The Grapevine Agency

Sadly Unprofessional and Biased:
I have over 10 years experience.
But my last name is not… white!
I got this letter as a response to my resume submission:
«Thank you for your interest however we are not sitting with a match and unfortunately most likely not the right resource for you.»
I have experience as a personal assistant (5 years), executive assistant (7 years) and as an estate manager (2 years). They hire for all of these roles… they seem like bigots to me!
I don’t see what the problem is that I could be SO QUICKLY DISMISSED and NOT considered for any future openings.
They were unprofessional in their response.
I guess I should be happy not to work with such bigots!!!
I guess this place is not professional, as their response was hasty and sloppy!
#Racist #Bigot #Unprofessional

5 plus stars! I had such a great experience with Lori! She was not only helpful but extremely professional! She helped me every step of the way and found the most perfect family/​fit for me! I appreciate everything Lori did and would recommend her and her business over and over again! I couldn’t be happier! Thank you Lori!

I am so thankful to the Grapevine Agency for sticking by me and helping me find a job as a personal assistant/​house manager that is an absolute perfect fit! My main contact was Lori, and at our initial meeting she took the time to truly understand my previous experience and what I was looking for in my next position. She also explained how the process works from her end so I knew what to realistically expect and how to best take advantage of the Grapevine blog and our communications going forward. Compared to most of the other agencies I was working with, Grapevine had some of the most attractive job opportunities. When I saw something that appealed to me on their blog, I would email Lori right away to let her know I was interested, and she or her partner, Rachel, would get back to me right away (depending on which one of them was working on that particular job). In most instances, they agreed to submit me, and I got an interview. But on some occasions, they said, you know what, this is not right for you so we cannot submit you for this… and they would always explain why, and sometimes they were able to tell me something specific, and other times it may have been something general like, «it’s not a going to be a good personality match.» I respected their honesty, and I trusted them… if they took so much time getting to know me and what I wanted, I knew they were doing the same with their clients, so they knew best. And they sent me out on quite a few quality jobs so I had nothing to complain about. In fact, a few times they actually reached out to me about a position before I reached out to them if they thought it was something I was really right for. And although I may have been «right» for those positions, I wasn’t always interested, I was picky too. And when I explained that, they never ever pushed me to «go and just see,» they respected my wishes as well. There was always great communication between us. I was always given «tips» specific to any interview I was about to go on. They kept me apprised of the status of any position I had been up for, answered any questions I had, and they always wanted my feedback as well. Most of our communication was by email, but if I really needed to talk, they made themselves available to me. I didn’t find my dream job overnight. It took almost 8 months. But they were patient, and gave me just as much time and attention on month 8 as they did on month 1. And when I had my first interview with my current boss, I knew this was the one I really wanted more than all the others — -and then Lori contacted me to let me know that I was on the very, very short list of candidates they wanted to meet again. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Within a few hours of my second interview, Lori called to tell me they wanted to make me an offer… but it didn’t end there, she negotiated to get me the exact salary and benefits I wanted. And once a deal was made, she took the additional time to give me some constructive advice to take with me into my new position. We had been working toward this for a while, and it was so nice to have her in my corner and wanting me to succeed. She even checked in with me a couple of times to make sure all was well in those first few weeks.
Fast forward to this week when I had my extremely positive 6 month review with my current boss. I love my job, and I couldn’t be happier!!! Thank you so much Lori and Rachel for being so good at what you do and for never giving up on me. I will be forever grateful. Lori is the first person I am going to call for any future staffing needs my employer may have. And if you are either looking for a job or looking to hire a qualified professional for a corporate or domestic position, you should call Grapevine too!

My experience has been very positive with Grapevine. I don’t know about you but nothing is worst than wasting two hours of your time at some of these other agencies to later find out they have NOTHING to send you out on. Lori and Rachel have send me out on many interviews. I’m sure it’s a matter of time for me to land the job of my dreams.

Grapevine is an elite placement agency with connections in the upper echelon of Los Angeles and beyond. I worked for years paying my dues for one of the most notoriously difficult personalities in Los Angeles and I was sent to several interviews for months before my placement with a great client by Lori. I feel comfortable leaving a five star review not only because of our meet and greets to get to know my personality and skill set, but because Grapevine succeeded in what they do well. They placed me in front of a great client and put the right talent with the right family.
I find the negative reviews to be a bit humorous, as anybody with true work experience in this town knows and understands the politics of placement. People believe that if they can drive a car or bring a cup of coffee, they are eligible for a well paying position in this line of work. They are wrong. The brief interviews that The Grapevine Agency conducts act as a screener to gauge your personality and get a snapshot of your real world experience before you sit in front of a real client. If you haven’t worked in an entry level support position to build a resume, then that must be completed before contacting Lori or Rachel to even be considered with true high net worth clientele who will pay for a high caliber service professional. The Grapevine Agency’s placements will be based on flexibility, adaptability in various environments, and thick skin in any environment. To those who care to comment negatively over a phone ringing during a meeting, take a look at the bigger picture before going for a high caliber position. A lot of people simply won’t hack it in this field. To those who understand the politics, the sky is the limit.

Lori and Rachel from the Grapevine are fantastic. I was looking for a new position last year and I met Lori for an interview at her office. I would check their blog a few times a day to see if there were any new positions posted and let Lori know which ones I was interested in. Lori was very honest about whether or not a position was right for me. She sent me out on some really great interviews, they have top notch clients. They really know this business and matched me with the perfect family.

I am very thankful for the Grapevine agency. Lori has been the one to help me from the beginning. She found me the perfect job that I have been looking for. I really appreciated that she sent me on a job she felt would be right for me. I interviewed and happy to say I got the job! Lori is smart and knows what she is doing. Thanks Lori!

Nothing but good things to say. I had a great experience and found a dream job with The Grapevine agency. I originally met with Rachel while I was thinking about making move several years back and felt I was in good hands. Years later, for whatever reason, most of my interaction was with Lori, but they worked as a team and could each answer my questions throughout the process of helping me find an awesome position working for an A-​lister. They were/​are always attentive, informative and helpful. While looking for work, I would get excited to check out their blog each day as it often had the best and most exciting listings of the 20 – 30 Job boards I would check on a regular basis.

I moved to Los Angeles from London in 2011 and was told by numerous people, that the Grapevine was the best agency to approach if I wanted to find a job in LA, with my experience. Five years later and I have yet to be disappointed. I met with Lori at her home office and loved her right away. She is direct and no-​nonsense which is EXACTLY the kind of person I want in my corner when dealing with prospective employees, especially in Hollywood. I have worked with a few other agencies in LA that claim to have your best interests at heart but have put me forward for completely irrelevant, unsuitable roles just so that they can try and get their commission. I was even told by one agent that I was not her priority, the client was because that’s who pays her.
Lori and Rachel have always noted my wish-​list and found me the perfect job not once but twice. When I became a mother Lori helped find me a job with an amazing family that were not demanding and offered decent hours so that I could spend quality time with my daughter. Lori and Rachel know their clients very well, the majority of whom are high net-​worth, private individuals who are very particular (I know because I have worked with them through The Grapevine and the chemistry has to be just right!) Lori in particular is incredible at knowing her clients needs and personalities and whether you will be a good fit. You could be the most qualified EA/​PA on the block, but if you don’t have the right attitude and energy, it’s not going to work (any experienced assistant would know that).
In a sea of agencies who post hundreds of jobs daily but can never seem to even get you an interview, The Grapevine is head and shoulders above the crowd. They land the interviews, they honor their clients needs with discretion and confidentiality while making sure you as the employee are taken care.
They are hands down, the best employment agency in L.A.

Like many others, my issue was with Lori.
I recently moved to the Los Angeles area and I’m in the process of finding a nanny position with a great family. I emailed her a nice message inquiring about available nanny positions and gave her my resume and references. In turn, I got this short, blunt response minutes later stating that they’re only working with people with «LA experience». It was obvious that she did not take the time to even look over my resume and completely blew me off.

Lori is a nice person and everything, but is VERY unprofessional.
She scheduled me an interview at 2:30pm… I get there exactly at the posted time, but proceeded to wait an additional 20 minutes for her to finish talking on the phone with her friend.(Yes I listened to the phone call) After the 20 minutes of waiting, she asked a maximum of 3 questions before getting another phone call… she abruptly ended my interview for this phone call and I never heard back from her or the agency again. RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL. I was there for a total of 30 minutes. 20 minutes waiting for her to get off the phone, 5 minutes interviewing and 5 minutes to see my way out

I sent my resume to Lori for a position which I was more than qualified for. I got a very blunt response that she would keep me in mind for future positions that I might be a match for as she had nothing I would match for at that time .or whatever. I sent the resume because she had several listed on her site that I qualified for. I even replied asking about those positions and if there was something else about my resume. no response.she is a complete waste of time and energy. I would not want to work for anyone who is associated with that woman.

This agency and its employees are 2^nd rate at best. Being an assistant for a few years for an egomaniacal agent doesn’t make you qualified to run a business. The attitude is ironic, considering the achievements associated. No one’s goal in life should be being a career assistant. There’s nothing impressive about that at all, there’s no ambition associated with that at all. An assistant job is a stepping stone to something greater, so the people trying to facilitate these jobs should behave a little less pretentiously. This is not curing cancer.

I can only speak for Lori, because I’ve never met Rachel.
I met with Lori looking for personal assistant work. I took me awhile to get the appointment because she kept canceling our interviews and re scheduling them.
At my interview, she seemed very standoffish toward me. She barely looked at me because she had her head buried in the laptop that was on her lap the entire time. I told her I was looking for full or part time work. She told me I could only choose one. She also told me that high profile jobs would only hire someone who has many many years of experience. First off, I wasn’t looking for a high profile job. I had just seen an opening on their site for a job that I was perfectly qualified for. It was pretty clear because I wasn’t in my 20’s she had ruled me out. This certainly isn’t a «Equal Opportunity employer company.
After being there for about 8 – 10 min at the most, her 3 year old came wondering out to her office which is apart from her house. She immediately ignored me to play with her daughter. Well at that point the interview was over. She jokingly said «I’m so embarrassed, this is so unprofessional of me, right?» That was the only smile she threw at me the entire short meeting.
Well, I wasn’t born yesterday to think she would let her nanny just wonder outside of the house on her own. It is pretty clear she was talking to her nanny online and asked her to send her daughter out to the office as an excuse to end the interview. Now that is what’s so unprofessional for a owner of a company. Lori has got to be the most unprofessional women I have ever interviewed with.
I have been doing personal assistant work with a woman in the entertainment industry for years. I had a break in between being she had moved to Palm Springs for 4 years. I worked again with her when she moved back part time. I may not be qualified to work for a high profile family but I am qualified for the majority of the jobs that come through this companies site.
I didn’t just write this review from my experience alone from interview, I had submitted for jobs that came through their site to see if I would get any response. Clearly I have never heard from them and they have never responded to me.
I guess if you don’t see what every company should mention and honor when hiring for a potential job than you should either avoid or report. They certainly don’t go by this…
«We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered regardless of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status»
Lori may want to look up the word Professional and read up on what it means.

Lori is so nice and helpful! She gave me great advice and I am impressed with the agency!

I met with one of the partners in the company, and I have to say it was the most condescending interview ever. First of all, the woman scrutinized my resume heavily without spending much time to listen to my story. Maybe because I’m a young woman under 25, she felt it appropriate to patronize me about not having stayed with a company for a long time. She told me she couldn’t help and suggested I reach out to temp agencies for temporary opportunities.
Luckily, I did not absorb such a negative experience and have been contacted for over 10+ interviews for FULL TIME positions since then.
In the future, I would hope that the interviewers can communicate the absence of fit without being completely demeaning to an interviewee. I dealt with a lot of psychological abuse at my last job and unfortunately the woman wasn’t aware because she was too busy badgering me.
I don’t think this company should be out of business for such a horrible interview, but I’m writing this because it’s something to consider and think about in the future as they interview younger candidates. There’s tons of people in this city with potential and people need to look past the resume to get to great candidates. In other words, get off your HR high horse.

If I could give no stars I would as well. Lori was extremely rude and 100% blew me off. I have a BA in Management and Technology and over 5 years of management experience in America and internationally. I would be a great employee for the positions she advertises on her website but she simply said ‘there was nothing at this time’ and never even gave me a chance to read my resume OR interview me. Absolutely horrible experience.

I had a great interview with Rachel. Too bad she and Lori were not very cordial in their emails. When I was looking for work, I truly relied on them. I felt they both discriminated against my background and age. Rachel asked me questions about my age and background in a manipulative fashion. My friend Carol interviewed with them and she endured the same bad experience I did.

The girls there are on top of their games, very nice as well as professional. One thing that they do and make a huge difference to me compare to some other agencies, is that they always, get back to me in timely manner whenever I sent them an email, regardless the nature of my email. And most important of all, they do not discriminate.

Lori is so incredible! She is super helpful and on top of her game! Anyone who claims her agency is inadequate is crazy. She’s so sweet and friendly and she answered all of my questions. Best agency ever!!!