Senior Design Engineer
West
US Air Force, O-3
On the first of June, I had nothing but worries about job prospects in the current economy. As June was ending, I had two formal offers and three pending! Orion International was 150% behind this incredible journey!
I went through Air Force ROTC during college and was commissioned into the military directly upon graduation. While my peers were feverishly interviewing and sending resumes, I was preparing for my military career. Fast forward 20 years, and, as my retirement loomed, I found myself facing the prospect of searching for a job for the first time in my life. I began with a basic resume that I uploaded to some internet site. A few weeks later, I hadn't heard anything back other than a few scam emails.
A colleague of mine was passing my desk one day and stopped to talk. He told me to contact Orion, as they had done a good job for him when he got out of the military years earlier. I uploaded my resume to Orion and applied online to a number of jobs I thought seemed to be good matches for me.
I then received a call from an Orion representative to discuss my resume and skills. He discussed my situation and background with me at length and really made me feel that he was sincere in trying to help me find a job. As the call ended, I felt a glimmer of hope for the first time since I began job searching.
With the current economy, I have been seeing so many stories in the media about people who have mailed out 2000+ resumes without a single call back and other that have been searching for two years without any luck. I had been very concerned about this. Stories like this are the thing that keeps you up at night while your family is sleeping. They depend on me to support them, and I needed to find a job before my retirement date.
The thing about Orion is that, once you contact them and they get you in their system, it's like stepping onto an express train. Once that train leaves the station, you better be ready because things start moving FAST. I began to get very regular calls from Orion representatives from all over the country. They have offices all over, and they obviously communicate with each other, as they networked around trying to find good matches for me. Every time one of their representatives called, they had another job to discuss with me. Within a few weeks, I had been invited to a Distinguished Candidate Conference in Atlanta, GA. I was excited at the prospect, but nervous as I had never been to such an event.
After I expressed a desire to work on the West Coast, I began working with JP Sniffen. He is truly an outstanding individual. He went over my entire career, skills, and desires and invited me to the San Diego DCC. JP conducted an excellent webinar/telecon prior to the conference to prep all of the candidates who were planning on attending. His information was absolutely vital as he went over everything from dress and appearance to interviewing skills and resumes. I took voluminous notes that I later referenced constantly on the job trail.
At the DCC, the Orion people were very professional and flawlessly prepared. I was given materials and directions in a packet upon arrival and then directed into the first meeting of the day. Day one is interview seminars to learn how to interview and then briefings all day long from the companies. Each company has an allotted time to tell you about their company, its history, what they do, where they are located, who they are looking for, etc. I heavily advise you take notes and get any handouts available. Orion has a packet on each company with absolutely outstanding information, which is essential to your job search. That first day is grueling and exhausting. But, when it's over, you will realize just how much you learned about the companies and which ones you are most interested in. The first day was capped by a social with food and drinks outside the hotel. This is where the true magic of Orion begins.
You can sit at home and send out 2000+ resumes, post on every internet site, and call companies to ask if they are hiring, or you can attend an Orion DCC and actually be put face-to-face with the people who can hire you. At the social you can, for the first time, talk directly to the Vice President or Senior HR Partner of the company you are most interested in working for. Orion puts you in that position and provides every tool possible to be successful. You have the chance to make your future. Orion puts you front and center.
The second day of the DCC is where Orion gives you the opportunity of a lifetime. Day two is interview time. You will have 45 minutes with each of the companies you are most interested in and are the best match for. Orion works tirelessly to schedule you with the best possible companies to aid your success. The evening of the first day I got my list of seven companies I would have interviews with the next day; I was very excited to see Honeywell on that list along with all of the other companies I was also interested in. Orion had matched and scheduled me perfectly with the list I had most wanted.
Day two moves fast and is very exciting. As you only have 45 minutes with each company, JP refers to it as "speed dating" to allow both you and the company to decide if both of you are interested in furthering the process. My Honeywell interview went very well. I was very impressed with everything about them.
After the DCC, JP notified me that six of the seven companies I interviewed with were planning on pursuing me. Wow! Orion showed me how to interview, gave me the information I needed, and put me face-to-face with the hiring authorities from all of these top companies. You cannot get that by simply mailing out resumes and hoping.
Every single time I had either a phone interview or an onsite interview, JP called me personally to discuss the impending interview and give me every single bit of information I needed to be successful. He got me focused, pumped up, and ready to go. I went into every single interview fully prepared and ready to go. I cannot stress enough how awesome J.P. was during the entire process. His calls were pure gold and inspiration to me every time.
I cannot stress enough to any military member who is contemplating the civilian job market: DO NOT FEAR. There are jobs out there and companies looking to hire ex-military. The key to finding those opportunities is simple: Step on the Orion International express train and hold on as it pulls out of the station! They will move you out onto the job trail at top speed and attend to you at every step of the way.
Be sure to listen to Orion! They will give plenty of advice, and every single thing they say is true. They will put you face-to-face with hiring authorities from Fortune 500 companies. You cannot ask for any more than that.
From there it's all in your hands. Just remember everything Orion teaches about interviewing and the briefing they give you about the company you are talking with, and you'll do fine. I also highly recommend doing your own extensive homework about each company before you meet with them. Know their business and their industry as well as you can. If you have any questions, ask your Orion representative. They will go the extra mile every time to help you!
Orion International is one of the most impressive organizations I have ever encountered. From top to bottom, every single Orion team member is courteous, professional, helpful, knowledgeable, and absolutely outstanding!
