Saturday 18 October 2008

Enriching Lives

Just got back from my first day at Apple Regent Store! Many things were said, many things happened and one thing is for sure - there is nothing like working for Apple! The company's culture, the climate, the atmosphere - whatever you call it - is simply amazing! Really, I can hardly express what a great company it is to work for!

First day at work

Today was the first of the four-and-a-half-day training programme. During the seminars that I, along with twelve fellow successful applicants, have participated in, we learnt mainly about Apple culture and Apple Retail history. We also learnt about Apple products and services. This was lot of fun, but we learnt more than that. We learnt how to enrich the lives of our customers.

It may sound quirky and a bit like a brain wash of sorts, but the message delivered by our manager was extremely powerful: our job description was enriching lives. This is so vital because his job was to enrich our lives! Now, it may sound like a little thing, but to me this was HUGE! Why? Taking a bit simplistic approach, this means that not only I can earn a living but also learn and make others happy at the same time! Or to put it another way round – I get paid for learning and making others happy! How cool is that!!!?

Instant connection

I must say, one of the things that captured my mind for a good while during the seminars was how instantly everybody got connected with each other. It was incredible – everybody who I spoke to was smiling and was so eager to hear what I had to say. I myself felt in the very same way – wanted to hear as much as I could about the others. I was overwhelmed by how much we had in common. As a matter of fact, I am even more overwhelmed now, as I realise that at first glance there was absolutely nothing that one would think connected us! With regard to this, perhaps, a great lesson that I have learnt today was what our manager told us during the session:

“You don’t know anything about anybody, until you had a conversation with them”.

This is so spot on.

A biologist in the forest

I would love to share more with you, but I won’t as I am now bound by the company’s non-disclosure agreement. Indeed, as a Business Management student I could talk for hours about the things I saw and experienced today. After all, I am in my own habitat. I feel like a biologist in the forest – I can examine and inspect, learn and discover almost indefinitely! Actually, I think I made one discovery already. It is that dreams really do COME TRUE!

Friday 3 October 2008

Part Time Job

Just got a phone call from Apple in London. It has been well over a month since I had my first interview and exactly a week since my second interview for the Specialist Position at their flagship Regent Store. I applied for at least 15 other jobs, all with little to no success. Now I think it must have been that way because working at Apple was my dream for a very long time. Well, dreams come true! I am starting sometime in the end of the month at Apple’s largest store worldwide! I am so happy!

Apple Regent Store's information website, as seen on my MacBook

So far I have been thinking about this opportunity as a ground breaking achievement. I think it certainly will be. But sadly, I will have to keep a lot of it to myself, as Apple requires all their employees to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Anyway, I am so happy!!!

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Korean Writing

One of my true passions is learning languages and Korean is one of my favourites. Because in part I use this blog to “showcase some of my abilities and skills” I decided to put out a little piece of my Korean writing. I do not expect a whole lot of readership, but the topic being once again “what I did this Summer” I wouldn’t expect it anyway. For those still interested, here we go!

Summer 2008 in Korean

네덜란드

저는 4월 26일에 미국에서 네덜란드까지 왔어요. 그리고 이여름에 많이 하고 싶었어요. 그레서 네가 인턴싶을 찾기로 했어요. 제가 네덜란드하고 독일하고 영국하고 한국에서 일에 적용했어요. 그렇지만 결국 식안이 없어서 일을 못 했어요. 모두다음에 새달만 일을수 있었어요 ( 9월에 대학교를 시작해요). 그레서 제가 다른 것들을 하기로 했어요. 저는 증권 투자와 리더쉽과 광고를 공부하기로했어요.. 그레서 책을 많이 샀어요. 그리고 제가 무용을 하기로 하 봤어요. Amsterdam Dance Centre에 각 목요일에 다뇨왔어요. 그리고 각 토요일에 9시부터 1시까지 한국 학교에서 – Korean School of Amsterdam – 한국어 배웠어요.

그리고 아버지와 자주 맛있는 음식을 만들었고 때때로 수영하고 박물관에 갔어요. 진짜 재미있었어요!!!

프랑스

7월 29일에 제가 프랑스에 갔어요! 정말 좋아지요!? 제가 여자친구를 니스에서 만났어서 우리는 맛이는 음식을 많이 먹겄고 바다안에 많이 수영했어요. 나중에 우리는 나의 부모를 몬벌레에서 만났어요. 마지막으로 우리는 파리에 갔어서 2박 3일 여행했어요!!! 거기서 한국 민박을 했어요. 파리에서 구경했고 한국 살암들 파티를 했어요. 거기서 진짜 재미있었어요!

파리에서 율리우스 카이사르를 만났어요!

전부 프랑스에서 정말 재미있었어요. 날씨가 진짜 좋았고 음식을 진짜 맛있어요. 그레서 거기에 네년에 도 가고 싶어요!

영국

어쨌든 8월 7일에 저는 여자친구랑 파리에서 암스테르담까지 왔어요. 그리고 8월 12일에 빨리 런던에 갔어요. 거기서 집하고 아르바이트를 찾러 갔어요. 지금 정말 좋아하는 집에서 사라지만 아르바이트는 아직 안 찾았어요.

저는 많이 배우기 때문에 이여름은 정말 좋았어요. 그리고 떡떡하고 재미있는 살암들 많이 만났어요. 그레서 기분이 진짜 좋아요!