Thursday, January 3, 2013

Top "8 Things" Tip #3: JMO Recruiters can be a great resource


JMO Recruiters can be a great resource…but just remember, it is your life and
your career that you are making decisions about. I've worked with some really 
good recruiters who have prepared me well for interviews...and I've worked with
others who treated me more like a meal ticket. Some are better than others and
some care more about you and take the time to work with you and make sure you
find a good employer and a good job fit. I would say that you will get a pretty
good sense as you work with a recruiter if they care about you or just care about
getting paid. In either case they may get you a job, but I always felt more
comfortable working with someone I felt cared about me personally, because I felt 
like they cared about making sure that I found the right situation. If you feel like a
recruiter is pressuring you, they are likely just looking to get paid.  

Recruiters want to work with you because, for the most part, you are pretty easy to
place because of your marketable skills. You have great skills, lots to offer, are
well-educated, understand the meaning of hard work and sacrifice, are likely a
team player, and(last but not least) your relocation is paid for by the military. This
can be a big expense for companies, so this can be a nice aspect of hiring a JMO.

When you meet with a recruiter, feel free to interview them....ask questions.  Don't feel like 
you are obligated to use the person you meet with or their particular company if you don't 
"hit it off." There are lots of JMO recruiting companies out there.

Ask lots of questions:

What is their success rate of placing JMOs?
What sort of preparation will they do to help you assess what sort of career you are best 
suited for?
What sort of interview/resume preparation will they do with you?
What types of companies do they typically place JMOs with? Are these companies truly of 
interest to you? How long did past JMOs stay with the company they were placed with ?
Ask if you can talk with any JMOs they placed previously, so that you can understand their 
experience?
Understand whether the companies they are working with have hired JMOs before or if you 
are the first? (This may not matter to you, but I was the first JMO at a company I worked for, 
and it was somewhat difficult for me to adjust to an environment where there were NO other 
people like me in the company. This may differ for everyone, but I liked my work 
experiences better in situations where other veterans were around for mentorship, help, etc)

I know some companies require you to sign exclusivity contracts. I don't really have an 
opinion either way. I never signed an exclusivity contract and I got plenty of job offers.  I've 
had some classmates who did and found jobs.  Obviously there are pros and cons of 
"signing" an exclusivity contract with a recruiting company. I would just recommend that you 
explicitly understand what the terms are. If you feel like it's the right thing to do for you 
individually, then go right ahead. If not, feel free to move on. 

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