Catagory Manager

Northeast
US Navy, O-1

I initially enlisted as a Navy Avionics Technician and then went through BOOST, as well as college NROTC University of Pennsylvania. When I was medically retired in 2000, I was a Commissioned Ensign Surface Warfare. Since I have been out of the military for six years, this obviously was not my first job search. When I began seriously looking for a new career in May 2006, I didn’t initially think about using a military recruiter. But Stephanie Moser emailed me and started me down the road with Orion, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

I had known of Orion since my initial career search upon separating from the Navy. I knew how exceptionally quick the process could be, since I had been on both sides of the process, both as a candidate, as well as working with Orion to recruit some great talent in other organizations for which I have worked.

I could not recommend Stephanie more strongly! After her initial contact via email, we exchanged some information back and forth, such as what I was looking to do, compensation, and geographies. We also did some resume editing. She then scheduled me for the Philadelphia conference based on timing and my relatively limited geographic preference. She did a great job of pre-screening me into the right opportunities and making sure that I had all the information in advance to properly prepare me for my five interviews at the conference, both the initials and the follow-ups. Her attention to detail and promptness is highly commendable. I wasn’t put into interviews that were not a good “fit” for me. I only attended the one conference, which provided me with more than enough attractive options to ensure a successful conclusion to this career search and transition.

I also worked a bit with Chris Hurst who was great for interview preparation. He helped me a lot with how to answer certain questions and how best to balance my military and civilian experience to provide the most balanced answers during interviews. Orion also helped a lot as I was going on follow-ups and getting into the offer stages with a few firms. I was juggling three opportunities right down to the end of the process and was quite apprehensive about settling on a position, partially because Orion had presented me with so many outstanding options that it was an internal tug-of-war deciding which was best for me and my family, both personally and professionally. Orion was a terrific sounding board throughout the process, as well as a great cheerleader. They pumped me up when I needed it and gave me a different viewpoint when perhaps I couldn’t see it for myself. My recruiter did a great job of “talking me off the ledge” and keeping me grounded and upbeat while not really pushing me in one direction or another.

I am now the Category Manager for Tools and Bench Equipment for TESSCO Technologies. It is exactly the type and level of position I was looking for. I would have had a hard time finding such an opportunity on my own. The compensation was more than I was expecting when I decided to go to conference, and the opportunity for growth, promotion, and professional development is fantastic.

Orion surpassed my expectations. The process was simple, and I went from conference to employed in about four weeks…and that includes two weeks where I was deciding which opportunity I wanted to take. My calls and questions were always answered quickly and accurately. I always felt that Orion had my best interest at heart.

There is no other military recruitment firm that can compare to Orion, either from the candidate or company perspective. I have worked with most of the big names and some of the smaller ones, and, from the level of competence of the candidate advisors, account managers, and staff to the speed and fluidity of the process, no one has a better process than Orion. I will recommend Orion vigorously to anyone making a military transition or to any company looking to gain exposure to the best and brightest emerging leaders this country has to offer. Thank you, Orion!