  – Marine Corps 1STLT, Aviation

  “Attend as many workshops as possible.” –  Navy LTjg, Surface Warfare

  “(When preparing interview answers), focus on the challenges you overcame.”  – Army CPT, Intelligence

  “Emphasize tying your answers to different kinds of jobs, i.e., ‘Why sales?’”  – Air Force CAPT, Pilot

  “Practice with people who know nothing about the military.”  – Marine Corps 1STLT, Intelligence

  “Truly give yourself to the program and listen to C-B.”  – Army CPT, Armor

 At Cameron-Brooks, we strive to maintain a steady flow of feedback to continue refining our guidance and counsel.  Interestingly, though, we receive almost identical feedback in this area each Conference.  To reinforce your own success, heed the advice of those who have gone before you, especially as this wisdom rings true for any major endeavor:  start preparing early and practice, practice, practice.

Strategic Importance of Manufacturing and Common Misperceptions

Many Junior Military Officers (JMOs) have a misperception of manufacturing positions in Corporate America.  Some oversimplify manufacturing and think it is just leading a team, taking raw materials or components and making a finished product; others develop stereotype images of an environment of an assembly line doing the same thing every day; and, still others think of heavy industrial environments only.

During our January Conference, a Cameron-Brooks Alumnus, who is a Director of Manufacturing at a FORTUNE 500 company, shared a story with me that highlights the multifaceted nature of manufacturing and dispels many misperceptions.

The Alumnus discussed how competitive the market is right now for their customers.  As a result, the customers’ most important criteria right now is price, whereas in prior years, his company could sell the product on the value of the features and benefits of the product that are superior to the competitor’s.  However, the customers who are buying the products are experiencing a tough economic environment, and their main goal is to control costs.  Thus, this company can no longer rely on the features and benefits to sell the product, but must also find a way to reduce manufacturing costs so they can also compete on price.

About 18 months ago, our Alumnus started implementing Lean and Six Sigma initiatives with the goal to reduce cycle (the time it takes to manufacture a product), increase yield (the amount of product made based on inputs such as raw materials and labor units), eliminate waste, decrease safety incidents, and increase quality.  All of these areas impact the cost and performance of the product.  He hired JMOs from Cameron-Brooks to lead change and implement quality initiatives and look at areas to reduce waste.  Within 6 months, the team had reduced cycle time from over 100 days to 71.  When raw materials sit in the production process or move slowly through the process, that increases the cost because the company has paid for the materials and has not received revenue in return.  Next, they increased the yield by approximately 5%, meaning they were either producing more with the same resources or the same amount with fewer resources; either way, costs are reduced.  All of the Six Sigma process improvement initiatives also reduced quality errors and the amount of rework.

All of this allowed the company sales force to lower their prices, and they recently bid on an 8,000 unit order from a major customer.  They won the bid and maintained their same profit margins as previous years because of all the work the manufacturing teams did.  The manufacturing team leaders, the manufacturing engineers and team members were the heroes.

This story illustrates the big picture impact manufacturing has on business performance.  It also demonstrates that being a manufacturing team leader is much more than leading a team.  It also includes learning and applying Six Sigma and Lean principles, as well as leading projects and process improvement efforts to improve cycle times, yield, quality, safety and more. 

There are numerous types of manufacturing environments, and we recruit for a broad range of them.  For example, we recruit for biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing positions which are “clean” environments highly regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Agency), in some cases the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), and other organizations.  Other “clean” manufacturing environments include semiconductor and electronics manufacturing.  We also recruit for industrial environments – i.e., manufacturing operations for glass, building materials, oil refining, cast parts, and more.  These are just examples and not inclusive.

Finally, companies really value high potential JMOs for manufacturing positions because they have strong team leadership skill, as well as skills in optimizing processes, decision making, maintenance, and familiarity of working in an environment with equipment and systems.

Manufacturing is a strategic multifaceted career field.  If you make the transition from business to this career field, you will use your complete skill set, as well as impact on the bottom-line profits of your organization.

 Joel Junker

Holiday Wishes From Cameron-Brooks

As one year concludes and another begins, we are thankful for this opportunity to slow the pace and reflect on the many blessing that have come our way over the past 12 months.  We are constantly encouraged by our family and friends, among those being our Junior Officer candidates, our Alumni and the companies for whom we recruit.  Thank you for being part of our lives, and allowing us to be part of yours.

Above all, we want to thank our heroic men and women who continue to serve in our Armed Forces.  We are grateful for your continued unselfish service, and your willingness to put yourself in Harm’s Way for the good of this great country.  Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed, and our gratitude for all you do and all you are is exceeded only by our undying admiration.  We are especially humbled and filled with thankful appreciation for those men and women – Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines alike – who have paid the ultimate price and given their lives so that we, and many other nations around the world, may live our lives in peace.  We continue to pray for the families of our fallen comrades, and wish them peace in knowing that their lives were not given in vain. 

2010 has brought us an improvement in the economy and in our hope for the future – a veritable light at the end of a dark and cloudy tunnel.  The past challenges have only served to make us stronger and we have weathered the storms and formed more cohesive bonds with our fellow man, making a more concerted effort to serve others, be a friend, and step forth with a strong and positive outlook for the years to come.

We continue to be touched and inspired by the youth of our nation, in big cities and rural communities alike, who continue to lift their heads with pride, with hands over hearts, and recite The Pledge, sing the National Anthem, and salute the Flag our military personnel from all corners of the world have fought and died to support.  We see in this new generation a love of country and a strong resolve they have not yet even begun to fully know, but is there nonetheless.  The outlook for this country is a bright one.

In this season of Perpetual Hope, we are encouraged by the prospect of a brand new day, renewed dedication to a more productive existence, and the refusal to accept the status quo, surrounding ourselves with the types of people and situations that make our lives prosperous, fulfilled and content, just as they were intended to be. 

We thank you all for the opportunity to help us live our dreams as we help you live yours.  We wish you the very best, not just today and through the Holiday Season, but throughout the New Year!

The Cameron-Brooks Team

 Roger, René, Mary Lou, Chuck, Joel, Rob, Janis, Candy, Michelle, Karena, Leslie, Bernadette, Danielle, Pam, Debbie, Diana, Alysha, Lisa and Carole

November 2010 Cameron-Brooks Conference Results

We completed the November 2010 Career Conference this past week.  45 candidates and 13 spouses attended the Conference, and all candidates have multiple companies pursuing them into the follow up process.  The candidates interviewed with an average of 12 companies and averaged 7 companies pursuing them for a 58% pursuit rate, a very successful Conference.  The entire Cameron-Brooks team congratulates the November Conference candidates on a major step in their transitions.

Statistically it takes an average of 18 working days for the Cameron-Brooks candidates to conduct their follow-up interviews, earn their offer(s), and make their career decision.  I read recently that it is taking the average job seeker over 9 months to conduct a job search.  Why does the Cameron-Brooks process take 18 days?  We have had over 45 years to perfect it.  We know how to work with the companies and the candidate to set up the interviews, manage the logistics, and prepare candidates for successful follow-up interviewing.  We are in close contact with the candidates and the companies every step of the way, and it is common for us to talk to a candidate every day in the follow-up process.  This allows candidates to conduct a true career search to evaluate their options and make a good career decision that lines up with their terminal leave start date or separation date from the military.

The common theme heard from company recruiters was that they wanted development candidates who had both the ability and the desire for at least two promotions above the position for which they were recruiting.  A Cameron-Brooks alumnus who transitioned to a logistics company 18 years ago, and is now a General Manager with that company, ruled out several candidates who could easily be successful as an Operations Manager because he did not see the candidates as having the abilities for the more senior positions beyond it.  Another Cameron-Brooks alumni recruiter who is an Area Vice President of a leading medical device company told me that his company has many open positions that they want to fill, but they needed strong sales candidates who could also some day manage regional sales territories.  Finally, a Director of Human Resources for a leading consumer paints and coatings company said her company recently conducted their long-term succession plan, and realized the need for talent to enter into the organization as logistics and manufacturing team leaders and in several years progress to be plant managers, warehouse managers and hold other key positions both domestically and internationally.  The good news is that the opportunities Cameron-Brooks represent allow our candidates the opportunity for future promotion and growth, but this also means that our clients have a high bar.  They want candidates who have a track record of success over many years that demonstrate future success, as well as the attitude/desire to take on the tough challenges and assignments their career.

The November Conference was a special conference for me as I recently transitioned from working primarily with our client companies to partnering with our JMO candidates.  I had met personally or spoken with the majority of the candidates attending the Conference.  I compliment the November Candidates and their spouse support team members for their intense focus at the Conference and the investment they put in prior to the Conference.  I asked many of them on what advice they would give to others about preparation and about the Conference itself.  The common theme about preparation was to read the books in the Reading Program, and take as much time as possible to practice interview answers with other Cameron-Brooks Candidates either personally or using Skype Video.  The advice they gave about the Conference was to work as a team.  They passed on information on how to prepare for an interview as well as provided words of encouragement.

Whether you are merely contemplating a transition from military to business or are preparing for your transition, the end of the year is a great time to start setting goals, gather research and develop a plan of action.  The November Candidates all would tell you that you cannot start your preparation too early, nor can you attend a Cameron-Brooks career transition presentation or a Personal Marketability Assessment too early.  Cameron-Brooks recruiters will be traveling to San Diego, CA; El Paso, TX; Killeen, TX; Tacoma, WA; Colorado Springs, CO; Norfolk, VA; Groton, CT; Fort Walton Beach, FL; Fayetteville, NC; and Jacksonville, FL between now and the end of the year.  If you cannot make one of these visits, we also offer weekly live and recorded Webcasts on, “Considering a Business Career?  What You Should Know,” and we can conduct phone and Skype Video personal sessions.  Take control of your career, set a goal, develop a plan of action, prepare, and when you do you will reduce the variability in your results and reach your goals.

Joel Junker

Book Recommendations for JMOs, Cameron-Brooks’ Candidates and Alum

I recently returned from vacation and read several insightful books.  I would like to share them with those Junior Military Officers (JMOs) and Cameron-Brooks Alumni who regularly visit our blog for self-development.  If you have other book recommendations, please e-mail me or post your comments here.  I am always looking for good book recommendations.

1.  Strengthsfinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.  This is at the top of the business best seller list and for a good reason.  I highly recommend this book and self-assessment to understand your top 5 strengths and how you can capitalize on them.  Cameron-Brooks and our clients believe in the value of thorough self-analysis and understanding your strengths and weaknesses.  This book and its associated self-analysis test outline your strengths and also a game plan to improve and strengthen yourself based on them.  This book will soon make the Cameron-Brooks Required Reading List.

2.  Wooden:  A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.  This past June, I read an article about legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.  Coach Wooden is best known for leading UCLA to 10 NCAA Basketball National Championships and 7 of them in a row.  What most people do not know, however, is that it took Coach Wooden 14 years at UCLA to win his first National Championship and he coached the Bruins for 27 years.  Quick math – his first 14 years, zero National Championships, and in his last 13 years, 10 of them.  Yet, Wooden defines success this way:  “Success is a peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”  He goes on to say his dad taught him, “1.  Don’t try to be better than someone else, and 2.  Always try to be the best you can be.”  Both these quotes are actually from Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success:  Building Blocks for a Better Life.  Through these quotes, Wooden makes the point that he achieved as much if not more success during those first 14 years as he did in those last 13 years.  He has a different definition of success.  Additionally, Coach Wooden put a lot of emphasis on preparation, and focusing on the process and results would eventually take care of itself.  I really enjoyed Coach Wooden’s down-to-earth pragmatic advice for life, parenting and work.  To see Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, go to http://www.coachwooden.com/index2.html.

3.  Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.  Another book on personal and professional lessons from a sports leader.  Coach Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to the 2007 Super Bowl and won that Super Bowl defeating the Chicago Bears.  Throughout his life, he has endured numerous professional and personal setbacks and challenges, some of them quite painful.  I like his calm, pragmatic and faith-filled approach.  I also feel he exudes the type of leadership style that demonstrates respect for every individual.

4.  War by Sebastian Junger.  I have the privilege of meeting and speaking with Junior Military Officers (JMOs) every day.  The majority of these JMOs have deployed numerous times to Iraq and/or Afghanistan.  I wanted to read a book that would help me better understand some of their combat experiences.  I am sure there are many other good books on this subject, and I look forward to getting recommendations.  I did enjoy Junger’s book on a platoon’s rotation to one of the most difficult areas of Afghanistan.  This book isn’t so much for our JMOs to read, but for our Alumni or clients who want to know more.

5.  Prisoners of Our Thoughts by Alex Pattakos.  Work can be tough at times, and that’s why we call it “work.”  Yet, it is critical that we find meaning in our work because, statistically, we spend 75% of our waking hours at work.  This book is based on Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, and provides seven principles for finding meaning in work and life.  This book completely changed my “thoughts” on how I view and approach my work.

I look forward to any of you who read this post and have other book recommendations and feedback for me.

jjunker@cameron-brooks.com

Joel Junker

 

 

Cameron-Brooks JMO Alumnus Success Story

I like to share stories of Cameron-Brooks Alumni and their successes.  Recently, Cameron-Brooks Team Member, Mary Lou White, visited San Francisco, CA and had lunch with Sean Blair, former Air Force JMO, who is now a medical device sales representative at Johnson & Johnson.  After the lunch, Mary Lou sent our team an e-mail describing his success.  I changed some of the e-mail to make it easier for those outside of Cameron-Brooks to understand.  By the way, Mary Lou has been working with Roger Cameron and Rene Brooks since 1977, and has a tremendous amount of experience in the JMO recruiting industry.

 Mary Lou’s e-mail.

I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting with Sean Blair for lunch in San Francisco.  He was dressed in his red scrubs (they have the med device reps wear red scrubs versus blue so sales reps stand out) and had just come from a couple of procedures that morning.  He is a Territory Assistant building his experience to prepare to take over his own territory soon.  However, he has a lot of “hands on” work managing the territory and advising surgeons in procedures.  He has also been an integral part of changing a key hospital in the Bay Area to using his company’s product line.  This hospital had been staunchly in the corner of a competitor, but has now converted to J&J.  The other team member involved with converting this account was another Cameron-Brooks Alumnus, Brandon Daum, who has been a sales representative at J&J for 4 years.  This conversion is huge because it is the second largest hospital in its system.  Sean covers the entire Northern California region and part of Nevada, but he has been spending a majority of his time in San Francisco at this hospital – it has become his “second home.”  He is thriving in this role.  He says he would never have thought of sales as a career before Cameron-Brooks and yet now he knows it is perfect for him.  He repeatedly said how much he appreciates all that Cameron-Brooks has done to get him to this place.  He absolutely loves living in the Bay Area.  He promised to get on the Cameron-Brooks Alumni network and be a resource to other Cameron-Brooks JMO candidates.  Sean is a big supporter of C-B.

 Finally, Sean is doing so well that his Regional Manager, another C-B Alum from 1976, is keeping close tabs on him and continues to let him know he has his eye on Sean as Sean is really already making a good name for himself.

 End of Mary Lou’s e-mail.

 Joel Junker

JMO Career Decision-Making

As a JMO recruiting company, Cameron-Brooks is much more than a “headhunter,”  as we assist our JMO candidates and our alumni through many critical career decisions.  These decisions include:  “Should I leave the military service?”  “If I leave the military service, what career options should I explore?”  “Which career will allow me to reach my career goals?” and “In which kind of company should I start my career?”  Once in a business career, the decisions continue, and include:  “Should I accept this promotion?”  “Should I relocate for that assignment?”  “Should I switch companies/industries?” and more.  I once heard, “You are the sum of all your decisions.”  Applying this to a career, “Your career is the sum of all of your career decisions,” therefore it is critical to make sound career decisions, and unfortunately, it only takes one poor decision to sidetrack a career.

Being a JMO Recruiter for 11 years now, and assisting many current JMOs and Cameron-Brooks alumni through career decisions, I have learned that a strong majority seek advice from others to help make a decision.  The trouble is that not all of the advice from other people, even trusted people such as spouse, parents, co-workers, and yes, other recruiters, is wise and based on experience and knowledge of a specific career decision.  The problem stems from confusing the difference between opinions and counsel.  I am currently reading the book Three Feet from Gold by Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.  On page 30, the authors describe the difference between an opinion and counsel as, “Opinions are usually based on ignorance, or shall we say a lack of knowledge, whereas counsel is based on wisdom and experience.”  I imagine we have all made the mistake of confusing an opinion for counsel, and subsequently making a poor decision. 

Many people (I include myself here) often consider that if someone cares deeply about  and wants what’s best for an individual, this qualifies them as an advisor whose input should be weighed significantly in the decision-making process.  However, despite, the relationship, it is important to ask “What does this person know about my current situation?  What is his expertise in this subject?  What experience does he have in this area?” The answers to these questions will help to determine if you are receiving an opinion or counsel. 

Confusing opinions and counsel occurs in both the military to business career transition decisions and also business career decisions.  Most frequently I have experienced JMOs, and our alumni in business receiving poor input from well-meaning people on issues such as negotiating compensation,  career location decisions, quitting a new career when things become challenging, or switching jobs because a higher offer comes from another company (when very little additional research has been done into the intrinsic qualities of the other company).  I firmly believe that all career decisions have tradeoffs.  When others offer opinions, they tend to share insight about either the positives or the negatives, but if they do not speak from the basis of pertinent experience and knowledge, they can’t offer either which is required for counsel.

What to do with this knowledge of the difference of opinions and counsel?  First, identify those who can provide you with counsel, and second, continue to seek them out.  I believe it is vital to learn from others who have more experience and knowledge so we can apply the lessons they have already learned.  Third, when receiving unsolicited advice, apply the standards of appropriate knowledge or experience to determine if it is counsel or opinion.  Finally, as you give advice to others, determine if you are giving opinion or counsel and let that person know so he understands how to value and apply it.

 Cameron-Brooks is thankful to have the privilege of sharing our knowledge with JMOs and our alumni.  This knowledge comes from a basis of a rich depth of experience that has been built through over forty years of partnering with JMOs as they transition into the business world and throughout their career.

Joel Junker

Preparation Goals

Successful people set goals, develop a plan to reach them and then execute.  Successful people may not always reach the goal, but that’s not the point.  The point is that people who rise to the top of organizations constantly have goals, prepare to meet them and work towards them.  They are rarely complacent.  This is also true for successful Junior Military Officers transitioning to business as Development Candidates (those who have the ability and desire to reach the top levels of a company/business).  For this reason, I promote goal setting in the Cameron-Brooks’ Development and Preparation Program^© (DPP^©), with the Cameron-Brooks team members, and with our Alumni. 

I thought I had read and learned as much about goal setting as possible, until I read Heart of the Student Athlete by Karl Mecklenburg.  I ordered this book for my oldest daughter who is a swimmer and a good student.  I also ordered it because I am a fan of Karl Mecklenburg.  Karl played linebacker for the Denver Broncos from 1983 to 1996 and more importantly is from Minnesota (my home state) and played football for the University of Minnesota.  Logically, Mecklenburg devotes a chapter to goal setting as a key component to being a top performing student athlete.  However, he focuses on what he calls preparation goals.  Preparation goals are goals set for practices, studying for tests or  even focus areas set prior to a business meeting, sales call or an important production day.  This is in contrast to goals such as number of wins, points scored, revenues achieved, sales closed and production increases.  Mecklenburg contends that those specific goals should be team goals, and writes, “Game goals should be limited to team goals….  Points will take care of themselves when hustle, teamwork and proper technique are used.”  In other words, if one sets goals regarding the preparation, fundamentals and teamwork, points and results will take care of themselves.  Setting specific preparation goals will ensure reaching your desired outcome whether that be points, revenue, production or closed sales contracts.

Mecklenburg describes a time when he couldn’t make a tackle during a game because the guard kept blocking him.  His coach informed him that he wasn’t seeing the guard or using his hands to take on the block.  The next week in practice he set a preparation goal to watch the guard on every scrimmage play and focus on proper hand technique.  Notice he didn’t say he would see the guard and use proper hand technique in the next game.  Instead he set a preparation goal.  The result?  After the next game, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Week.

After reading Heart of the Student Athlete, I am using the preparation goal concept in both my professional and personal life.  In my professional life, I am setting preparation goals for the week and each day.  This keeps me from being complacent.  Some examples of preparation goals include, focusing on listening more than talking when interviewing candidates, being more accurate with information I pass to my team members, rehearsing presentations with effective diagrams and charts, and identifying people’s different communication styles in order to build  relationships with them.  These goals will lead to better results in my relationships with client companies and candidates, thus helping all involved achieve their goals.  Personally, I use preparation goals in fitness, focusing on technique and effort versus specific times and weights; though I do set long term goals in those other areas.  Also, personally, I am communicating this concept with my children as to how they approach their week in swimming, gymnastics and school work.  For example, my second daughter struggles with spelling (takes after her mom).  She is setting a preparation goal of checking her spelling homework twice before submitting it, and thereby learning the habit of attention to detail.

The concept of preparation goals easily translates to a JMO in the process of a business career transition.  Cameron-Brooks has a reading program, self-evaluation modules, interviewing webcasts, podcasts and exercises, as well as personal face to face meetings as tools leading up to initial interviews.  Specific preparation goals could be reading two business books a month, teaching others the concepts learned and applying a concept from each book within one month of reading the book.  Sometimes candidates need to work on improving communication skills which are key to successful interviewing.  They will set preparation goals to work on voice inflection during conversations with others at work or elsewhere, being more succinct in answering questions, or joining Toastmasters International.  For interviewing, I have been recommending that candidates set preparation goals in developing in-depth answers to why they like the company, the industry and position, as well as identifying the 5 strengths they want to communicate to the company, and 2 accomplishments that connect to the position for which they are interviewing.  I then suggest the next preparation goal should be to practice those answers 2 to 3 times prior to the interview.  If they do this, the end result of the interview will take care of itself.  They can’t control the recruiters’ impressions but they can control their preparation and effort.

 Like my daughter using preparation goals to achieve the habit of attention to detail, adopting the setting of preparation goals into one’s daily routine will develop habits that will continue throughout one’s career and life not only to deepen one’s reservoir of knowledge but also to build up those around us as they strive towards their goals. Points will follow!

Joel Junker

Starting a New Career. You Never Know Who is Watching.

Starting a new career requires dedication to extra hours of work and study in order to learn specific company and industry products, services, competitors, customers and terminology.  Cameron-Brooks Alumni JMOs who have successfully launched their business career will echo this.  I often get e-mails or phone calls from alumni who tell me about classes they took outside of work to learn about Six Sigma, Finance, Accounting, Project Management or Anatomy (for medical device sales).  They tell me about extra phone calls they made to peers in the company to learn best practices or about going to a plant or warehouse when it is not their shift to see how other operations run.  Those in medical device sales tell me about medical journals they have read and the additional surgical cases they observed in early mornings or late evenings.  This work ethic and dedication to self-study and development are keys to successfully starting a new business career and building a solid foundation for one’s future.

A Regional Sales Manager for one of our medical device clients told me a funny story at our January Career Conference that reminded me of the learning and self-development required in a new career.  This manager hired a Cameron-Brooks JMO from our November 2009 Conference and assigned him to a training location in San Diego, CA.  Because this candidate’s spouse is finishing up her career in Dallas, he occasionally has been flying from San Diego to Dallas to spend the weekend with her.  This particular Regional Manager also happens to live in Dallas.  Recently, late on a Friday evening, the manager who had been conducting business in Southern California during the preceeding week, boarded an American Airlines flight back to his home office in Dallas.  As he walked down the aisle of the plane, he noticed the candidate (now employee of the company) whom he had recently hired.  Remember, it is late on a Friday afternoon and this Cameron-Brooks Alumnus likely just completed a long week of work with a lot of early mornings.  He could have been sleeping, sipping on a cocktail, or reading a good novel.  Instead, he had his laptop open playing a DVD demonstration of a new surgical procedure and an anatomy textbook open at his side.  The manager calmly walked by without drawing the employee’s attention.  After the flight departed and leveled off, the manager walked forward to the alumnus’ seat, to find him still studying his textbook.  The manager put his hand on the new employee’s shoulder, surprised him and said, “Nice job.” 

I am sure that when this Cameron-Brooks Alumnus started studying, the last thing he thought of was impressing his Regional Manager who MIGHT be on the flight.  He studied because he wanted to master the business, science, and sales aspects of his position, successfully launch his career and build a foundation for his future.

Joel Junker