Military Careers, Second Careers - Air Force Times

Reality star recruits military apprentice

You could learn business from the guy who learned from “The Donald.”

Former Army Airborne Ranger Kelly Perdew won Donald Trump’s NBC reality show “The Apprentice” in 2004. Now Perdew’s raising awareness for the Armed Forces Support Foundation’s Hire a Hero program — by hiring his own apprentice.

Aug. 15 is the application deadline to become Perdew’s aide de camp — “dependable right hand” — at ProElite.com, a Web site for mixed martial arts enthusiasts that debuted Feb. 1. The site streams some fights live and hosts a community of fans.

Perdew is ProElite.com’s president. He owns less than 5 percent of the company that is a subsidiary of publicly traded ProElite Inc. (PELE.PK), which stages mixed martial arts events.

Just what kind of boss would Kelly Perdew be? Here’s what he had to say:

How many people work for you?

Close to 40 people.

Do you know all their names?

Definitely. Although I’ve got a development team with 15 people in it in Kuala Lumpur [that’s in Malaysia], and I might fail the new-face test there.

What kind of boss are you?

I look at my job as providing strategic direction and then enabling all of my team to execute. It’s what I did on “The Apprentice” — gave the team direction. I have great people. It’s a very critical part of success to enable them, empower them to do great stuff, and get out of their way.

Who was your favorite boss in life, and why?

Lt. Col. Andrew Hergenrother (ret.), my commander in the military. He had a similar philosophy — clearly defining what you want to be done and providing direction on how to do it. Unfortunately he’s since passed away.

To employees, are you Kelly or Mr. Perdew?

I’m Kelly for sure.

Is your office environment casual or formal?

Definitely casual. We’re a fight company. There are days when I put a suit on for fundraising. But the mixed martial arts and fight component make it a casual environment.

How many hours does an aide-de-camp work?

Not as many as I do. I’m a big proponent of working hard and playing hard. A lot of my team understands when there is a job to be done, we go until it’s finished. I’m not super-strict on vacation or time off. I believe in rewarding great work.

Do you send e-mails after 8 p.m. and expect a reply?

I definitely send e-mails after 8 p.m., but I don’t always expect a reply.

How did your experience on “The Apprentice” affect your management style?

I look at every experience I’ve had as a learning experience. It reinforced the planning component of working with a large team.

Why did you choose the mixed martial arts business?

I had taken judo as a child at the YMCA. When I was at West Point, I boxed and wrestled and had close-quarters training. I learned tae kwon do when I was on active duty. I’ve always had a strong respect for people who practice martial arts — the discipline and regimen that go toward becoming a black belt in multiple martial arts. I was a fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship when it started 10 years ago.

What’s it like working with the mixed martial arts athletes?

The athletes are incredibly approachable. They haven’t turned into any kind of prima donnas.

How important is mixed martial arts knowledge to getting this job?

A passion for what you do is very important to success, so someone with a passion about the sport will fare better in the interview process. But I didn’t know anything about real estate, and I went to work with “The Donald.”

Why do you want to hire someone from the military?

The military had a very strong role in me and my life. I want to give back.

The contest

If you win, expect to tote a Blackberry.

The job as Perdew’s aide de camp is based in Los Angeles. The company offers “an exceptional benefits plan to augment its aggressively competitive compensation plans,” according to the job description and contest rules.

ProElite.com is an Internet company, and you’ll demonstrate your Web savvy just by applying.

The application consists of recording a video — “Why should Kelly hire me?” — and posting it to two Web sites, complete with copying and pasting html code.

There’s a written application, too, with 15 essay questions, including a 10-part whopper asking applicants to summarize in three sentences or less each theme from Perdew’s book, “Take Command — 10 Leadership Principles I Learned in the Military and Put to Work for Donald Trump.”

Ideal candidates meet this description, among others: “Be data-driven, analytical, detail-oriented, operations-based executive with maniacal dedication about meeting metrics and deadlines.”

Perdew, Hire a Hero and Hire a Hero’s online community will take part in selecting preliminary finalists, who get phone interviews from Aug. 16 to 24. Top finalists get videotaped interviews, with excerpts posted online for further comment.

The ultimate choice is Perdew’s. He’ll announce his decision in September.

Visit Hire a Hero’s Web site and click on “Apply to be the apprentice’s apprentice” for complete application instructions.

If you have specific questions for Perdew, you can write to him through his ProElite.com fan profile.

Good luck.