Act-1 Personnel Services

Simi is the worse. Don’t return calls or emails. I am so done. There are many agencies to choose from not to deal with that type of behavior.

This place is amazing, more specifically, Eduardo, AKA «Eddie». On day 1 of our initial interview he sent me off to a direct-​to-​hire interview, of which I got an offer. I did end up declining the offer as I got a different one elsewhere.
The cherry on-​top is that I did ended up wanting to take the first offer 2 weeks later, Eddie did try to pull-​through but the company resigned their offer. Even so, Eddie is still following up with me and reassuring that he is doing everything he can to find me a new job.
I greatly appreciate everything ACT-​1 and Eddie have done for me so far and have no doubts they will be able to provide me with a new job soon.

Paris and Vivian are awesome! They are utmost professionals and come through in a major way. So glad to work with them and make things happen.

I have been to more than my fair share of staffing agencies and these guys were the first who ever really took the time to get to know me and asked what I wanted. Normally I come in and am told what is available that I will fit and that is what I am getting submitted for. But I met with Wendy and she is the first ever staffing associate who was willing to listen to me say «No, I don’t want that.» and take it to heart.
So Thank You for being so understanding and caring about my wants!

The staff is great here. They work with you to quickly find a great job fit for you. Wendy is very helpful as well as the other ladies I encountered at the office. I was placed very quickly at a my new job which I currently hold. I really am thankful to them all.

Don’t waste your time with Act 1. Not only do they need so many references that you’d think you’re being interviewed for a CIA spy job, but I drove an hour to get here and recruiter Wendy didn’t have the common courtesy to call me that morning and tell me it was pointless for me to come interview there. She knew the job position I came in to talk to her about had been filled that very morning, and my appointment was at 2 p.m. (all 5, for a direct hire copywriter job). Why did she even waste my time, then? I wouldn’t even have known the last position had been filled, because she didn’t tell me outright, but the office is very airy and quiet and lots of little cubicles, so I overheard «my» recruiter (in quotes, because all that she did was waste my time and gas money plus parking fee of $ 5.45, not to mention time taken off work and the wages lost) and she was being very enthusiastic on the phone about filling the last slot for the job that less than 24 hours ago, for which she said I was «perfect.» She called ME to recruit ME for the position (my resume, which I uploaded to the Act 1 site two years ago). I only came in in the first place because the prospect of a direct hire job sounded so great.
I feel like they exploit their pool of candidates to meet quotas and get bonuses for selecting someone who gets hired. I was just overflow in case a candidate they actually did hire gets fired or quits. And the interview she did with me, after she knew I was aware there was no longer a position to talk about anymore, was completely half assed.
So much for that.

CAN not stand people who take advantage of one who are in needs!
One of the worse employment agencies I had to work with. Do not believe one word that comes out of the manager (P…). Also make sure if you sign contract or other paper work have 3,4,5 copy save somewhere in case they say they can not find yours or you never gave one to them.
Good Luck

I ignored the poor reviews and found them to be precisely accurate. I was told to come in that there were several positions that I was to be presented for as a candidate. All they did was put me through a standard screen and add me into their database so that my personal details could be data mined. I expressly asked them that I did not want to be part of the data set, but only to come in for specific existing processes.
I found them to be uncommunicative and nonresponsive to several inquiries regarding my status on the when I now believe to be fictitious positions. Complete waste of time the only upside was I took the train and getting incur a $ 10 charge for parking like most of the other candidates.
To get the full view Unilocal has chosen not to post all the reviews but many of the non-​recommended reviews are cutting, accurate and have obviously been withheld to protect the reputation of this company. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the not recommended reviews to see some really damning reviews.
Choose Robert Half or Agilion they are far more humane than this company. Act-​1 is almost as close to legal human trafficking as I can imagine in modernity.

DO NOT waste your time with this agency unless you are looking for an «accounting» job because they will tell you that is all they have available. I know that was a lie though, they had several jobs listed on their site. There was a posting for a company that needed 10 people. Being the type of job that it was, you definitely didn’t need years of job experience (even though I have that). So, as the ad said to do, I called Y*MI ROD**GUEZ and with enthusiasm she tells me they are definitely still trying to fill those positions and to send her my resume. My hopes were sort of high because I felt that this could really be the end a long, depressing job search.
After sending my resume to Y*mi, she never even responded to confirm she got it (strike 1) it is beyond unprofessional to me when recruiters and employers do that as if they aren’t constantly checking their emails and responding to other people. So the next day I sent a follow-​up email to confirm she got it and to also show that I was serious about this position. Surprisingly she emailed back and said she received it and will be giving me a call. Fast forward to the phone call… She calls and starts asking questions about my background and why I want to leave my current part-​time job. I felt that it was going well until we get to the end of our conversation and she tells me they only have positions for accounting (strike 2) like WTF! Did you not just tell me LESS than 24 hours they were still looking to fill positions for the job I was actually interested in? Not only did she NEVER mention the job, she wished me luck and told me to apply to Susie cakes, somewhere she used to work. I felt so played!
I was too upset to even say anything else. So after a little pondering, I email her and ask her if she felt I was too inexperienced for the position I initially contacted her about because she never even mentioned it during our «phone interview» and did she ever respond? No! (Strike 3) Do these people not realize this shit is not a game? Most job-​seekers are emotionally invested in their search and do not want to be lied to and have their time wasted by bullshit recruiters. I’m not sure how helpful and honest the other recruiters are, but from my recent experience, Y*mi is a selective responder and she’s a liar. Like someone else said in the reviews. The name fits this company perfectly because it’s all an ACT!
(BTW I had to write another review because they DELETED my last one)

I was looking for work after getting laid off and with in a week I had a interview lined up and a job offer that following Monday. Paris, Vivian and Bridgette we so involved in communicating with me and my success. I can not thank them enough with their help and support. They took the time to make sure my skills and experience were a good fit and not just «place me» wherever. Never had any issues with my pay smooth from the start and I was offered a full time position with the company I was placed with and I have them to thank for it. I put in the work but they gave me the staring point for my success.

Stay Away don’t waste your time with this agency. talk directly to the manager.
they deleted my reviews. just stay away.

This review is overdue. Been busy at my job that Act-​1 helped me get in September. TL;DR Paris & Arturo are rock stars. They found me a job in the industry I wanted with better pay than I was asking for. The entire thing took about a month. It’s definitely a timing thing, so be patient. They don’t have full time jobs for everyone who walks in when they walk in.
–
I lost my job in July and was becoming really discouraged looking for position. It seemed really hopeless, so I called Act-​1. I was paired up with Arturo. I was previously in creative/​entertainment marketing and wanted to go into legal. Not easy. He tried to set me up with a few other temp/​marketing gigs but I was pretty firm on my desire to change industries, and I had the luxury of time, so I wasn’t budging.
Finally I was making some headway at a firm on my own (I had thrice interviewed for a job that I managed to find outside of Act-​1), and I was ready to tell Arturo «Thanks for your help, but I found something anyway.» Right as I’m getting an offer from this firm, Arturo calls with a listing from an equally awesome firm. Similar job, similar firm, and way better pay than what I was going to be getting on my own from the other place. I begged him to get me an interview ASAP.
Arturo referred me to Paris, and she was PHENOMENAL. I thought she was a little cold the first time we spoke, but that must have been a fluke because she was the best recruiter a girl could ask for. She got me an interview two business days later. She prepped me the day before. She explained the unorthodox situation to the firm, but told them it’d be worth it to act quick. I interviewed on a Wednesday and got an offer Friday afternoon. They more than satisfied my salary requirements, and I’m certain Paris had a lot to do with that.
She and Arturo texted me congratulations and checked up on me about a week into the new job. I send her referrals all the time, and I would highly recommend her. I don’t know if everyone will be as lucky as me, but THANK YOU PARIS AND ARTURO. YOU ROCK.

I am very disappointed with the experience that I had with this recruiting service. A recruiter named Nicole reach out to me in regards to a full-​time, direct hire position with a company that she felt that I would be a great fit for based on my skills and qualifications. The following Monday I did the routine, in-​house preliminary interview with Nicole and another woman named Gladys at their headquarters, where they gave me more details about the position and helped to prep me for the official interview which was scheduled for that Thursday. In between the initial point of contact and the day of the interview, they were in constant communication with me. After the interview Gladys told me that she would follow up with me the next day with feedback she received from the employer.
I was excited because I felt that the interview went very well and was hoping for the best. Well, on Friday, Gladys did call, but she began asking questions about the interview but offered no further information or any feedback, and stated that she was about to talk to the employer and would call me back after she was done. Needless to say, I was completely nervous and slightly upset, especially because she did not call back at all during that day. When I called to see if Nicole had any information about the feedback call, she told me that whatever was discussed between Gladys and the employer was confidential and that she would have her contact me on Monday as Gladys had already left the office for the day. Monday came and went. Tuesday, I called and only received word that no one had talked to the employer. A couple of days later, I reached out to the employer myself after finding contact information — to at least thank him for the interview– and he told me that a decision would be made soon. I have now washed my hands of the situation altogether.
My biggest gripe is that they had no problem communicating with me when they were trying to get me to interview, but as soon as the process was over I heard nothing back from them. I feel like I was just a number and a quota to them and once I had served my purpose they disposed of me. I would’ve liked to receive any sort of feedback, good or bad, rather than just being left in the dark. I would probably not work with them again because of how they handled this process. I wasted a lot of time and effort, and the least that could’ve been done was for them to give me a simple phone call to keep me updated on the status of my application.

do not go here. very rude, they do not return calls. and they do not find employment for certain people, if you know what i mean. the downtown los angeles office

Act-​1 has been super vital to my career! The staff is extremely supportive and helpful and I would honestly not be where I am without their representation. They placed me in a great role at the IMAX corporate office where I was able to develop my skills and increase my level of responsibility. Because of the contacts I made there I am now working at ICM Partners. I would definitely recommend Act-​1 to any of my friends as a great resource to finding job
opportunities in entertainment. So happy to be working with them!

I spoke, met, worked with over 30 recruiters and by far my favorite are Christina Youssef and Eduardo «Eddie» Aguilar ofAct-​1 Downtown. They are honest and driven recruiters. They tell you the facts and look for your best interest. From the minute you meet them, you can tell they love what they do and care. If you are unemployed, job hopping, or trying to figure out what path interests you go to them.

1. I was contacted by Act-​1 and accepted an offer to go on an interview. 1 week later I called to check on the status of the interview and how the possible future employer felt. I was told by the recruiter that the employer wanted the candidates to take some tests to narrow down who they would choose.
2. I then wait an additional 4 days before calling the recruiter. No call, so I then call him to see what the status is. I call him he tells me that he has not been in contact with the employers HR manager… even though they talked to him about testing.
3. I call back another week later because I have not heard back from the recruiter. He tells me that he still has not heard back yet from the employer and that he will call me back that day as soon as he gets in touch with them. Finally another 4 days later in total 2 ½ weeks I call him again and I tell him that this was an unpleasant experience and that I no longer want to be contacted by anyone at Act-​1.
All in all I literally had to call/​chase the recruiter I was working with once a week/​every few days and he never made an effort to call me or to give me the status on whether or not the employer would like to proceed. All he had to do was just check in with me and tell me the status because in the end I felt like he was lying to me and if that wasn’t the case he most certainly did not handle the situation professionally or correctly. It was a very unpleasant experience and definitely the worst employment agency experience I’ve ever encountered. They’re extremely unprofessional and not at all courteous to the people that are looking for work.

I love Act-​1. The company has been so responsive and great. I LOVE MY RECRUITER! Nichole Obeso is the most amazing recruiter. She is so communicative, sweet, and genuinely cares about the people she is trying to find jobs for. I am very impressed with everyone there. Thank You Act-​1 and NIchole!

Kristi C. was the best agent I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. She’s informative resources and patient. Trust me I think I tested her patience, but through it all she was excellent. Great job find and consider myself lucky to have worked with her. Thank you !

Do not waste your time checking in and following up with this company. The first staffing agent I was assigned to was very ditzy and I could only imagine how this person got a job herself, let alone would help me find a job. Apparently that agent left/​was fired and another agent contacted me to let me know I would be checking in with her from now on. I let her know I was currently working on another temporary assignment and that I would contact her once my availability was open.
I left several voicemails for this agent, tried reaching her through email and she never once returned any of my correspondences. I just don’t understand how so many people are looking for jobs and these people can’t even do the basics, like return a phone call or respond to email. I thought at first maybe her colleagues were slacking and not passing messages along. However, I did leave messages on her personal voicemail and sent a few emails to her personal inbox.
They are just like many other staffing agencies in this city. They never really want to connect people with jobs, instead they just keep people rotating in and out of the office to get their number of interviews/​candidates up to make it look like they are doing work. Instead, all they do is try to phish for information regarding where you are applying so that they can try to start accounts with companies they know are actively hiring and have open positions. They want to staff the positions themselves for commission. Pretty silly strategy when you have candidates ready to work, with impressive resumes.
Classic example as to why quantity is not always more important than quality.
What a joke.
If anyone in management is actually trying to improve this company’s reputation I’ll be happy to supply names so you can followup.