Colleen Whiteside, Senior Partner and Marketing Director at Orion Talent, joins The Edge podcast to talk all things recruitment, specifically as it relates to military hiring.
We kick things off by discussing Orion International’s recent acquisition of Novotus, and their rebrand to Orion Talent. Colleen came from the Orion International side, which has a focus on military recruitment. Colleen explains the incredible back story of Orion International, and how all five founders were previously in the military and wanted to serve as advocates in the business world for why organizations should hire military personnel after they serve. Many military vets think they needed to stick in their military-focused industry, but the leaders wanted to show them that they can expand and succeed in the traditional business world.
Colleen dives into her background with Orion Talent, of which she’s been with for 12 years. She explains her deep loyalty to the company because of its mission to support military hiring, which has a personal impact on her; her husband served in the army, and the company has found careers for nearly 42,000 veterans. Colleen also shares how much she enjoys her career at Orion, her marketing team and the overall incredible culture at the organization. In addition, she started as a one-woman show in the marketing department so it has been very rewarding to her to build her team from the ground up.
Finally, Colleen offers insights into the acquisition and integration process because Orion Talent just went through a big acquisition to become Orion Talent. She shares that you have to acknowledge and embrace the differences between teams, and be patient. You can’t expect everyone to be a full, cohesive team on the first day of the acquisition. It’s important to take the transition process one step at a time and making sure everyone knows the “why,” behind important decisions.
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