Project Manager

West
US Navy, E-5

I served in the US Navy for six years, from April 2001 until May 2007, and separated as an E-5, Petty Officer Second Class. I began the preliminary work of job-hunting about a year and a half before my separation date of May 16, 2007, by signing up with Orion International's website and establishing contact with my Orion representative, Jim Lewis. I had learned about Orion International through a letter that was mailed to my Leading Petty Officer that encouraged my LPO to inform his sailors about Orion and their success in finding post-military jobs for people like us. Upon reading the letter, he posted it on a bulletin board, and I went to Orion's website and began learning about the company.

I stand amazed at the job Jim did. At first, I didn't always fully believe every word he said - to doubt things that seem "too good to be true" was ingrained in me from an early age. A lot of the things Orion promised did seem too good to be true, especially when you consider that for all the services they give candidates, they don't charge us a dime. That was the hardest thing to overcome as far as my doubts went. But Jim was never less than 100% truthful with me. I'll always be thankful that I got Jim, because he forced me to always look at things from a different perspective. Always considerate, always honest ... what more can you ask?

At the hiring conference I attended in La Jolla, I interviewed with eight different companies that day. Some of them made perfect sense to me and, at the time, some didn't make any sense at all. I kept asking Jim why he was having me interview with this one company in particular - Calypso Medical - because I didn't think it was a good fit at all. Jim would just smile and say "trust me." And wouldn't you know it, the Calypso interview was the best one of the day. I didn't care about anything else at the end of the day. I just knew I wanted to go to work for this company. You see, Jim saw a fit where I didn't. Again, thanks Jim!

A few days after the La Jolla conference I was contacted by Calypso, and they flew me to Seattle to their headquarters for a follow-up interview with their Service Department leadership. A few days after that, they called again and flew me to Phoenix to meet with their National Sales Manager. Three days after that interview, they called again and offered me the job. I started work for Calypso on May 21 in the position of Project Manager. I will be living in Denver, Colorado, covering the entire Western Region of the United States. I'll be in charge of coordinating all equipment installations, on-site logistics, testing, calibration and physician training. It's an incredible opportunity, and I owe it all to Orion International and, in particular, Jim Lewis. Is it the kind of job I was looking for? To tell you the truth, I didn't know such a position existed before the La Jolla conference. But it's the perfect company for me, the perfect job, and the perfect situation.

Orion completely met my needs. The conference was incredible. All of the preliminary work I did with Jim (working with my resume, in particular) really paid off. I really feel strongly that I wouldn't be in this wonderful position right now if it weren't for Orion and Jim Lewis. Overall, I highly recommend Orion. Put your faith in your recruiter and take his/her advice - even if it sometimes seems counter-intuitive to you. These guys are pros!