July 25, 2022

Episode 153 – 3 Key Characteristics Hiring Managers Look for in a JMO

16 minutes

This month I celebrate my 23rd year at Cameron-Brooks! Wow, time flies! Funny thing is that I still think of myself as a new team member at Cameron-Brooks because I am always learning something new, and each JMO I work with is unique.

Even though I look at myself as someone new to the business, I know I am a seasoned veteran with lots of experience and knowledge on how to make the transition from military to business. I’ve helped thousands of military officers find new careers, and I’ve spent a lot of time recording feedback from client companies. Hiring managers are often looking for similar key characteristics in the interview.

JMOs know this, and most ask me a simple, straightforward, yet important question when they first meet me, “Joel, what are the key characteristics I need to bring out in an interview to be successful?”

While I love learning new things, the answer to that really has not changed in my time. They are the same three characteristics Roger Cameron, the founder of the JMO to Business industry, taught me when I transitioned in 1999.

3 Key Characteristics Hiring Managers Look for in a JMO:

Demonstrating ability to do the job. Depending on the position, the types of abilities change, but they center around leading people and projects, solving problems and demonstrating potential for increased responsibility.

Demonstrating interest in the company and position. Recruiters want to know you did your research and hear what resonated with you. They want you to ask questions and be curious about the role and the impact you can make. This is an area where many JMOs initially struggle. I don’t think asking a lot of questions and making compliments is something that is naturally done in the military so it is harder to relate to interviewing. Yet, demonstrating interest is critical and can make or break an interview.

Building rapport with the recruiter(s), or in other words, being likable. Recruiters want to hire people customers, suppliers, management and team members want to be around. In business, we get to choose who we hire and work with. That is not necessarily true in the military. You lead the team, work for the commander and work with peers assigned to you. Those are great experiences and opportunities to learn how to work with different and challenging people. In business, we get to choose. We value and appreciate diverse backgrounds and thoughts, but we also want to work with people we genuinely get along with.

In the podcast, I dive deeper into these three areas and provide tips on how to prepare for and execute in an interview for each area.

If you’re interested in learning more about why companies hire from Cameron-Brooks, contact us!

You can also check out our Transition Guide on “3 Game-Changing Strategies for JMOs Making the Jump to Business” for additional transition tips.

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