Apple, Help Me, Help You

Dear Apple,

Help me, Help you.?

I am writing this as an open invitation to any and everyone interested. For starters, I am still an employee and by no means speak for the brand or the company. I can only speak to my personal experiences. Moreover, I want the public to know that my letter is not being censored in any function. In this letter I will not be discussing:

• Any confidential information

Anything in regards to how the company conducts business (store operations, product launches, our strategies, intellectual property, and business performance.)

• In regards to customer interactions or info

We pride ourselves on being the privacy company and I want to keep it that way.?

• Respectful of Apple

I will not speak negatively about the brand. Now, this is an open letter so I will have some constructive feedback, but it is not to be taken in a negative light.?

Now, back to the letter

One of my favorite questions I love to be asked is,?

“Why do you love Apple so much?”?

For me, it starts way back when I was a child. When I moved back to Washington State I remember walking with my 3rd grade class to the library and I remember using a Mac for the first time. Something about the design of the computer, its ease of the software, and the ability to pick it up and play without a manual made the experience a core memory in my mind. The kid next to me asked, “Have you never seen a Mac before?” In which I told him no. He then proceeded to invite me over to his place to show me the Mac ecosystem that presided at his house.?

His mom had an iBook, his dad had a Titanium Powerbook and Power Mac G5 his brother had a Power Mac G4 and Alex (my friend) had an eMac. Playing with all of them made me fall in love even more. So much that I wanted a Mac myself. Growing up low income and being a kid at the time asking my mother to purchase a $799 computer (over $1200 today, thanks inflation) was something that just wasn’t feasible. So I settled on my first Apple product being an iPod until January 2005, when Steve Jobs introduced the Mac Mini. Talking my mother into spending $500 was an easier feat. It was my first computer that was all mine. I was able to customize it, I was able to be creative with it. I made movies and music on the thing. I was able to be productive and creative in ways that I never knew were imaginable. From that point on I decided that when I grew up, I wanted to work for Apple. In fifth grade, I remember everyone around me wanted to be a teacher, lawyer, or doctor. I wanted to work for Apple, I didn’t know what exactly, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the company.?

Fast forward to where I am today in the past three years I have been with the company I can say that I have grown a lot. I am a senior, seasoned Specialist with the ability to drive results and achieve expectations of an Expert and the Knowledge of a Pro. Both roles are a part of the sales area of Apple Retail stores. At least once a week I get asked by someone in leadership asking why I am not an Expert. Moreover, because of my ability to connect, mentor, and support others, I am asked by other Specialists on the floor why I am not a Pro. It is always the same response that my passion to do my life’s best work is not in the store, it's at a corporate level doing something with people, training, or development. I want to grow with Apple, to do the best work of my life with the company. I know that it is not a common trait amongst millennials to stay with a company for 30 years and retire from it, but that is ultimately what I want to do. I have the passion, the drive, and commitment. I hope that someone will extend an olive branch and help me, maybe?

“We are here to do the best work of our lives.”

-Apple Careers Site

The quote is something that I take to heart. It is a statement that not only is on our career site but is a sentiment that is carried from my level all the way up to Tim Cook. Because I am such a fanboy of Apple I sometimes go back and watch interviews that Tim has given or other Apple veterans have given and they all have similar genuine talking points around doing the best work of our lives. It's quite funny as I was writing this I started to tear up. I want to do so much more, but it seems that I am not enough for some reason. I have taken all the right steps. I even have a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington. My degree title is: Society, Ethics & Human Behavior??

To address the elephant in the room I am aware that this degree is not a traditional degree; that is because I am not a traditional person. I have business leadership experience and the standard ask of 5 years of management experience. When I decided that to obtain a different degree that most people wouldn’t have it was to have this conversation. I want people to ask me what my degree means. That way we are having the conversation where I explain:

“My degree is centered around 3 core competencies: Effective communication, understanding people, and understanding the world around us. Moreover, how these three competencies will make me a valuable asset to your team. Would you like to discuss my skill set further?”

I wanted to have that “elevator pitch” for when a recruiter would have a conversation with me. However, when I reach out to a recruiter now it’s a lot of generic responses like, “The team has many great candidates… if we feel your skillset is a match, we will reach out to you directly.”

I touched on this a bit earlier than I have the coveted five years of experience. As a restaurant manager at McDonald’s. I was a senior-level manager as an Assistant General Manager. As an AGM I was primarily overseeing the growth and development of shift managers and improving operations and profitability. An example of this is in my five years as a manager I developed over two dozen trainers and a dozen shift managers. I lead a store to growth, profitability, and a bonus for a restaurant team that hasn't experienced a bonus in over a year. Moreover, when I became a training manager I created a training program and practices that were adopted company-wide. This is where I discovered my passion for helping others. I love training and developing others because I love breaking down barriers so that people don’t have to face the same adversities as I.??

Lastly, Apple prides itself on being a champion of racial equity. If you look at Apple’s Inclusion & Diversity page, it speaks highly to having an inclusive workforce. I would say there is still room for improvement, but I believe in looking where you come from to where you are now. Where the company is now in comparison to 5 years ago, it’s made strides that are nothing to scoff at, especially in an industry (tech) that is predominately white, and predominately male. In acknowledgment of this fact, is there a reason why I can’t be the one to add value to a corporate team? To be completely transparent it hurts when I hear and see interviews about how much we’ve improved on a diversity level. But, when I reach out to a recruiter I can’t even get an authentic response that shows I am valued.

I am not whining nor am I speaking ill of the company. I felt that I have done everything needed to be an outstanding candidate. Part of the reason why I relocated to Austin was that I wanted to be closer to a corporate campus, moreover, the teams that I want to be part of are all based here in Austin. I knew that there would be a period between relocating and getting some traction on a role with corporate, but my passion, experience, and commitment to the brand make me feel like I’m at a crossroads with no true direction or North Star. I can continue to head down the path I’m on now as a Specialist with wishful thinking that I will land a role that will allow me to use my experience and education. The other path is quitting everything that I have been fighting for and leaving a company that I have loved, and admired since I was a child. Both options that when I ponder on them leave me feeling bewildered, cold, and alone.?

I’m writing this out to the public because I am open to some advice or maybe this will come across someone’s eyes that can connect me to the right person to help me continue my Apple Journey. I still believe that I can land a role that will allow me to utilize my education and experience to continue doing the best work of my life. Apple, I know that you are just an entity, not a person, but please, don’t force my hand. I don’t want to leave you, but you’re leaving me no choice. I went to school so that I could have the education and experience to do great things. I have relevant experience with my working career outside of Apple and I have 3 years within the company so I have submerged myself in the culture of fierce operational excellence. For the past 3 years, I have done the best work of my life enriching the community with world-class products and services.

In closing Apple and to the LinkedIn community I want to reiterate that I am not venting about Apple. I am not writing this because I have ill will towards the company. I am sharing this in hopes that maybe someone will see me for who I am and apply my drive, talent, and passion for doing amazing things for their team. I want to continue my journey, but not if it is not going to move me to bigger and greater things.

So one last time I ask, Apple, help me, help you.?

Love,

Erik T. Davis