The Hunter - May 2021

In This Issue

Introducing Hirepurpose

#OrionChat on Franchise Opportunities for Veterans with JDog Brands

Leaving Active Duty? 5 Things to Keep in Mind in Your New Civilian Job

VA Refinance Loan FAQ with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage

Exclusive Opportunities Through Orion

According to Your Peers

Career Success with Orion

Podcast Series for Job Seekers

Join the Orion Team

Career Transition Planning and Base Visits

Earn $100 for Every Referral that Finds their Career through Orion

Companies Recently Hiring

Connect with Orion Online

Introducing Hirepurpose

We are proud to announce our newest acquisition to help you in your transition from the military! 

Hirepurpose, an Orion Talent company, is committed to addressing some of the gaps that exist in the transition from military service to civilian career success. With an emphasis in diversity jobs, Hirepurpose aims to help support veterans and transitioning military members in their civilian job search. The Hirepurpose team believes that military-experienced talent is vital to corporate America, and that hiring veterans is one of the best things that companies can do for their business.

Hirepurpose was launched in 2014 and quickly grew to serve over 50,000 transitioning service members and veterans and to support over 100 Fortune 1000 and small and medium-sized businesses. Orion Talent acquired Hirepurpose in late 2020 with the goal to expand our services to better serve our diversity and female candidates.

Hirepurpose can be another integral part in your military to civilian transition. Check out the Hirepurpose website to sign up for job alerts and search for job opportunities with many Fortune 1000 companies.

Here at Orion, we want veterans and transitioning military to have all the tools you need to go confidently into a civilian career. From a transition timeline, resume help, interview prep, and more, our transition resources page has an abundance of resources to help make your transition as smooth as possible. 

If you are a veteran looking for a career change or are transitioning from the military soon, we invite you to check out Hirepurpose to learn more, or register on our site.

#OrionChat on Franchise Opportunities for Veterans with JDog Brands

Recently, Orion hosted a live #OrionChat on Twitter, @orioncareers, with JDog Brands. In case you aren’t familiar with the concept, a tweet chat is a live conversation on Twitter to discuss a specific topic. 

This month’s tweet chat featured James Caudle, Vice President of Training & Development at JDog Brands and an Army Reserves veteran himself. James joined the chat to discuss franchise opportunities for veterans with JDog Brands, a nationally recognized brand offering franchise opportunities through JDog Junk Removal & Hauling and JDog Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care. JDog Brands specializes in the home and commercial service industry, providing junk removal and hauling as well as floor, upholstery, and carpet cleaning. All of JDog’s local business operators are veterans and military family members.

James answered questions on topics including the benefits of owning a franchise, military skills that translate well into a franchise opportunity, the advantages of hiring veterans, and why now is the best time to become a franchise owner.

Read a few key tweets from the #OrionChat:

If you missed the tweet chat, you can catch up on our Twitter, or read a full summary here. To learn more about JDog Brands, visit their website.

Leaving Active Duty? 5 Things to Keep in Mind in Your New Civilian Job

Whether you served for one enlistment, until retirement, or somewhere in between, you may be at a point in your career where you’ve decided to transition from active duty to the civilian workforce.  

Although differences in organizations are expected, it may be worth considering the potential “reverse culture shock” you may encounter when transitioning into your new job. Over the course of my research, personal experiences, and conversations with veterans from all rank levels and branches of services, here are a few takeaways I’d like to share. 

1. Your veteran service may be appreciated, but it may not fully be understood.

You will likely see questions about your veteran status during either the application or interview process. Many organizations even have veteran hiring initiatives, because they realize that you have highly desirable traits such as work ethic, adaptability, and attention to detail. However, that employer may not understand the differences between an 0311 (infantry) Marine and a 4421 (legal services) Marine, or those of a “Flight” Chief and a Chief “Petty Officer.” 

Consider your service branch’s achievement medal. For some ranks, a servicemember would be extremely proud to be awarded one, while other ranks or experience levels may consider it beneath them. The reason you know this is because of ?context. Your years of experience are filled with military context, which is understood across different ranks, occupational specialties, and even service branches. However, you should not expect civilian employers to fully understand the weight of your previous military responsibilities, achievements, or capabilities.  

2. Your level of responsibility may decrease at first.

When I think of a platoon sergeant, aside from reasonable exceptions, I imagine someone who has been in the military for at least eight years, has seen at least two combat deployments, and has exceptional experience leading 40+ Marines or Soldiers. Now imagine being the hiring manager at a furniture company, the foreman at a construction site, or the sales director of an insurance agency. You probably feel that you’re qualified for immediate assignment to upper or middle management, and you may be right. However, in order to prove how your military resume applies to your current position, you may have to begin your employment at a lower level and then prove yourself in order to move up. Just like your time in the military, try to remember that rank is not a limitation; it is a process.  

3. The culture of your organization may be different from your military unit

In the military, servicemembers spend nearly all of their time together. You probably started each morning by going to unit physical training (PT), getting a workout in before the day began. You might then have breakfast together at the DFAC or galley (if you had time), or maybe hit up the “gut truck” when it stopped by your shop that morning. 

At work, you played music loudly, made group runs to the PX for energy drinks, and went to chow with your coworkers. I’m also willing to bet that your workday consisted of hilarious conversation in the smoke pit, a spirited debate about In-N-Out vs. Whataburger (In-N-Out, by the way), and probably an impromptu wrestling match. The day ended with an equal mix of complaining about work and making plans about what everyone was going to do that evening. Go to a bar? Hit the gym? Order pizza and watch the game at Buffalo Wild Wings? You and your coworkers (friends) spent nearly 24 hours together each day (especially if you lived in the barracks), and you grew close with them. Some of them you’ll remain in contact with for years after you move on.  

In the private sector, there is no unit PT to start the day with sweat, misery, and camaraderie. There aren’t any formations or quarters to hear about the day’s plan, and awards or promotions probably won’t be as celebrated or commonplace. You need to expect a job where the priority of your coworkers is to...do their job. And that’s okay. You’re certain to find friendly coworkers with whom you have plenty in common, but depending on your industry, they may not necessarily be in your same age group, fitness level, or area of interests.  

You also need to realize that your military coworkers supported you in ways you may not have realized during that time. You could call them any time, day or night, for any reason. You traded duty or watch shifts, loaned each other money for purchases, and deployed to austere and dangerous environments with full reliance on his or her support. In the civilian workforce, veterans often mistakenly refer to their coworkers as selfish, lazy, or unmotivated. Remember that your military service was ?anything but a job. It was the most challenging, rewarding, terrible, unbearable, and unique experience you may ever have. And now you have a job. That’s okay, too.  

4. The culture of boss.

Similar to your coworkers, the culture of your leadership will also be quite different. The invasive leadership styles of your Flight Chief or NCO probably asked you questions about your finances, personal relationships, precise details of your holiday leave plans, and cursed you out for not getting a flu shot. You may come to miss that style of leadership, and even mistake civilian leadership as laziness or apathy. Remember that nobody at ‘Hometown Auto Sales’ believes their employees are a “car salesman 24/7,” nor does ‘Hometown Insurance’ believe that “every agent is a rifleman.” Further, your new boss will probably not reward the team with pizza and beer, or give weekend safety briefs on Friday afternoons. Nor should they be expected to. You don’t need your boss to perform as a Command Master Chief any more than he or she needs you to perform as a Technical Sergeant. Be you. Be the best employee you can, and find ways to learn the organizational culture of the company.  

5. The fulfillment may not be the same.

Veterans don't often talk about how they miss their specific job in the military. Whether they were a mechanic, engineer, or in the infantry, veterans most often express the people / camaraderie and the mission as what they miss the most about their military service. The reward of working together to solve complex problems, deploy as a team, endure unique hardships, and come back home to train the next generation is something that can’t be replicated. 

In the private sector, you may not work in an industry for which you have a strong level of interest or passion. Additionally, you may not work with other employees who share your same interests or age group. Your spouses may be less likely to hang out together, your children probably won’t attend the same school or daycare, and you are highly unlikely to live in the same apartment complex or neighborhood as your coworkers. 

So be intentional about your transition from active duty. For the first time in a long time, you get the opportunity to be selfish and call the shots around your decision. Choose location, industry, pay, job title, or any other factors carefully. And if the worst comes to worst? I hear that prior-service recruiters are more than happy to take your call. 

BLUF: Remember that new guy in the unit who wouldn’t stop talking about how good his old unit was? How everything at that unit was so much better? When you get to your civilian job -- don’t be that guy. 

If you are ready to transition to the civilian workforce or are a veteran looking to make a career change, register on our site to get started with a Recruiter today.

Author: Cody Brockelmeyer

Matthew "Cody" Brockelmeyer was born in Pasadena, California, but spent much of his childhood in Roseburg, Oregon. After high school, he enlisted into the Marine Corps as a Legal Services Specialist where he served in Okinawa, Japan, the Pentagon, and Afghanistan. After completing his undergraduate degree, he earned his commission and was awarded the MOS of Ground Supply Officer. Since that time, he completed an MBA, two additional deployments to the Middle East, and then served as the Operations Officer for the University of Notre Dame's NROTC program. Most recently, he completed a Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus on the cultural issues that veterans face when entering the private workforce.

VA Refinance Loan FAQ with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage

Exclusive Opportunities Through Orion

According to Your Peers

Career Success with Orion

Podcast Series for Job Seekers

Have you tuned in to From the Battlefield to the Boardroom, our podcast series dedicated to supporting military job seekers? We have a variety of episodes covering everything from the civilian transition process to valuable insights and guidance from other Veterans and business leaders.

We've recently added new podcasts, including:

142. Founder/CEO of Veteran Owned & Operated Franchise

141. Launch an "Essential" Career with ForgeNow

140. How to Maximize Your Military-to-Civilian Career Transition

139. Army Veteran's Entrepreneurial Journey "Land Shark"

138. Become the CEO of Your Life ft. Navy Veteran / Entrepreneur

If you are ready to enter the interview process, visit our Interview Essentials page to sharpen your interview skills!

Visit us online to listen to all the episodes, and explore our new podcast categories on each stage of the transition process. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast platform or RSS feed, to automatically receive new episodes as they are released.

We'd love to feature your questions in our upcoming episodes. If you have any questions you'd like to hear us answer, click below to email us!

LET US ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!  »

           

Join the Orion Team

Orion Talent is a customer-centric company focused on helping people discover meaningful careers and businesses grow by finding, delivering, and engaging the best talent around the world. As we continue to experience growth, we are seeking outstanding men and women to join our team. We are looking for individuals that are highly motivated, driven, energetic, and have a passion for helping industry-experienced candidates and veterans find the right career.

We are veterans, professionals, mothers, fathers, men, and women, all focused on one mission: To help people discover meaningful careers and businesses grow by finding, delivering, and engaging outstanding talent around the world.Orion offers its employees competitive salaries, and benefits including paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, medical, dental, and vision coverage, short- and long-term disability, health savings account (HSA), and 401(k) retirement plan.

Positions with Orion Talent

Below is a list of position descriptions for which we most frequently recruit. Be sure to check out each position's page to see if we are currently recruiting for that role and apply if interested. Alternatively, you can view a list of all of our current openings here.

Senior Business Development Leader - Remote

As a Senior Business Development Leader on our National Sales Team, you'll be responsible for leading end-to-end sales cycles for both new business development and existing account expansion, from qualifying new leads and targets through contract negotiation to RPO opportunities and Talent Programs. You will support and enhance Orion's Talent Programs offerings, including solution design and technology / operational enhancements. Learn more about this position and apply here.

Military Account Executives - San Diego, CA; Cincinnati, OH

As an Account Executive on our Military Talent Solutions team, you'll be a sales leader responsible for growing and developing new business for Orion Talent. You'll serve as a custom solutions developer for top US corporations, uncovering new companies interested in leveraging our resources for military hiring. You'll work autonomously to develop and improve your regional territory, with the backing of your regional leadership, corporate staff, and 30 years of collective company experience. Learn more about this position and apply here.

RPO Recruiter - Remote

Career Transition Planning and Base Visits

Our virtual base visits are a chance to get a jump start on your career search, regardless of your ETS date. Our Recruiters will discuss your goals and preferences with you and present a realistic picture of what to expect in your search. You'll get resume advice, interview preparation tips, and much more! 

We will be holding virtual base visits for JMOs and Degreed NCOs on the following dates:

April 23 - Fort Bragg, NC
May 14 - Camp Pendleton, CA
May 20 - NAS Lemoore, CA
May 21 - Camp Lejeune/Fort Bragg, NC
May 28 - Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA
June 15 - Fort Hood, TX

If you would like to attend, please fill out this form or contact Morgan Causie.

Earn $100 for Every Referral that Finds their Career through Orion

Did you know that Orion candidates earned $34,400 in referral bonuses through the fourth quarter of 2020?

For every job seeker you refer to us who is subsequently hired through Orion, you'll receive a $100 gift card to a retailer of your choice after they reach 90 days on the new job!

It's simple - just click here to refer a friend. 30 seconds of your time could be $100 in your pocket!

Companies Recently Hiring

Connect with Orion Online

Follow us to keep up-to-date on all things Orion, including hiring events, base visits, webinars, and news pertinent to veterans through our social media listed below.