Regulatory Specialist

South Central
US Marine Corps, E-8

I attended college online for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. I attended Excelsior College, Albany, New York, for my undergraduate studies and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts with a GPA of 3.81. I then attended American InterContinental University, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for my graduate studies. I obtained a MBA with dual concentration in Project Management and Operations Management with a GPA of 3.90.

My position or billet in the Marine Corps upon retirement was as Inspector-Instructor First Sergeant. I was the senior enlisted Marine of a 118 Reserve Marine Motor Transport Maintenance unit located aboard Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas. I will officially retire on December 31, 2008, but began terminal leave on October 5. I was researching online for jobs in September but became actively engaged in the search in October.

I learned about Orion International in a less conventional way from a candidate perspective. It was definitely word of mouth. My boss's brother's company received some client assistance from Orion. I spoke with the brother at a BBQ about getting ready to retire from the Marine Corps, and he told me about how Orion had helped them find some great personnel. He thought if they provided that much assistance to a client company, they would probably provide the same for individuals seeking employment with their clients. He provided me with a contact name.

With this recommendation in mind, I looked up Orion’s website. From that point, I read the entire website and got interested in the Distinguished Candidate Conference. The conference is designed for Junior Military Officers, but I thought I could qualify to attend due to my education and experience.

Initially, I spoke with Bob Berhholz about attending the conference. He provided me with all of the information about the conference and assisted with my attendance and preparation. I received outstanding support from all Orion personnel, especially Bob.

All of my concerns were met and exceeded throughout the entire process! I was extremely nervous about the transition but was relieved to get a lot of preparation, practice, and overall assistance. Once attention was directed toward ExxonMobil as a possible employer, their Orion account exectuive became my point of contact and remained in contact with me.

My process seemed to be all about timing! I found out about Orion International by word of mouth just in time to attend the Distinguished Candidate Conference in Dallas, Texas. After I completed the application process and worked on strengthening my resume, I received information on interview preparation and peace of mind about the entire process. Bob spoke with and emailed me several times to check on me.

The conference was well organized and provided additional preparation for my initial interviews. Briefings on the employers were provided and interview practice sessions were conducted. I had four interviews at the conference. All of my interviews went well, and I was informed that all of the employers wanted to follow-up with me for second interviews and/or site visits. Follow-up via email and telephone confirmed the company's interest.

I was invited for site visits with two companies, but only attended one with ExxonMobil in Houston, Texas. The visit went exceptionally well! I received a verbal offer from ExxonMobil on November 14 and the email confirmation on November 17.

My position will be Regulatory Specialist for US Production. Initially, I interviewed for a Security Coordinator position but received information about other available positions during the site visit. From the interviews, it was determined that I was a better fit for the selected position.

Orion actually exceeded my expectations and met my needs in an exceptional manner. I also worked with other recruiting organizations, but I did not receive the same amount of assistance. I received position information but not the level of attention or enthusiasm that Orion offers. From start to finish, the experience was outstanding. I could not have asked for a better outcome!