When Carissa began her career at Apple as a part-time Specialist, her store’s leadership team had even more of an effect on her growth than she expected.
“The Apple Store culture really promotes growth — people here help set you up for success. There’s the general support we all get to help us develop our careers, but the leaders here also work with your specific interests and talents. My managers saw something in me, saw that I had the potential to contribute as a leader at some point, so they nurtured that side of me. That really motivated me.”
Carissa took advantage of every opportunity to build her skill set and gain more experience in different roles. Helping roll out the training programme for Apple’s first wearable, Apple Watch, she found herself thriving in a range of new career experiences within the store, ultimately being promoted into management.
Now, as a Senior Manager, Carissa is providing support and encouragement for her team members as they pursue their own path at Apple. “It’s now my job to help them reach their career goals, here in the store or in another part of Apple. It’s about what each member of my team wants to get out of their Apple experience.”
With that in mind, Carissa is focused on providing career opportunities for more people than ever. Having joined several of Apple’s Diversity Network Associations, she’s cultivated relationships with other managers around the world and applied what she’s learned to her work. “Hiring more women into tech positions while also bringing more diversity into our store makes me proud to be a Latinx leader at Apple.”