Rachel Bozeman 00:53
Well, hello everyone. This voice is that of Rachel and I am so glad to be here today. And I’m even more delighted to be joined by some of ClearedJobs.Net’s, dare I say, secret sauce – the one and only Mr. Bob Wheeler. What's going on with you today, Bob?
Bob Wheeler 01:11
Hey, not a whole lot, Rachel. It's great to be here. Just another day trying to connect job seekers to great cleared opportunities.
Rachel Bozeman 01:18
That is a pretty noble mission. And I appreciate all that you do, Bob. You're pretty fantastic. And somebody else who is fantastic is our guest today, who is also the one and only, Dorion Baker. You may remember the name. He goes way, way, way back. Don't we, Dorion? Like show 79. We've known each other for a while, but he's joining us again, and he is with BTI360 where he is the Senior Director of People Operations. So welcome back, Dorion.
Dorion Baker 01:50
Thank you. Thank you. So excited to be joining you too. And yes, we go way back, so I must have started this when I was like 12 or something.
Rachel Bozeman 02:00
I mean, you haven't aged a day since show 79, but Dorion, it's a new year, new organization. So for the sake of all of our listeners out there, do you mind telling us just a little bit about your background and your new life there at BTI360?
Dorion Baker 02:18
Yes. So as you mentioned, I have been in the talent acquisition recruiting field for many years now, and most of my experience has been in the intel community and DoD GovCon space. I am excited to now be with my new company here going on a year with BTI360.
Rachel Bozeman 02:40
So why does having talent acquisition under HR versus business development matter? And what's been that big change for you over at BTI360?
Dorion Baker 02:51
Yeah, so I have recently moved into, beyond just talent acquisition, to oversee our teammate operations, which for BTI360 is our human resources department. So for HR versus business development, it definitely matters, because talent acquisition is traditionally about simply convincing people to leave their current place of employment to join you where you are, and that's great. And I've really loved to do that over the past several years, but at some point it feels a little empty when you have little impact on how your teammates will do once they come on board, and the success, the well-being of your teammates, the onboarding experience and the full life cycle of a teammate, from the time that they are hired to the time they retire. So when you have TA working together with HR, again, here we call it teammate operations, but when you have TA working together with our teammate operations, it's such a great harmony that supports the success and the livelihood of our teammates. It's not just simply about hiring or filling a spot on a contract. It is making sure that we find opportunities where our teammates can truly see their potential unlocked, beyond just coming into a role or to a job, but really a career where they can grow and learn and help to develop others. And so there's a big difference between that business development mindset of, hey, we just want to grow and build, and focusing on, how can we build and grow our people?
Bob Wheeler 04:39
Obviously, you're talking about things like putting the right person at the right job. Let's talk a little bit about BTI360. What is the organization -- because you mentioned something about a pure-play software type company -- what does that mean, and how does that fit into the cleared space?
Dorion Baker 04:55
Yes. So software development is what we do. That's really who we are. We develop software fast. There are many companies in our space, in the GovCon and Intel community space, that have software developer openings. They have jobs, they have slots on a contract, and that's great. We have that too, but we are a pure-play software development company. We develop software, we grow our engineers, we have training, and we have internal onboarding and classes for our teammates through our boot camp classes, such as our clean code and our secure code, to make sure that our engineers are not just good engineers, but some of the best in our business. And so when a software engineer or a developer is looking for a company where they can count on the talent around them to know that they're working with some of the best in the business that are coding, this is a great place for a software developer to join. And not only that, but while it is good to have a great software engineer who knows how to code and who is really smart in their tech stack, you want to have software developers that work well together. So we go beyond just developing the skill, but how can we make sure that our engineers work well together, that they are leaders who lead with humility, that they collaborate with others. And so that's been really important for us, is that when you work with someone from BTI360 or, as we say, who's wearing orange, then you know that you're working with not only a very talented, competent engineer, but someone that you're going to enjoy working with.
Rachel Bozeman 06:37
I love it, and I think orange looks great on everybody. So you did mention a lot about the software developers or engineers that you're currently hiring for, but are there other skill sets that you're also looking to bring into the family and get in orange?
Dorion Baker 06:51
Yes, we are. Yeah, we want to get orange everywhere. So yes, we have a number of positions that are working together with our engineers, our technical delivery managers, our ISSEs, our information security system engineers. We also have other opportunities in system engineering and cloud architecture beyond just software development. So we have a number of skills and skill sets that we're hiring for. And what is really hot for us right now, where we have a lot of opportunities for, machine learning for ML engineers and AI. We are very much in the Gen AI space, and are working with our customers in that area. So this is a skill set for us that we are always hiring for.
Rachel Bozeman 07:34
So a lot of great opportunities. But you know I'm going to ask, where are these positions located?
Dorion Baker 07:40
We do have opportunities beyond Virginia, where we are growing. But by and large, the majority of our positions are located in Virginia or in the greater DC metropolitan area. We have some opportunities in the Maryland area as well. So yeah, all of our work is primarily in Northern Virginia, the Dulles, Chantilly, McLean, Tysons, Herndon, and Reston areas.
Bob Wheeler 08:01
Makes a lot of sense. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw you, we were at a job fair there in Dulles. Now, one of the topics that's coming up around the government contracting space is on-site work versus remote work. It's a big topic. You have a Transformers reference that kind of goes with your idea for on-site work. Can you break that down for us? What do you mean by that?
Dorion Baker 08:22
Yeah, so the conversation we had was around the demand for hybrid work, or work that's remote. And certainly, we hear that a lot from candidates. We understand that, and we actually do have some work that is hybrid. We have work where some of our teams are in the office two to three days per week, and they're able to work remotely those other two to three days per week. But by and large, we are an in-person culture here at BTI360 and it's not in-person just for the sake of face time, but we do believe that we are better together, not only virtually or over the phone or like we are now having this conversation, but I think the reference I might have used was Voltron, so maybe a little bit older than Transformers, actually. But when we come together, we're able to do amazing things, and we really do thrive on that. And we have been able to develop a team where we enjoy each other. We really do. It's very much like a family atmosphere. We get to know one another on a first-name basis, and working together, much like Green Lion, Red Lion, and Yellow Lion, all coming together as Voltron, we’re able to do amazing things.
Rachel Bozeman 09:47
I like it. As long as you don't bring in the Cowardly Lion, we should be good, right? Absolutely. So for many of our listeners, an important part of considering a career is really understanding that company culture and how they would thrive in that type of environment. So in doing a little sleuthing into your organization, we came across one of your core values, which is grow each day, and there's a real focus on that continued learning mindset, if you will. So talk to us a little bit more about what that means and what's in it for your employees.
Dorion Baker 10:20
The teammates that do really well at BTI360, and for those who are considering us, are those who have technical curiosity, that you are interested in how things work, why they work the way that they do. And even our interview process is set up as such, where it's not so much about you getting the answers right, but how you arrive at those answers and work to solve problems. So in our teams, we do emphasize, we support, we encourage all of our teammates to grow each day, finding opportunities where you can both grow and develop, and even help others on your team to grow. So we have, as I mentioned earlier, our own boot camp classes that we have developed for coding, for clean code, for secure code. But beyond that, we also have a boot camp class for collaboration 101, because we want our engineers to be engineers that people enjoy working with. So understanding the importance of collaboration, we have our own leadership academy. Our teammates, while they may be in individual contributor roles, we consider all of our teammates to be leaders, and we emphasize leading with humility. So we have those boot camp classes, and then beyond that, we have conferences. Several dozen of our teammates just got back from Reinvent in Las Vegas. So we have conferences that we attend, both throughout the US and then some local conferences, and we host our own as well. So for us, growing each day is a critical core value for us. It’s that technical curiosity you want to develop, you want to learn, you want to get better and help others grow.
Bob Wheeler 12:01
So how do you identify a candidate that's going to be a good fit for that and thrive and succeed? And by the same token, if I'm the kind of candidate who does, how would I express that to you to make that connection that I'm going to be a good fit?
Dorion Baker 12:13
We really see it show up in a couple of ways, one of which is that they have interest beyond their nine-to-five job and being able to develop and grow, whether it's a graduate program, certification course, they may volunteer or be a part of other groups where they get to network and learn and grow more. So we see that beyond just the nine-to-five of the job, there's a desire, there's an appetite to learn, and they will seek out those opportunities. And also, you'll see it show up in discussion when we interview with candidates, based on how they engage their team or their mentors, what they learned, what they didn't learn, what they would change, how they handled those situations to really tap into that technical curiosity and see that they are the type of candidate that would thrive here.
Bob Wheeler 13:05
Great information for folks that might be thinking about trying to engage BTI360. That’s some good stuff right there.
Rachel Bozeman 13:12
Absolutely. And I have a twofer here. So I know that y'all do a lot of great things when it comes to really making sure people know who the organization is, but you also have really great ways of allowing people the ability to grow within the organization that we've spent some time talking about. So my twofer, here it comes. I know that y'all participate in some different community engagement activities that introduce people to the organization and really tell the story of BTI360, but you also have an internship program. So if you don't mind telling me a little bit more about those community engagement activities that introduce folks to the organization, but also your internship program that gives folks the ability to come in and learn in a great, safe place.
Dorion Baker 13:58
Yeah, man, I love to talk about what we do in the community. So much of what BTI360 does with the community is not publicly advertised, and that's intentional as well. One of our segments here, like in any company, you have segments like business development, contracts, finance, accounting. We actually have a segment dedicated to serving, and we do serving both here locally, in our local community, and we do it abroad as well. But in addition to that, serving our community, engagement, we host various groups here in our facilities, here in the Herndon, Virginia area, and one of those is our monthly code and coffee. So code and coffee is much like it sounds. There's coffee and there's coding, but beyond that, there's an opportunity for people to network and learn. There are people from all walks of life that are looking to break into this field, and they don't know what that first step might look like, so code and coffee is great exposure for them. Networking, they learn new skills and technology, and we're so honored and glad to host that each month here at BTI360. So each Saturday we have our code and coffee, and then we host a DC Java users group here monthly as well, which is a similar networking event really focused on Java. So that's a great opportunity for people to come. When you come into our building, you get to kind of feel the vibe and what it's like to be a part of BTI360 and even just seeing what our space looks like. The college hire program, I could talk about that all day. It is one of the most successful programs that we have in onboarding new teammates into the company. We're continuing to grow our college hire program. We identify rising juniors each year to bring into our summer internship, which is a 12-week program where they're doing real work. They have a project that they are participating in, and they present to the entire company at the end of the summer, and the demand has been huge. The applicants were through the roof for this coming summer, and we've already wrapped up that program. So our college hire program really sets up interns for success, because once you complete the summer internship, we put our interns in for a security clearance, and when they graduate from college, they already have their job lined up for them to come on board with BTI360 as a full-time teammate on one of our teams. So it's truly one of the best things happening at BTI360 is our college hire program.
Bob Wheeler 16:45
I love hearing those kind of stories. I love hearing companies that are developing that future workforce. But let's say that you're somebody who's more established and they're interested in BTI360, they're more of a middle to senior person. What does that hiring process look like? Is it single interviews, multiple interviews, technical interviews? Does it depend on the position?
Dorion Baker 17:04
Yeah, so slightly different for an entry-level or junior or college hire candidate, but for our college hires or junior-level opportunities, there's typically a test format that the candidate would complete, like a hacker rank test that they would complete prior to entering into the more formal screening process with our engineers, which may initially be a phone discussion and then in person. For the senior engineers, usually it would start with either a phone or in-person. The in-person interview consists of a technical interview where you sit down with our engineers and have a conversation about your background, about your experience, about some of the engineering practices and principles that you have an understanding of. And then after that, there is a paired programming exercise, which might sound intimidating, but it's actually very collaborative, where you as the candidate, are paired up with our engineers to solve problems, and it's really more about how you go about solving problems than just getting the right answer, and for our engineers to be able to gage what level of engineer you might be here at BTI360. So there's a paired programming exercise and then finally, there's usually a meeting with one of our other teammates, just to talk about our values and our culture and making sure that there's an alignment with you and our values, as we already talked through some of them, lead with humility, grow each day, and do the right thing. Those are critical for us to make sure that we continue with this great culture that we have at BTI360.
Bob Wheeler 18:39
That's good stuff. And obviously, when you have that many steps in the process, that's what enables you to have such a great culture and keep that great culture, because you guys are obviously finding the folks that are gonna be the best fit.
Rachel Bozeman 18:47
And I love seeing pay now or pay later. It's always great to pay upfront and make sure you're operating from transparency and clarity and really giving that great experience. So thank you. Thank you for representing the community so well, and since you have so much great experience, Dorion, yes, I'm gonna ask, because again, new year, why not ask for more information? But I would love to hear maybe about some of the recommendations that you would have for cleared professionals as they're in this brave new world and out there in the job search, is there any tips or tricks or recommendations that you can give to our friends?
Dorion Baker 19:23
Oh, yeah. First and foremost, as long as I've been doing this, I always recommend, candidates do what's best for you. Make sure that the place where you decide to pursue or to go work is in alignment with what is important to you. Most important, I like to point out, what are the three things that are important, and then what is the most important? And if you can check those boxes, then you're at least on your way to identifying the right fit. But you want to make sure that is a company where you can see yourself, not just in a job, not just fulfilling a slot, but it is a company where you can grow, where you can thrive and where you're going to be better. That's one of the things that we really pride ourselves in here at BTI360. If you're an engineer today, if you come here, you're going to be a better engineer. And guess what? Not only are you going to be a better engineer, but you're going to work better with your teammates. You're going to be more collaborative. You're going to understand how to clear issues and resolve conflict, and not just allow issues to continue to fester, but to be a good teammate. And so that is something that you want to look for in a company as a candidate. And then the other recommendation I would have is to recognize that you are one person away from that great opportunity. It's one person away. It's not usually a click of a mouse or a button or application to a job. Sometimes, yes, it starts there, and there's nothing wrong with applying to a job. But I hear feedback all the time from candidates that are looking that say, you know, I applied to so many jobs, didn't hear back, didn't hear back. You're usually one person away from that opportunity that you're looking for. I know in my own personal career, that has been the case. So I would strongly recommend for cleared professionals, just like any others, to network, to get to know people, to stay connected with alumni, past co-workers and friends, because you’re usually one person away from that great opportunity that you're looking for.
Bob Wheeler 21:21
And you know, Dorion, like I mentioned before, last time I saw you, was at one of the job fairs we did, and I saw you, and I saw your team, and you guys really do a great job of connecting with people. You're talking to folks. People got great responses. So is there a good way for somebody who's a listener, because we're not in a job fair now, is there a good way for listeners out there to get in touch with you and or your team?
Dorion Baker 21:42
Absolutely. So you can check out our career site, BTI360.com, and then click on careers. You'll see all the opportunities that we are hiring for. To follow us, we have quite a following on LinkedIn. We post a lot of content there on LinkedIn. You can see the culture that we have here at BTI360 to get a sense of who we are, what we're about, and what we celebrate. And then three, we mentioned it earlier. We host community events here at our office in Herndon. We're near World Gate. We would love to have you stop by, check us out, our code and coffees once a month on Saturday mornings or DC Java users group, or any other opportunities that we have, we welcome you to come. Certainly connect with our recruiters. We have some rockstar recruiters here, and you can find them on LinkedIn as well. So we welcome that and look forward to you staying in touch with us.
Rachel Bozeman 22:34
Well, it was fantastic catching up with you again, learning even more about BTI360 and hearing all about what you're accomplishing in this brave new world, brave new year. Thanks for being with us, always a pleasure. Till next time.
Dorion Baker 22:50
Bye, thank you.
Rachel Bozeman 22:53
Well, that was fun, and it was so great hearing all about BTI360. I just really, really appreciated the community engagement and involvement, not just to giving back to the communities in which they live and work, but also to give people a real sense of the culture that exists at BTI360, doing the coffee chats and the all of the different ways that they're connecting with the folks. It was just exciting to hear. I don't know about you. Bob, what do you love?
Bob Wheeler 23:20
Man, you know what, Rachel? I love a lot about BTI360 but I really, at the last moment, the notes I took down were his advice to job seekers that your next job could just be one person away. And I thought when he talked about networking, and he even brought some specifics up you don't hear too often, keeping up with your former other employees at other businesses, going out there and attending events like his coffee and coding thing, and just going out and meeting people. But that idea of being one person away and keeping that networking. I think that was so great, and he gave us a lot of great stuff, but in the end, that was the one thing I circled the biggest.
Rachel Bozeman 23:54
It was a good time. And you know what? You're the best listeners we could ask for, because you, my friends, stuck with us till the very end. So what would make you an even better listener is if you went out there and followed our podcast, told a couple friends about it, make sure everyone hears all of the goodness. Till next time, bye.