Director of Admissions

Midwest
US Army, O-2

I first contacted Orion in January of 2012 while I was deployed to Afghanistan.  I had a friend over there who was also working with them who thought that they might be able to help me out.  That friend didn’t know how right he was!

I only had about two months left on my deployment when I first made contact with Todd Phillips; but, from day one, he did everything he could to make sure that I was prepared to hit the ground running as soon as I got back to the States.  Todd walked me through the process of getting all of my paperwork submitted, creating a resume, and also did his best to get to know me from halfway around the world.  

The whole Orion team was very patient, as I was busy doing a RIP/TOA and trying to submit paperwork to them.  But, sure enough, when I got home, I had everything in line.  So much so that two days after I got back from CRC-Benning, Todd had me scheduled to go to a hiring conference. From that first interaction that I had with the team in person, I knew that this team was going to do everything they could to help get into a career field that matched my military experience.  

That first hiring conference exceeded all expectations that I had prior to going in.  I had no idea the amount of help that I was going to get on that first day.  The whole Orion team did everything they could to make sure that when it came time to interview on Monday, I was going to be not just prepared, but confident in my abilities.  What really surprised me, though, was that Todd and his team weren’t just there for me for those two days.  There were a number of times in between conferences when someone from the team would call me up and let me know that they found a position that they thought would be a good fit for me.  That was when I really got the sense that I wasn’t just another face in the crowd to them.

I did not receive an offer out of that first conference.  But, I did have a couple of follow-up interviews, and the experience itself was well worth the time and effort.  What was truly amazing to me, was that throughout the whole process, the whole team was there supporting me, encouraging me, and helping to find leads.  I never felt like I fell off of their radar, or that they weren’t as committed to finding me a career as they were in the very beginning.  And, five months after beginning my job search with them, we finally got the lead we were looking for.

Todd called me – in between conferences – to let me know that he had found a position that he thought I would be a great fit for.  At first, I was wary, because I didn’t think that I had the experience in the field that they were looking for.  But, Todd assured me that he wouldn’t send me in to an interview if he didn’t believe that I was capable of doing the job.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that Todd and his team had that type of keen insight into our skills that soldiers often don’t have about themselves.  

So, I went into the interview with eight other officers—all of whom were more senior than myself and who I thought had a better shot at the job—and just relied on what the Orion team had taught me at the conferences and what I had learned from the dozens of interviews that they set me up with. It might have taken five months, but in the end, I got the job. 

Looking back, I can see now that the wait was well worth the reward.  This job is a perfect fit for the skills that I bring to the table.  And, even though I don’t have the industry knowledge, already in the first week I can tell how my military experience will be a benefit to me and the company. Todd and the entire team didn’t just help me find a job….they helped me begin a career.