Veteran Transition Advocate Magazine (VTAM) Interviews William J. Cameron

Veteran Transition Advocate Magazine (VTAM) spoke to William (Bill) J Cameron who served as a Special Agent in the US Secret Service for 22 years in a variety of roles and posts including the Presidential Protective Division.

He protected Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton, serving as the Lead Advance Agent and Site Coordinator during the 1993 Presidential Inauguration, the 1992 Republican National Convention, and the 1990 G-7 Economic Summit. In addition, Cameron supervised a 12-member task force investigating financial organized crime, working with federal, state, and local police officials. Bill participated on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the National Threat Assessment Center. After retiring as an Agent, Cameron spent seven years as the Director of Corporate Security at two international corporations before returning to the US Secret Service as the Division Chief & Emergency Management Coordinator, where he served for an additional ten years.

Although Bill served many years in the Government he believes that the same duties and responsibilities exist within the armed services. The transition process is just that a process. “some people can make it, some cannot, and some have to learn to adapt to change.”

Many struggle with the fact that they are used to operating one-way, full speed ahead and now they have trouble dealing with a new pace. “You have to have an open mind about things, you have to be willing to be a good listener and admit to the skills that you don’t have. You must be willing to learn how the corporate structure operates” Contact former colleagues who have been through a similar transition .

Networking is very important to start to build a new level of contacts. Education is a key area to consider taking advantage of all available courses in a variety of fields ( ie. Cyber Security).

When drafting a resume, keep in mind the position being applied for and draft that resume and your skill set to be specific to that position. Bill noted that during his time hiring personnel to fit a position, he always looked for the “right person” not necessarily the best person.Make sure you put all your accomplishments on your resume and discuss them in your interviews. When in the resume and interview process, always keep in mind – what can separate me from the pack!