Episode 154 – DoD Skillbridge Program: One JMO’s Experience

One of the programs that the Department of Defense (DoD) recently launched is the Skillbridge program. Skillbridge is an opportunity for transitioning service members and their spouses to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, and internships. The program assists retiring and transitioning service members by allowing them to participate in industry training programs while transitioning out of their military careers. Cameron-Brooks is an approved DoD Skillbridge provider, and we have had many officers participate in the Skillbrige program as they prepared for a move to Corporate America. When officers participate in Skilbridge with Cameron-Brooks, they are afforded valuable time to prepare for up to 13 or 14 interviews with industry-leading companies where they meet hiring managers and decision-makers. This preparation gives military officers the training and confidence they need to connect their background, demonstrate interest, ask relevant questions and close each interview. In this episode, you’ll meet Quinton Cookis. Quinton is a former USMC Logistics officer who attended our June 2022 Career Conference after successfully completing the Skillbridge program. Before starting the Skillbridge program, Quinton worked with the Cameron-Brooks team for nearly two years. All the while, he managed a very busy full-time job while also spending time outside of work increasing his business knowledge and conducting self-analysis, which led to effective interview preparation. In this podcast, Quinton and I discuss… What he thought was the biggest benefit of doing the Skillbridge program How he was able to take the skills he learned along the way and transfer them to his fellow transitioning officers A behind-the-scenes look at his Career Conference and Follow-Up Interview experience Considering he’d just attended the Conference a few weeks before recording this episode, he was able to give a very fresh and up-to-date look at the Cameron-Brooks interview process. Finally, we close the interview by Quinton giving advice to those who are considering a transition and considering engaging in the Skillbridge program with Cameron-Brooks. 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. To stay connected, we’d recommend subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following us on LinkedIn.