Q: In what capacity did you serve in the U.S. military?
A: I served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps. I was attached to the Weather Office and supported various air stations throughout my time on active duty.
Q: When did you join Amazon? What is your current position in the company?
A: I joined Amazon in January 2018 and am currently an Outbound Area Manager at LGB6 (a non-sort facility in Riverside, California).
Q: How has your military background helped prepare you for your current job?
A: The Marine Corps is known for driving and inspiring Marines to be their best, whether it is your professional best or personal best. Additionally, the Marine motto “first to fight”—being ready at a moment’s notice because you are trained, equipped, and organized to respond with sound judgement—has been overwhelmingly helpful in my daily planning and execution.
Having the ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome quickly to adjust to demands and barriers is key. In Outbound, we are the final process to meet customer expectation. As we near each critical pull time (CPT), it takes calculated teamwork in the Pack and Ship Dock department to get every package in the trailers on time. While we don’t achieve this every day, when we miss, we review what opportunities we have going forward and take action.
Q: How does Amazon support your career goals?
A: At Amazon, every leader “owns their own development,” and as such, how much time and effort you put in drives your career goals. I view my leadership team as my drill instructors, and similar to how I pushed myself in boot camp is how I push myself daily—minus the actual physical fitness (if you exempt walking seven to 10 miles a shift).
Q: What's the best thing about coming to work each day? Is there a "perk" to your job that might surprise people?
A: The associates, hands down, are the best thing about each shift. Each day, I have the opportunity to motivate and inspire them to do and be their best selves. They know that while my expectation is to raise the bar each shift, if they encounter any barriers in attempting to do so, I will do everything in my power to remove the barrier as quickly as possible. I also work with them on their development goals, discuss college and Career Choice opportunities, and offer assistance however I am able. My customer obsession starts with our associates.
