- For retail: arrive confidently at your interview prepared to do a group interview, discuss your experience, and demonstrate your passion for Apple.
- For at-home advisors: have experience troubleshooting an OS, prepare for your video interview, and finally, work hard during your 5-7 week training.
- For corporate: pull together a stellar resume, create a portfolio, reach out to your connections at Apple, and finally, practice problem-solving questions.
Applying for a Retail Job
Apply for a sales position if you want to introduce people to new products. Entry-level sales professionals, also known as “specialists”, are the first employees to greet customers when they enter the store. If you're enthusiastic about Apple products and outgoing enough to share that enthusiasm with any customer you encounter, consider applying to become a specialist. If you begin as a specialist, you can work your way up to a Creative position. Creatives are knowledgeable employees who show customers how to use Apple software to its fullest potential. They may lead workshops or seminars on how to use certain applications, or teach customers how to operate software one-on-one.
Consider a technical support position if you enjoy hands-on problem-solving. If you're interested in learning the ins and outs of Apple technology and sharing that knowledge with others, apply for a technical support position. As a technical specialist, you will help troubleshoot computers, phones, and other devices. With your help, customers will be able to better understand and operate their Apple products. Technical specialists can work full-time or part time, and no prior technical knowledge or experience is required – you will receive all the training you need when you begin work. Geniuses are full-time employees who repair computer hardware and help customers solve the most complex problems. If you want to become a Genius, you will need to start out as a technical specialist and gain experience before you apply for promotion.
Apply for a leadership position if you're interested in managing a store. Applicants with at substantial customer-facing management experience can apply to become a store manager or leader. Entry level applicants can apply for the Apple Store Leader Program, which provides intensive training to prepare participants for an eventual role as a leader or manager. Applicants to the Apple Store Leader program must have some previous leadership experience, whether in school, extracurricular activities, or a professional setting. Applicants for store manager or leader must have five years of experience in a similar store-management role.
Consult the Apple retail jobs webpage to apply to your preferred position. The webpage has a list of available positions in each category, spread across a number of different locations. Submit an application and resume to the position you desire in the location that makes the most sense for you.
Acing the Retail Job Interview
Consider how Apple products tie in to your personal passions. Apple recruits retail employees who can demonstrate the potential of their products to potential buyers. A powerful way to do this is to think and talk about the way Apple products have allowed you to do the things that you care about and accomplish your goals. For instance, if you're passionate about music, think about how applications like iTunes and Garage Band have allowed you to create and discover new songs. If accessibility is important to you, consider how technologies like Siri could make life easier for those who are disabled. Be ready to discuss these topics in an interview setting. You may be asked to answer questions like “How have Apple products influenced your life?”
Reflect on previous employment experiences. If you are invited to an interview, you will be asked fairly typical questions about your previous job(s). You may be asked to recount how you handled a difficult customer service situation, or how you dealt with any other kind of adversity in the workplace. Think about how you might answer these questions ahead of time so you are prepared to respond to them during interviews. Some examples of job experience questions you may be expected to answer include: “Tell us about a time that you experienced conflict with a co-worker, and how you resolved the problem”, or “Tell us about a humbling experience you had while working in a previous employment role.” You might also be asked about your favorite moment of your career and what you were doing at the time.
Be prepared for and comfortable with group interviews. The initial interview for Apple retail positions often involves a group event of up to 100 people. You will be separated into smaller groups of 4-6 people, and then asked to act out customer service situations or take turns answering basic interview questions, such as why you'd like to work for Apple or how you dealt with a tough customer. Overall, you should be prepared and willing to participate and share during group activities. Try getting together with a group of friends to ask each other basic interview questions, or act out retail situations. This will help you get comfortable with the interview format ahead of time. Further rounds of interviews also take place in small groups and pairs. There may be between 3 and 6 rounds of interviews.
Be casual, relaxed, and authentic. Apple isn't looking for career salespeople who boast about their accomplishments or sales figures, and you certainly don't need to arrive at any of your interviews in a suit. Show up dressed comfortably and ready to share your own interests and experiences, even if they're not directly relevant to the job. Getting “noticed” during the interview for a unique personal quality or experience is far more valuable than being perfectly qualified for the position you're applying for. Research Apple's mission and core values ahead of time so you can tailor your application and interview accordingly.
Demonstrate friendliness, patience, and strong communication skills. Apple wants employees who are approachable, outgoing, and willing to take the time to help customers arrive at the best outcome. Do your best to project these qualities, especially when acting out customer service scenarios. To demonstrate your tact and ability to communicate, you may be asked to recount a time when you told a customer something they didn't want to hear. You might encounter a question like this: “Has there ever been a time when a customer asked for something you couldn't provide to them right away? How did you handle the situation?” During group or pair interviews, make confident statements, but don't dominate the conversation. Listen to your fellow interviewees and build on their ideas. This will help demonstrate your ability to listen patiently to customers and work towards the best possible solution.
Becoming an At-Home Advisor
Have prior troubleshooting experience with any operating system. If you apply for a work-from-home advisor position, you'll be a member of AppleCare (Apple's customer service team). Your job will be to give customers advice on Apple software, hardware, services, and accessories over the phone or in a chat window. You don't have to have extensive Mac experience, but you should have some experience troubleshooting other operating systems, such as Windows. It's helpful, but not necessary, to have specific experience solving Mac problems. Before you officially begin work as an At-Home Advisor, you'll receive 5-7 weeks of specialized training on how to address customer concerns.
Set up a productive workspace – but don't worry about owning an Apple computer. To become an AppleCare At-Home Advisor, you will need to have a clean, quiet desk space where you will be capable of focusing for the duration of a typical 8-hour work day. If you are hired, Apple will provide you with a company iMac and a headset, so don't worry if you don't already have a Mac. Whether or not you have a computer, you will be expected to have an internet speed of 10 MB/s for downloading and 1 MB/s for uploading.
Submit your application online. The application process for becoming an at-home advisor is about 1-2 months long, but it begins with an online application, much like retail and corporate positions. Investigate available positions on this webpage: https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/aha.html. Then, fill out an application for the one that suits you best. In your application, you'll be expected to answer some basic interview questions, such as why you want to work for Apple and what qualities you would bring to the position. You may also be asked to answer a few straightforward technical questions.
Be comfortable with and prepared for a video interview. If the hiring team thinks you're a suitable candidate, you'll be invited to join in a video interview that's about an hour to an hour and a half long. The main purpose of this interview is to gauge your technical abilities and problem-solving skills. You may encounter role-play situations in which you might have to respond to an interviewer pretending to be a customer with a specific problem. If you have limited experience with these kinds of interviews, you may want to practice answering basic tech support questions with a friend, perhaps even over Skype or another video chat platform.
Stay engaged and work hard during training. If your video interview goes well, a representative from Apple will inform you that you've been hired, and provide you with the details of your role. Then, you will be invited to begin training, which consists of an exhaustive 5-7 week course that you'll take from your at-home office. However, what you don't learn until you're “hired” is that you must hit performance benchmarks on tests that are given at the end of each week of training, or risk losing your brand-new job. If you pay attention and dedicate yourself to your training, you'll pass these tests and begin working in earnest. Trainers also use a number of strategies to ensure that you're engaged with training throughout the workday. They deliver regular prompts that you must respond to in 30 seconds, and also may call for a group video chat at any time. Stay at your desk, and you won't receive an awkward phone call asking why you didn't respond to messages or join in the video chat.
Choosing the Right Corporate Role for You
Apply for a hardware job if you have a strong academic background in engineering. If you want to work on developing the circuitry, architecture, and display technology behind high-performing Apple products, you should have an academic degree (preferably advanced) in a field closely related to the realm of engineering you're interested in. For instance, you should have an advanced degree in electrical engineering if you want to work on battery technologies. In the same vein, if you are interested in fine-tuning the sound quality of Apple headphones, you will need a degree in Acoustics with an emphasis on engineering.
Apply for a software development position if you are an experienced computer scientist. If you have a strong understanding of computer science, you can apply for a job where you'll work on the latest versions of Apple core operating systems, create new versions of Apple applications, or fine-tune wireless software. You'll need a degree in computer science or a closely related field – again, preferably an advanced degree like a Masters or a PhD. You should also know multiple programming languages and have ample experience using them.
Apply to the design team if you want to shape the Apple user experience. If you're interested in helping to create the latest Apple devices and user interfaces – and have the experience necessary to do so – look for a job in design. If you have a strong attention to detail and an appreciation for devices that are both functional and beautiful, design work could be highly fulfilling. If you want to work on designing the physical devices, you'll need an advanced degree in industrial design or a similar field. You will also need to have considerable computer modeling capabilities. If you want to design user interfaces, you'll need a degree in computer science or human-computer interaction, as well as a strong command of programming languages.
Apply for an operations or business development position if have experience with big business. If you want to help Apple develop its long-term business strategy, solve large-scale problems, or get involved in the procurement processes that ensure that there are enough Apple products to meet popular demand, consider a role on the operations team, or within the sales and business development division. Positions in these areas require both academic and professional experience, so they might not be the best roles for those seeking entry-level employment. An advanced degree in a business-related field (like an MBA) will be desired. In addition, you'll need previous employment experience in an industry that requires strong quantitative and problem-solving abilities, such as finance or consulting.
Apply for a marketing role to share your passion for Apple products with a wide audience. Apple's marketing professionals collaborate with designers and engineers to creatively promote their products. If you're interested in designing advertising campaigns, planning marketing events, or helping to launch new devices, consider applying for a marketing job. If you want to become one of the graphic designers, product managers, or social media experts who craft Apple's global image, academic credentials won't be quite as important as previous job experience. It's important to have a bachelor's degree in a field related to the job you're applying for, but even more crucial to have a few years of marketing experience under your belt.
Landing Your Corporate Role
Show a passion for technology, especially for non-engineering positions. If you want to work in a department like marketing or business development, you don't necessarily need to earn a degree in computer science or engineering. However, tech companies are biased towards hiring people with at least rudimentary tech skills, and a history of interest in technology. Demonstrate this interest in your academic and professional pursuits before applying to Apple. Regardless of your college major, you can squeeze in a class on coding, or even some seminars on the impact of technology in society. Understanding the basics of how Apple develops its products – and the role it plays in our economy as a whole – will set you up for success regardless of what position you're applying for. Before you pursue a career at Apple, try to gain experience by applying for jobs and internships at other tech companies or in related fields. This will also help demonstrate technical curiosity and skill.
Start your own project or venture. Whether you're still in high school, working towards your undergrad degree, or figuring out what you want to do now that you've finished your masters, start working on a personal project or venture. Whether you're initiating research in a field that interests you, developing an app, or launching a start-up, “starting something” will demonstrate that you have many qualities that Apple prizes: initiative, curiosity, leadership, passion for technology, and creativity. If you have a great idea for a project but have little coding or software development or experience, you can recruit knowledgeable friends to help you, or even outsource a development team. You don't need to be a full-on computer whiz to launch an exciting venture. Remember—Apple's motto is "Think differently!"
Put together a brief but compelling resume. Recruiters for large tech companies like Apple often take very little time to assess an applicant's resume before placing it in either the “yes” or “no” pile. To ensure that your qualifications get noticed, create a clear, short resume that emphasizes your most important experiences and accomplishments. Skip including minor awards, projects, or test scores on your resume. Make room for more recent accomplishments that are relevant to the position you're applying for.
Create an online portfolio if you're applying for a design or engineering position. If you're seeking a role that involves design or engineering, be it software, hardware, or marketing graphics, create an online portfolio to showcase your accomplishments and provide examples of your work. For example, if you developed an app, include a description of your work process and screenshots of the interface. If you want to be a mechanical engineer or product designer, include pictures and descriptions of previous projects. Provide a link to this portfolio in your resume, or any other correspondence you might have with hiring managers.
Introduce yourself to current employees through mutual connections. If someone who already works at Apple – and has some influence on the hiring process in the department you're interested in– knows who you are, your resume might get a closer look. They'll be even more likely to give you thorough consideration if a mutual acquaintance introduces you to them. Ask your connection to copy you on an email to the Apple employee that provides a summary of your accomplishments and career goals. Then, if the employee replies, start an e-mail thread between just the two of you. In your messages, be straightforward about your background, your interests, and your desires. If the employee wants to learn more about you, or believes that they could help, set up a phone call for further discussion. Your connection can also submit an employee referral through Apple's internal system, where they upload your resume and a short paragraph you've written about why you're the person for the role.
Practice problem-solving questions ahead of the interview. Along with more typical interview questions – such as describing personal strengths and weaknesses, or recounting creative solutions you implemented at previous jobs – Apple interviewers will ask you tricky problem-solving questions. Look up examples of these questions and practice them ahead of time so you're not caught off guard during your interview. If you're interviewing for an operations or business development position, you may be asked to solve large-scale problems using mental math. For instance, you may be asked to calculate how much the empire state building weighs, or how many babies are born every day. If you're interviewing for a hardware engineering position, you may encounter questions that test your technical knowledge and capability. Candidates have been asked to sketch the inside architecture of an iPhone, explain how airplane wings work, or describe in detail what would happen if you placed a glass of water on a spinning turntable. Don't be intimidated or flustered if a question initially seems impossible. Interviewers will assess your ability to persevere in searching for a better answer, even if it's not perfectly correct.
Dress casually, but act professionally. Most Apple employees dress very casually, and you'll want to blend in and look like you belong. However, be warned – though the environment is not overtly “corporate”, you should still conduct yourself respectfully and avoid getting too comfortable or friendly with your interviewers. Wear a nice shirt or top with a good pair of jeans to your interview. A suit is definitely overkill. Avoid making inappropriate or extremely personal statements, especially during informal meals. It might feel like you're eating out with a few new friends, but it's still an interview – don't forget that you're being constantly evaluated.
Send a polite follow-up email to your someone you met during your interview. If you really liked or admired someone who interviewed you, ask them for their e-mail address and send them a brief note telling them how much you enjoyed meeting them, how excited you are about the potential opportunity, and that you hope to hear from them soon. This is a conscientious touch that will help your potential employers remember you long after the interview is over.
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