Prior to founding Alliance, I had the unique opportunity to experience the JMO recruiting industry as both a candidate transitioning and as an employer hiring JMOs. Although JMOs have been finding jobs with the assistance of recruiting firms for years, they weren’t always with the right company or with the right fit. The problem as we saw it with the industry was that far too often, the unique challenges of the transition led to frequent career mistakes that were manifested through poor retention rates, low job satisfaction, and lack of long term success.

In 2002, I completed the successful sale of an Inc 500 company I had co-founded.  This transaction afforded me the rare opportunity to consider how I could make a difference.  The military had changed my life and like many of us in a post 9/11 world, I wanted to find a way that I could serve. The military doesn’t need too many 40 year olds, but I humbly thought I could create the most unique military transitioning service ever.

In September 2003 Alliance opened its doors with the clear purpose to become the premier JMO recruiting firm in the industry. The Alliance launch was likely the most expensive start-up in the history of the JMO industry. We immediately went to work to create the most unique military transition service ever and challenge the industry’s operating fundamentals. Our focus was not to create the largest firm, but the best. The way we measure excellence is by the following metrics:

  1. Retention
  2. Job Satisfaction
  3. Growth
  4. Compensation
  5. Probability of Success
  6. Customer Satisfaction

In order to ensure satisfaction and retention we needed to invest in creating a training program for our candidates. This program is not simply a reading list or .pdf file but actual instruction and teaching with experienced professionals.  Our unique training program prepares our candidates to make better career decisions.  Our program is without exception, the industry standard. It is by far the most expensive and personalized.  Why do others not copy it? Because it requires an individual investment in each candidate that other firms choose not to undertake.  But when we help inform candidates, they make better career decisions which leads to higher retention and job satisfaction.

Growth and compensation are greater in the best opportunities.  Not all entry points into Corporate America are the same.  Neither are all JMOs.  We made the decision early on for Alliance to focus on the very best officers and to institute the most rigorous selection standards in the industry. Our unwavering commitment to candidate quality allows us to offer our candidates the best opportunities. There is no doubt that the true high potential opportunities are not for the average JMO. Our corporate partners know when true selectivity exists and they appreciate it. Why would an elite opportunity willingly participate in a job conference with lower quality when for the same price they can attend a higher one? That is why we keep our numbers at only 300 JMOs per year.  Any higher number would dilute quality and undercut service.  We will never compromise on either service or quality.

The major change we have brought to this industry is an unmatched commitment to the military candidate.  Our model is about delivering superior results with unmatched security.  Our commitment doesn’t end with job acceptance. We are committed to lifetime assistance for all of our candidates. That future service may involve mentorship, job placement help in the future, or even capital for an entrepreneurial venture.

In short, thousands of JMOs have made this transition without Alliance. We don’t believe we are the only way to make this transition happen.  There are some companies that place many more candidates per year; others that have been in business before the computer was invented. But over the past 5 years, there is no other JMO recruiting firm that has outperformed us in the key metrics: Retention; Satisfaction; Growth; Compensation; Probability of Success; and Customer Service.

This desire to make a difference has also motivated us to create a separate operating division named Longview.  The purpose of Longview is to help other military veterans that are not in our existing Alliance profile.  Longview primarily works with extraordinary enlisted service members and some JMOs that are not selected for the Alliance program.  It is a different model but one that shares our commitment to help transitioning military veterans, and to do it with service and integrity.

I believe that what we do for our candidates makes a difference. I often say that what happens in the next 3 to 5 years with our candidate’s careers can determine how they live the next 30 to 50 years. That is how important we believe career momentum is and how critical of a transition this is for military veterans.  We are thankful to have had the opportunity to make a difference and I do believe that an objective evaluation of the key metrics clearly shows that Alliance is the premier JMO firm in the industry.

Best Regards,

John Todd

CEO, Alliance Careers