Account Manager

Midwest
US Army, O-3

I was a Captain in the Field Artillery at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, and held positions as a Fire Support Officer, Battery Executive Officer, Battalion Logistics Officer, and Rear Detachment Commander. It would be easy to say that an officer develops leadership qualities. That is overly simplistic and does not give the credit to some of the demands and challenges military men and women face daily.

 

It is my opinion that my military background helped me in ways that would seem to go unnoticed day in and day out as a soldier. The ability to prioritize, compartmentalize, and manage these things in a way that is efficient are just a few examples of this. Time management is an easy one everyone can relate to, but for me, it has been the ability to maximize everything to include personnel, dollars, resources, time, and efficiency.

 

The ability to quickly formulate a strategy, formulate a vision for that plan, and execute that plan effectively while being able to flow with changes smoothly and without recourse is also a skill I obtained in the military. Lastly, I think the dealing with people from all walks of life in sometimes harsh situations has really contributed to the dynamics of team and team-building, and it comes naturally and easily.  

 

I worked with several people at Orion, including Todd Phillips, Scott McNary, and David Coe. I think each of them were easy to talk to, listened, and tried to relate to the needs of both the client and candidate in order to make matching candidates a smooth process. Scott and David, I know, worked very hard at trying to achieve the best possible outcomes for me and were sometimes put under a tad bit pressure from me to act quickly and, without fail, they would always pull through with what I was requesting. Overall, they were a great team.

My hiring process with Orion included attending a Chicago hiring conference and interviewing with five very different companies for five very different jobs. From that conference, I was matched up with my new employer, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, where I am now an account manager (sales) in Minneapolis.

 

One difference I see between my new civilian career and my military one is my position/pay/promotion is a direct reflection of my actions, dedication, hard work, and success. I will say, however, that being a military officer greatly helped in the areas of discipline, sacrifice, and dedication to duty which is certainly what is needed to be more than just a marginal success in the civilian workforce.

I have worked with several recruiting services in the past, and BY FAR Orion has been the best. Some are pretty good, and others are just flat-out bad or selective, which left a very bad taste in my mouth. Orion has gone above and beyond what the others have done and for that I am grateful. 

I would recommend Orion to anyone in the military or with a military background looking for a new career. This is for several reasons – their staff will stay in contact with you and keep you informed consistently, which is by far the most important thing; their hiring conferences are simple, effective, have plenty of good opportunities and are in locations that are reasonable to get to; and, lastly, it felt like they were not only dedicated to me personally, but it was important to them to find me the job I was looking for and felt comfortable in without any pressure.