Episodes

Welcome back! On this episode you will meet Eric Dvorak and learn about making an impact with no industry experience. Eric is a former Air Force Civil Engineer. He transitioned to Corning in 2015. Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science, with a 168-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramics science, and optical physics, along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities, to develop...

What are the secrets for a JMO to launch a successful business career? In our latest podcast, we hear from a Cameron-Brooks alumni on his secrets to success. Dave Dostal is a former Naval Aviator who now leads transformation and operational excellence improvement projects at Medtronic, one of the world’s largest medical device companies. Dave made the transition from the Navy to Medtronic in April 2017 after 10 very successful years in the Navy. He landed a career with Medtronic through the Cam...

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Amber McColl. She is a former Army Intelligence officer who transitioned in 2015. Amber launched her career at EY as a Senior Consultant. She excelled in that role for two years and then transitioned to an Operations Manager position. Much of our conversation centers around career management and the secret to managing your career. She highlights some key steps she took to find success early in her career, some things she’s done recently to continue her...

We sometimes have to explain to JMO’s that just because you have never heard of a company does not mean that they don’t offer great potential career opportunities. Top companies you’ve never heard of can often present tremendous career opportunities. After all, not all Fortune 500 companies sell consumer products and services and are household names. If we stick only to what we know, we miss out on opportunities. You could also miss out on hearing another opinion. Or could even miss out on givin...

Welcome back! On this episode, I explore the role of grit in business success as I interview Cameron-Brooks alumnus Paul Young. Paul is a former Army Armor and Adjutant General officer who transitioned after Company Command. He launched his business career at All Risks as a Broker. He started in a business development role and he explains the grit and determination he needed to grow in his company. He makes the point that JMOs are uniquely experienced and can bring that grit to Corporate America...

When one thinks of a military officer, a Marine Corps officer nonetheless, one does not immediately think of empathy in leadership. Empathy, the ability to share the feelings and understand another person, is a valuable trait. In fact, this is what Chris Parks, Cameron-Brooks Alumnus from our January 2018 Conference, says is critical to business leadership. In this podcast, Chris shares that his sales manager remarked how his ability to show empathy with his team impressed her. This surprised h...

On this episode of the podcast, I interview Austin Welty about his Conference preparation experience. Austin is a former USMC Infantry officer who attended the January 2019 Career Conference. After the conference, he launched his career as an Operational Team Leader at PACTIV. Austin has been a long-time listener of this podcast. As a result, he suggested we do an episode about Conference preparation from the perspective of someone who recently attended a Career Conference. So, we did just that...

Are you a JMO considering a military transition? Well did you know that one tire on a wheel loader for mining equipment retails for over $75,000? Did you also know that the type of tire a farmer uses on their equipment significantly impacts future crop yield due to soil compression? Until I interviewed Mike Morookian, Regional Sales Manager for Michelin, for our podcast, I had no idea either. Who knew the vast complexity of tires and their value in the mining, agriculture and transportation ind...

Welcome back! On this most recent podcast episode, we feature Ben Sewell's JMO transition from Army officer to Account Manager in Corporate America. Ben made the transition from the military to Corporate America in 2014.

Do you know the difference between a Job Fair and Hiring Conference? Unfortunately, many JMOs mistakenly think all transition searches and services are the same. The reality is: most of these searches and services are Job Fairs that end up being more of a networking event instead of an interviewing opportunity. Cameron-Brooks breaks this mold. We defined the Career Conference and Career Search process. At our Career Conferences, JMOs interview for open positions with hiring managers, and the co...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast on JMO transitions! This episode features Chris Wilkerson, a former USMC Combat Engineer Officer who transitioned in 2015 and went to work for Davita Kidney Care. Davita is a healthcare company focused on providing a suite of dialysis services to patients with End Stage Renal Disease. What did Chris know about kidneys or dialysis as he was exiting the military? Not much. What did he know about leadership, problem solving and process excellence? A ton! ...

Hello! And welcome back to another episode of the Cameron-Brooks podcast: helping you find the best JMO job after leaving the military. In this episode, I interview Mike Wilkinson. Mike is a former Navy Surface Warfare Officer with a Bachelors and Masters in Communication. Mike transitioned out of the Navy through the Cameron-Brooks Career Search process in 2016. Mike launched his post military career with Altec Industries which is a privately held company that is a leading supplier of product...

Hello! And welcome back to another episode of the Cameron-Brooks podcast for transitioning JMOs. - On this episode, I interview Angela Jung. Angela is a former Army Military Intelligence officer who transitioned to Russell Reynolds Associates in J...

The junior military officer transition can be risky. You are changing industries, companies, positions and most likely location. You have to resign 4-9 months in advance without a job already in hand. A lot can happen in that time to the economy and the job market. If you have a family or a spouse/significant other, they may depend on you for income and benefits. No wonder you might feel a little vulnerable in this transition despite a track record of amazing accomplishments in the military. Ho...

Welcome back! During this podcast episode, I interview Dee Rodriguez. Dee is a former USMC Infantry Officer who transitioned to Corporate America in 2015. He launched his career at Preferred Materials where he started as a Project Manager. Dee has an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and is working in the horizontal construction space. In this episode, Dee shares his transition experience, why he chose Preferred Materials, and how to define leadership in the day-to-day. As we got into t...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! We have a special year in review episode as Joel Junker and I review 2018 and take a look back on the year we experienced at Cameron-Brooks. In this episode, Joel and I dig into the quality and quantity of companies who filled important and complex leadership roles in 2018. More than 100 different divisions of companies made offers to our clients across five conferences last year. On average, 45 interview rooms were in full use during these conference...

Listeners often give me feedback that Cameron-Brooks Podcast Episodes are "fresh" and "not canned or rehearsed." When Pete Van Epps and I interview our Alumni for these episodes, we do not prepare them ahead of time and only edit episodes when the alu...

When I speak to Junior Military Officers (JMOs) with engineering degrees, they often want to avoid doing engineering related work because they believe that companies would only hire them for their technical knowledge. When I ask them to explain more about their perception, they voice concerns about being “stuck” or “pigeon holed” into one specific technical area within a company. While companies absolutely need technical experts and engineers who want to further their expertise, the development ...

WELCOME BACK! This episode features Peter Sceusa. Peter is a former Army Air Defense Artillery officer who transitioned to business in early 2014. Peter started his post-military business career at the consulting firm, PwC as a Senior Associate in Compliance and Data Analytics. He quickly learned the ins-and-out of that part of their business and shares some key insights on the podcast on how to get up to speed quickly in an unfamiliar environment. He specifically mentions using Coursera as a g...

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Melanie Mansbach, a JMO who transitioned to the biotech contract manufacturing industry. She is a former Army Aviation officer who transitioned to Lonza in 2016. She is managing a technical team of people who essentially produce very technical and intricate pharmaceutical products. Lonza a 120 year old Swiss company. They are a contract manufacturer for the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. For the first half of the podcast, Melanie gives ...

Location, location, location. While those are typically the top 3 criteria for opening up a retail business, it commonly seems like top criteria for a JMO transition. Yet, when JMOs narrow down a search based on location, they miss out on exploring many unique opportunities. Paul Speckin is Cameron-Brooks Alumnus who attended our April 2018 Career Conference. He and his spouse are both from the Kansas City area, and his spouse was due with another child just as they were leaving the military. N...

A lot of JMOs wonder why they should partner with Cameron-Brooks versus other recruiting firms or striking out on their own. They also wonder why they should enter a Cameron-Brooks agreement and wait to send out resumes or contact other companies until after the Cameron-Brooks Conference. In other words, they wonder, “How does this benefit me?” In this episode, I asked Cameron-Brooks Alumnus, Sterling Raehtz, questions about his experience with Cameron-Brooks to include how he felt about the Ca...

Welcome back! On this episode I interview Scott Holtman. Scott is an Operations Manager at a leading textile manufacturer. He’s a former Navy E-2 Pilot who transitioned in January 2014. On this episode, we explore how to see an acquisition as an opportunity as well as: The value of conducting a broad career search and leading with your leadership strengths The large overlap of Manufacturing and Naval Aviation Scott’s day-in-the-life and career progression as a Safety Analyst and Operations Ma...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! On this episode you will meet Ashley Philbin, who talks about her first year in Corporate America. She is a former Army Ordnance officer who transitioned from the military after finishing an EOD Company Command. She had a perfect Cameron-Brooks conference, with 13 interviews and 12 companies that pursued her. Ashley is an Account Manager at EMCOR, a Fortune 500 company leading in mechanical and electrical construction, industrial and energy infrastruct...