Kathleen Smith 00:50
Hello, everyone, and welcome back. This is Kathleen, and in my studio with me is my best friend and best co-host, Rachel. Rachel, how are you today?
Rachel Bozeman
01:03
I am doing fantastic, but not as good as you after a six-mile walk, gardening,
and all the things. But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk
about somebody pretty amazing in the studio. So, without further ado, who's
with us today?
Kathleen Smith
01:18
Today, we are chatting with Amanda Woollard, technical recruiter with Infinity
Systems Engineering. Amanda, thank you so much for joining us today.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
01:28
Thank you both so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and to have the
opportunity to share a little bit about my story, as well as all about Infinity
Systems Engineering.
Rachel Bozeman
01:36
I'm going to have to say it: let's talk about Infinity and beyond, okay? I'm
done. It's out of my system. Here we go. So, back to what we're really here to
talk about—some great careers. Where we like to start the conversation is about
your career. If you don't mind giving us the scoop, the 411, on your career
path and how it led you to Infinity Systems Engineering.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
02:00
Absolutely. My recruiting story starts back in college. I was a sophomore or
junior, looking for a new opportunity, and stumbled upon a local company here
in Colorado Springs. They brought me on as a receptionist. After some time
there, I worked with the recruiting team on front desk needs for onboarding
classes and such. After a bit, I was presented the opportunity to make the
jump, which was a great chance to dip my toes into recruiting. Since then, I've
had a strong passion for it, from nonprofit recruiting in the healthcare space
to both in-house staffing and agency staffing. I have experience in many areas,
but my story with Infinity Systems Engineering comes from my sales side. I was
working as an account executive in Denver, and after commuting back and forth,
I was looking for something closer to home. I had been targeting Infinity
Systems Engineering as an account executive doing sales for staffing. They
don't use external staffing, but they had a recruiting opportunity, and I was
blessed with the opportunity and have loved it ever since.
Kathleen Smith
03:17
That sounds wonderful. It's always good to know what you want to do and go
after it. Tell us a little more about the type of work Infinity Systems
Engineering does in the cleared community.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
03:28
At Infinity Systems Engineering, we bring deep expertise in mission operations
and space systems, which sets us apart. Whether it's payload integration, space
operations, or long-term system sustainment, our team delivers insights and
solutions to make a real difference for our customers and partners.
Rachel Bozeman
03:48
I love it—in space and everything in between. Speaking of that everything in
between, what are the security-cleared roles you're typically hiring for?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
03:58
As you can guess from the name, Infinity Systems Engineering, we do a lot of
systems staffing, but we also staff for cyber, software opportunities, program
managers, and capture managers. We're a smaller organization of about 300
employees, so there are often opportunities across the whole organization,
whether at corporate in Colorado Springs or at one of our various programs
around the U.S.
Rachel Bozeman
04:25
I'm going to dig in further because I like where you were going, Amanda. You
were telling a good story. I know you're located in beautiful Colorado Springs,
but it sounds like a whole buffet of opportunities exists for our friends out
there. You mentioned some of the other positions. So, Colorado Springs—where
else could our friends look to plant roots?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
04:44
Absolutely. Infinity Systems Engineering has programs all over the world,
including the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Marshall Islands. As for local
United States opportunities, you can find us in Alaska, California, Florida,
Guam, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, and
Virginia—primarily anywhere with a large military presence.
Rachel Bozeman
05:11
Humidity, dry. They've got it all. Anywhere you want to go.
Kathleen Smith
05:15
Beer, hot chocolate. It sounds like you have a little bit of everything all
over the place. It also sounds like many of the positions are on-site. Correct
me if I'm wrong, but do you have some remote positions, or are they all
on-site?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
05:31
The majority of our positions are on-site due to clearance requirements.
However, we do offer relocation assistance for many of those opportunities. So,
if we have military members looking to get closer to home or relocate to a
place they haven't visited yet, we'd be happy to support them in getting there
to support one of these programs.
Kathleen Smith
05:54
You mentioned security clearances, obviously working in the cleared community.
I understand the majority of your jobs require a Secret clearance. What are the
various levels of clearances you're looking for?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
06:06
That is correct, and it depends on the program the position is for. For
example, we have a program in Virginia that requires a CI poly, full scope, but
many opportunities here in Colorado Springs only require a Secret clearance. If
there’s a TS requirement, we’re often able to support that for an employee.
Usually, it’s Secret, Top Secret, and the occasional TS/SCI or CI poly
requirement.
Kathleen Smith
06:36
I want to clarify something you just said. If someone has a Secret clearance
and you need them for a Top Secret position, can you upgrade them occasionally?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
06:43
It depends on the program and timing, as it relies on when we need the employee
to start. Background investigations can take time, but we usually try to get
that done quickly. It just depends on a few factors.
Rachel Bozeman
06:59
It's not always as easy as it looks, but I know you do everything possible to
make it as easy-breezy as it can be.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
07:07
Absolutely. Anything we can do to help facilitate our transitioning military
members or employees in getting a new opportunity is one of our big missions at
Infinity Systems Engineering—to match people with their legacies for the
betterment of the world. We’re more than happy to help.
Rachel Bozeman
07:23
I love it. It sounds like you have a helpful culture, but you're the expert on
your culture at Infinity Systems Engineering. Can you tell us more about what
the culture looks like? That’s such an important part when people are looking
for their next career—they want to know what it feels like. How would you
describe the culture, and what would a day in the life look like?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
07:48
That’s why Infinity Systems Engineering was founded 29 years ago. Our owner and
founder, Andreas Wilfong, started the company because he was a GPS engineer at
Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs and often felt forgotten or not
prioritized by his employer. So, he created a company to make employees feel
valued. After 29 years, we still have that mentality. We offer an excellent
array of benefits, from a 6% 401(k) contribution without a need for a match to
100% medical and dental premium coverage for employees and their families.
Since we have a high number of veterans, we’ll even pay back funds if you use
TRICARE instead, so you can apply those to a vacation, a family project, or
whatever you choose. We also offer educational reimbursements and relocation
assistance to support our military members, whether through a SkillBridge
internship or Hire Our Heroes. We’re very active in that community.
Kathleen Smith
09:12
You’ve mentioned being a veteran-owned company and supportive of the military
community several times, and you’re in the middle of a strong military
community in Colorado Springs. I’m guessing you’re involved in SkillBridge, as
you just mentioned. Tell us more about your involvement with SkillBridge.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
09:35
We love our SkillBridge interns. We prioritize them when staffing new
opportunities and plan for them to join our team full-time. We envision them as
full-time members, and it’s like a trial to ensure they love Infinity Systems
Engineering and want to stay with us. We also participate in Hire Our Heroes to
support them in gaining industry experience or applying their existing skills.
Kathleen Smith
10:11
Awesome. We like to provide the best tips for our audience. From your
perspective, when is the best time for someone preparing their transition to
get in touch with you about a SkillBridge internship? Many people know of the
program, but the mechanics behind it are sometimes unclear.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
10:40
As soon as possible. The more you can get into the community and make
connections—whether with recruiters or local organizations that support gaining
technical certifications for technical roles or program management
certifications for planning roles—the better. It’s not always what you know;
sometimes it’s who you know. Don’t be scared to get out into the community and
make connections. You’ll be surprised what that can do to help you find a
position or a company that offers what you’re looking for, whether it’s
experience or a full-time role.
Rachel Bozeman
11:31
Great advice. I’m going to ride that train a bit longer. It’s not often we get
to talk to such incredible technical recruiters, so I’m going to shoot my shot,
Amanda. I’d love to hear your thoughts on job search tips for our cleared
professionals. Give them a peek behind the curtain—what do they need to know?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
11:59
Focus on keywords. Even in my own job searches in college, if you want to do
planning and have technical software experience, combine those terms, pop them
into Google, and carry those ideas into your resume. Be specific with your
experience on your resume. When searching, use a few main terms and see what
comes up.
Kathleen Smith
12:30
Speaking of tips, there’s a lot of discussion about using AI to create resumes.
What are your thoughts on using AI to create a cleared resume, and what should
job seekers be aware of?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
12:50
AI is becoming unavoidable and is heavily used in recruiting, even for resume
reviews at some companies. Infinity Systems Engineering doesn’t necessarily do
that, but I’ve heard it’s a growing trend to weed through resumes. If you use
AI like ChatGPT to create a resume, take time to make changes, add your
personality, and include specific keywords in a technical skills section.
Recruiters and hiring managers want to see how and where you used that skill
and your experience level. The more explanation you can add to your resume, the
better. Don’t be afraid to make it longer than a page. In college, they
emphasized one page, but if you have relevant experience, include it and be
thorough. Use AI as a tool, but don’t overuse it, and always proofread.
Kathleen Smith
14:13
I like how you said don’t overuse it.
Rachel Bozeman
14:15
Think of it like salt on your resume. It adds flavor, but too much makes it
salty, and nobody wants that.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
14:25
Couldn’t agree more.
Kathleen Smith
14:28
I have some follow-up questions. What are your thoughts on follow-up after an
interview or thank-you notes? How do you recommend job seekers do that, and
does a thank-you note make an impact?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
14:46
Absolutely. In my interview with Infinity Systems Engineering, I wrote
handwritten thank-you notes and dropped them off with the receptionist after my
final interview with our president to leave a lasting impact. Go above and
beyond—bring extra copies of your resume or even coffee or donuts for the team.
Those things go a long way. Even an email is free and makes a difference.
Kathleen Smith
15:20
I’d assume you use various job boards for your searches. From a recruiter’s
perspective, what do you see job seekers do as best practices or mistakes on
their profiles or how they present themselves?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
15:40
It comes down to describing your experience thoroughly. If someone’s vague on
their profile, I’m more likely to reach out to someone who lists all their
experience. I might still contact someone without it listed, but recruiters
have limited time to fill high-demand positions. To get more attention, be
thorough on your profiles, upload a personal resume, and add contact
information, which I often see missing.
Rachel Bozeman
16:24
How can our listeners get in touch with you, Amanda?
Amanda Woollard Lujan
16:28
You’re welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn and send me your resume. If you’d
like tips or advice, I’m happy to assist. If you’re interested in joining the
team at Infinity Systems Engineering, visit infinity.aero. From there, you can
access our careers page, which includes our SkillBridge application,
traditional careers page, and a talent community for interested employees to
join and be alerted when I post new positions.
Kathleen Smith
17:00
Wonderful, Amanda. Thank you so much for joining us today and telling us all
about Infinity Systems Engineering.
Amanda Woollard Lujan
17:07
Thank you both so much for having me. It was great meeting you, and I look
forward to speaking with anyone interested in joining the team.
Kathleen Smith
17:16
It was great chatting with Amanda from Infinity Systems Engineering. I liked
her point about the thank-you note because it makes a lasting impression if you
take the extra time to do it. How about you, Rachel? What did you appreciate?
Rachel Bozeman
17:34
I appreciated a lot from Amanda, but I have to say, I got to say “To infinity
and beyond.” That brought me joy. What also brought me joy were the great tips
Amanda shared, especially about AI and the importance of using it sparingly and
wisely. Be authentic, be accurate, and make the tool work for you, not work you
or your resume over. That was really great advice. So, friends, if you want
more great advice, make sure you listen to the end of the show because you
never know what Kathleen and I are going to say. Until next time, bye-bye.