David Aplin Group

I dealt with DA for many years. Both as an employer who used their services and a client who got placed through them.
The recruiter, Maria, presented herself as a friend (even described us as "family"). However, all that got flushed down the toilet over a phone that I was asked to return "at earliest convenience" and wasn't able to return within 2 weeks of contract's end.

While on assignment, the hiring manager was a poor communicator and came across as jealous of how her colleagues gravitated towards me over her. I witnessed a bitter personality that constantly complained -and even cried- about her boss in the US. She said she was overwhelmed and not available when needed by the team. When she was told that an urgent decision was made without her input because she wasn't available, she defensively retorted "I'm sorry you feel ABANDONNED." I stayed on for several contract extensions because I liked the work, my performance was great (I even outperformed a 3rd party agency that was hired to do recruitment), and the people I worked with. Then, the Coordinator position that I was hired for (but never actually did because I was needed for recruitment and other fires that the manager assigned me to) got filled and a recruiter came back from Mat Leave. With Covid still lurking and my child at a daycare, I was relieved when my contract came to an end.
Sadly, at the same time that my contract ended, my best friend's husband landed in hospital with a cancerous tumour on the gall bladder and within days was in surgery because of an undiagnosed brain tumour - all whilst my bestie was sick in bed with serious Covid.
I had set a time with IT to returned the company property, but while I had packed the computer I missed packing the cell phone. (Not surprising given the chaos I was dealing with). Needless to say, returning a phone to multi-million dollar international company which has thousands of phones, was not my priority and "earliest convenience" dragged into a couple weeks. Yes, WEEKS. Not MONTHS.
How did Maria deal with it? She sent me a parting note saying Thanks for the great reviews and many years of friendship; let's meet for coffee and catch up in a couple weeks" which was followed by a company email threatening to file a small claims lawsuit if I don't give the phone back in a matter of days.
Within 24 hours we arranged for a courier to come get the phone from my parents while I was away.

I leave this review because I saw that a similar absurdness happened to another employee, over a "fob" and IMO candidates need to be aware .... This repeat of unreasonable and extreme measures over the return of client property IMO demonstrates that after all is said and done what matters to DA is not the relationship with candidates -- even after decades of doing business together.

I wanted my share my screening interview today with Michelle. This was for a client service coordinator role. Unfortunately, it was the first time that I had to hang up the call with a recruiter. From the very beginning, if you are going to schedule a zoom meeting, at least turn your camera on so your potential candidates can see who they are talking too and not to be so dismissive. Throughout the interview felt like an interrogation.

Next, rather than having a causal conservation about my experience and discussing the role, I had to defend and explain in detail why I left my last position and why my resume had alot of contract work. I was totally transparent but still probed abruptly that she had to explain to her clients who apparently paid a lot of money to Aplin to find the right candidate. For my contract work, she was adamant, my previous employers could have extended the contract.

Please inform Michelle that I cannot control contract roles that ended due to reorg, mergers, covering mat leave, startups or RRSP season. I do have a lot of transferable skills including my tech stack but I feel she didn't read the resume at all, it was written clearly in English.

If you prefer candidates that have worked for an employer for a minimum of 5 years, then dont schedule a call with me. If you want me to represent Aplin, dont belittle my experience, tell us more about the role and what you do differently at Alpin. I like to know who I'm dealing with. We are your clients as well. I did receive an apology through email soon after with some explanation. Very different delivery compared to the call. In my 10 years of work experience I was hired directly from employers through linkedin not through recruiters and none of them interrogated me about my contract work. Says alot on your hiring methods. Do better !!!!

I'm grateful to Jason for everything. He was flexible, patient, always open to answering my doubts, and supportive throughout the process. I didn't know anything about this process, and he was attentive and accurate in every stage of it

My experience working with Channing was excellent. Channing is one the best recruiters I ever worked with. Channing was very proactive during the entire recruitment process and provided me information about the role, the organization, and the interviewers when it was needed. Channing was excellent with her clear communication and followed up with my prospective employer based on need. In order to provide me updates, she worked late during the weekdays and also on weenend.

As soon as Channing had an update, she shared it with me. Channing is a great recruiter and I will always remember her.

I wish Channing all the best!

Channing provided outstanding support in securing my job in my field. Her proactive approach, industry expertise, and unwavering commitment were instrumental in my success. From interview coaching and even salary negotiation, Channing's guidance was invaluable. Her extensive network and ongoing support make her an exceptional career advisor. I highly recommend Channing to anyone seeking career advancement – she's a true professional who makes a significant impact.

Thank you, Channing, for your exceptional help!