Project Manager

Southeast
US Marine Corps, O-3

Orion International was very user-friendly and proactive during my entire preparation phase up to the hiring conference, and they continued to stay in contact throughout my second interviews, as well. Orion definitely provides an advantage over other firms because of the emphasis they place on your industry and geographic preference.

My recruiter was Bob Berkholz. He did an incredible job with my transition needs and was very proactive in regards to setting me up for success at the conference I attended.  I also loved the fact that Bob was a prior Marine officer, as well. I actually contacted Bob around November 2012, and he immediately got the ball rolling with my preparation documents. He then set me up for the January hiring conference in Houston, TX.

At that point, Bob put the finishing touches on everything that would help me succeed at the conference. He did a great job picking out good companies for me to interview with that fell within my criteria, and I ended up with three interviews. Of the three, I received two second on-site interviews and one job offer a couple days later. (And I’m reasonably certain I would have received a second offer if I would have attended the second on-site interview!)

I'm now a Project Manager for TH Hill Associates, Inc., which is an oil and gas company located in Houston, Texas. It is the industry leader in providing high level quality control and quality assurance standards to oil and gas drilling operations, component inspection, design methods, etc.

I held multiple positions throughout my six years in the Marine Corps, which included being a Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Operations Officer. I ended my career with the rank of Captain. There are many similarities between my military and civilian career, which include project management, time management, organizational skills, interpersonal relationship skills, clear and concise communication abilities, etc.

A very comparable dynamic here at TH Hill is the relationship between Project Managers and Field Technicians. The two are very similar to that of the officer and enlisted relationship, and probably more along the lines of a Lieutenant and Corporal/Sergeant dynamic. Having that prior experience as an officer in that context will definitely prove to be invaluable when managing my team of technicians in various geographic locations throughout the US. 

Orion did an outstanding job. They are a very diligent and honest group of professionals. Bob, in particular, was incredibly proactive, straight forward, and one of the main reasons I have the great job I do today in an incredible industry with great compensation and growth opportunities.