Questions and Concerns Prior to the Conference

[steve.ha]

I recently accepted a position with Google, and I know for a fact that I could not have gotten this job had I not partnered with Cameron-Brooks. Cameron-Brooks exceeded my expectations at the Career Conference, and I had pretty high expectations. Of course, I did have some concerns and questions leading up to my conference…

1) Is the DPP worth the time? DPP motivated me to learn, and the learning paid off for me during my interviews. It just so happened that some of my top companies at the conference asked me questions from many of the books I read during my prep. The questions came indirectly for the most part… What makes a good manager and a leader? What things should you consider when managing a project? Which of the three financial statements do you feel is the most important? Who is your favorite leader and why? What’s your favorite book? Man… was I glad that I had some intelligent things to say!

2) Is C-B really that much different from other recruiting firms? After interviewing with 11 companies at the conference, I learned that many top companies really do use Cameron-Brooks as their main source of JMO recruiting. Some of them only use C-B and have a strong C-B network within the company. During the follow-up interviews, I met with many managers/directors/VPs who said they expected great things from C-B candidates. That makes sense because C-B puts so much focus on developing their candidates. I spoke with several other headhunters, and none of them mentioned anything about a development program…

3) Will the companies at the conference really be that great? I interviewed with companies at the conference that blew me away with their quality and dominance in their given industries. I went to the conference hoping for a certain location and an industry. Gasp! I know… how could I? When it was all said and done, I ended up with what I can only consider as my dream job, in a completely different industry, and two time zones away from my initial location preference. My advice is to go to the conference with an open mind. If you really hate every company that you see, then I guess you can always say “no”… but only after you earn an offer.

4) What if an MBA is a better option for me straight out of the military? I thought hard about going to school, and I know many of my buddies have chosen that route. I know that they’re having a great time and I’m sure many of them will do well. However, I wanted the MBA to supplement my career, so I decided that I want some business experience first. Thankfully, all of the companies that had interest in me valued my desire for an MBA. Some flat-out demanded it. They also wanted me to get it from a top program. Fine by me!

I thought that since C-B focused so much energy into developing their candidates through DPP and personal attention, and if C-B marketed the candidates to client companies as developed and eager JMOs, then, naturally, C-B would have a competitive advantage over recruiters that didn’t develop their candidates. That’s how I managed my skepticism regarding the Cameron-Brooks Agreement… that’s how I kept myself motivated to keep learning… and that’s how I ultimately decided to stick with C-B. I had great results and I hope the rest of you do as well.

Please feel free to email me at steveha80@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Steve Ha
Program Manager- Data Center Operations
Google, Inc.
(Army Aviation, USMA '03)