Apple One

Apple One is a reputable and aggressive employment agency. They have some of the highest statistics of placing their candidates with the most suitable positions. Their performance separates them from their competitors. Many of their clients are satisfied with the positions they've been placed with. Their impressive record speaks volumes for their keen talents or so it seems . . .

If you visit their website, www.appleone.com, you can quickly begin your application process and be scheduled for an interview. It's evident how efficiently this agency operates. This decisiveness is generally transferred over when placing clients with positions, but Apple One requires that their clients have a minimum of one and a half year experience in an office position in order to be eligible for assistance. This is a fact that's "conveniently" unaddressed on their website. Plus, the expected qualifications for computer knowledge is demanding and diverse.

With such high standards of proficiency from their clients, it's no wonder this agency successfully finds positions for many of their clients. Apple One is deceptively elitist, works with the most qualified of candidates who inevitably is more than eligible for many positions only to take credit for that outcome. It's misleading. That's like working with the most gifted children and priding yourself on their advanced aptitude scores. That isn't a demonstration of an educator's talent, it's a demonstration of the subjects'. Of course with Apple One following strict exclusivity, the only statistics available reveals that most of their clients obtain positions they're seeking in an exceptionally fastidious manner. Unqualified or, shall I say, more challenging candidates are denied their services.

This hidden truth, Apple One's eligibility status, and my disarrayed apartment led to an unexpected interview and unnecessarily created a sense of inadequacy within me. Apparently, an hour before my interview at the Pasadena location with Estelle, I received a phone call informing me to not come in because I'm not qualified for their services. I, however, did not receive that message because I left my cell phone at home in an attempt to arrive early to my appointment, might I add. I could have easily located my cell phone if I wasn't trying to show up early to make precautionary measures. What a counterproductive effort that was.

I arrived 15 minutes earlier than my scheduled interview only to be greeted with a cold and somewhat snappy welcoming. This was when I learned that Estelle was unable to assist me. She was audibly complaining to someone else about what she was supposed to do with me because she called to tell me that she couldn't assist me and I showed up anyways and early. It was the first time I felt unprofessional for doing something professional - arriving early.

In the beginning I believe Estelle reviewed my resume as a professional courtesy, but it was evident how discouraged and inconvenienced she was by exercising this procedure. I have ten months office experience, over two years of retail experience, and light computer skills. It's not exactly the most enriching experience to work with, which is why I went to an employment agency for assistance. I wanted access to opportunities I was unable to obtain independently. That's what most employment agencies are supposed to offer. A competent, resourceful, and adept employment agency will exhibit the ability to introduce and provide clients with employment opportunities in spite of the challenges, rather than reject their services.

In my case, Estelle decided to offer her services to me because I'm fluent in Japanese. That's apparently a marketable asset. She allowed me to take the assessment tests. I scored highly on my typing speed, alpha and numerical data entry skills, Word, Excel, grammar, and basic office skills. After seeing my test scores, Estelle revealed that she didn't regret her decision. Despite feeling inadequate, I courteously thanked her for this opportunity. Estelle began to warm up to me and didn't mind at all. She said that upon talking to me it's evident that I'm very bright and I have good communication skills, so she'll do what she can to assist me.

So the interview turned out a lot more optimistically and productively than originally suspected, but I'm still very displeased by the experience because of how preventable it was. I'm not blaming Estelle for making me feel inferior. As Eleanor Roosevelt put it, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." And as I've previously mentioned, I was given an opportunity that I wasn't supposed to have. That reflects positively on my ability to win people over, a valuable asset in life especially if you're looking for chances without anything sufficient to offer. But I'm a strong believer in being honest and direct. It's important to represent yourself or your company for who or what it is. I suspect Apple One withholds the fact that they don't offer services to anyone without a minimum experience requirement because that'll portray their company in a potentially negative light.

I don't appreciate paying the price for their strategic plot. I don't want to waste my time, and I certainly don't want to waste any employment agency's time especially if I don't meet their criteria because for better or worse, Apple One does provide a service to their community. I just happen to not meet their demographic. If this company had more professional integrity and was open about their guidelines, I would've searched services elsewhere and allowed Apple One to be more productive with their time. I suppose everything comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes. Employment agencies are no different. I can't categorize whether Apple One is a great find or not because it really depends on your situation. If you're seeking a reputable employment agency to assist you in finding an office position with a minimum of one and a half year experience in that setting, Apple One is an asset that I encourage you take advantage of. That's what it's there for.

I also want to provide a basic profile of Estelle, the Account Executive I interviewed with, for anyone who's interested. She is professional, direct, uncompromising, aggressive, ruthless, from what I can tell, efficient, and resourceful. I did find that she talks more than she listens, which can be a challenge. I wasn't trying to be difficult. With my limited experience, it's unrealistic to find a job in my city. But my personal life requires me to stay within a designated area. Rather than working within those guidelines, Estelle offered me a position 10 miles away from home after I repeatedly told her, clearly, that I will not be able to work outside of the city of Pasadena. As grateful as I am that she kept me in mind and managed to make me a candidate for a job, she demonstrated her selective hearing abilities. I had to visit her a second time to re-iterate my requirements. Since then I haven't heard from her. This doesn't mean that Estelle is ill-suited to assist anyone, just be sure to be a qualified candidate who can travel further distances, and she's likely to find you a position quickly. You will have to take extensive tests. Apple One expects you to be proficient with every Microsoft program.

Apple One
150 S. Los Robles Ave. #970
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 796-0395