Associate Purchasing Analyst

West
US Army, O-3

I couldn’t be happier with the service I received from Orion International. In September 2007, I returned from a 15-month deployment in Iraq and planned on terminating my service with the Army in March 2008. With my ETS leave, my target was to begin a civilian occupation by late January.

When it came time to officially begin looking for a job, I contacted Orion International. After speaking to Katrina Ross, my recruiter, in late September, she immediately matched my personality type and characteristics with someone who would want to work for Stryker Endoscopy. I had never heard of the company prior to my conversation with Katrina; however, she assured me that based on our conversations, I would definitely fit in with the folks at Stryker. My job search parameters were somewhat simple: I wanted to work in the Washington State or Oregon, and I was primarily looking for a position in sales or operations. After sending me some information about the company, she began the process of getting me hired with Stryker.

After passing the initial phone-screen and later the Stryker Gallup phone screen, I was extended an offer by Stryker Endoscopy to attend an on-site orientation and interview in San Jose. At first, I was hesitant to accept the offer to travel to San Jose, because it was outside my geographic preferences for employment. However, Jennifer Terrell assured me that I should at least attend the on-site orientation and compete for an offer.

I accepted her advice and planned to visit Stryker in late October. When I flew to Stryker, I was completely blown away and impressed by the people and their contagious high-energy work environment. I knew after speaking with the unit managers that I would be a great fit for the company, and that I would love working for the people at Stryker.

Two days later, I was extended an offer of employment by Stryker as an Associate Purchasing Analyst. I was absolutely thrilled! Although the job was outside my geographic preferences, I decided that ultimately working in a company with people that I will enjoy is far more important than job location. I know that I’m going to enjoy going to work every day, and to me, that is absolutely critical.

I never needed any of the job leads available through other recruiting agencies, because I had an offer from Stryker roughly 48 hours after my on-site interview. I didn’t even end up attending an Orion hiring conference, because the direct placement into Stryker was perfect for me and my family. Now I can enjoy my holiday and ETS leave and not worry about employment. I want to thank the people at Orion International for assisting me in my transition from military life to the corporate world.