Electrical Instructor

West
US Navy, E-6

First I'd like to say that I am very thankful for Orion International’s key role if helping me prepare myself and, ultimately, find the great job that I did. I ended up leaving the Navy on October 24, 2008, as an E-6, although I hadn’t been scheduled to get out February 2009. I began looking for jobs in July on my own with no luck. I applied for at least a hundred jobs online with no response, including the job that I eventually was hired for through Orion. I began dealing with Orion in August.

I had heard Orion mentioned at work at some point in time after I decided that I was going to get out of the Navy and put the name to memory. I worked with Jim Lewis at Orion. He was very helpful and professional. He was always very good about getting back to me with the help or answers I needed.

I first attended an Orion hiring conference after buying the first suit I've ever owned. The first day of the conference was quite a learning experience for me. I had not had the opportunity to go through a TAPS class through the Navy and was not prepared for interviews. I found this out in the small practice group sessions where I was asked what my three best strengths are. I was able to give an answer, but it was not the answer that would get me hired.

After that, I spent the night writing out my responses to common interview questions and making a list of ten strengths with two supporting points for each. I also made a list of faults to improve upon. The next day I began my interviews and interviewed with five companies.

By the end of the day, I had follow-up interviews scheduled for all five companies. After narrowing the list down, I decided to follow-up with four of the companies. Jim was there to brief and debrief me for every interview. I am now the Electrical Instructor at Energy Northwest. When I began searching for jobs, I was looking for an operator or other entry-level position. I had fantasized about working as an Instructor but thought it to be an extreme long shot.

Orion is the only recruiting company that went beyond sending me just some generic email. To them, I was actually an individual with individual needs. Without Orion, I'd either still be looking for jobs unsuccessfully due to the turn in the economy, or I'd be working elsewhere, doing half the job for half the money. Thank you, Orion.