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Be careful! You just might be breaking some Apple NDA by publishing this!

Awesome post. yeah that’s how it is. Wait until you get a copy of the 300 page retail policy & procedure manual.

This is definitely pretty interesting stuff. Thank you for sharing.

I too once was an Apple Genius and your account is very similar to mine except that I was going into a situation where the store wasn’t open yet and I got to help open the store.

Your assesment of Bi-polar is spot on as that is exactly how it is…fixing machines for a bit and helping some granny fix her iPod. I am still working with Apple stuff, but for a 3rd party company and it is so much nicer! Don’t get me wrong, I think that working for Apple was a great experience and they take care of their employees with great health benefits and discounts, but the compensation isn’t great for what you do and the hours can suck too since many stores are in malls.

Overall though…thanks for sharing! Oh, and I am sure that there was NDA prior to or during and interview, only after your acceptance of the position.

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve always wondered what they paid and how hard is it to get in. My questions are now answered.

Piss test? Or no?

I recently applied online at Apple and got called into a 2 hour Hiring Seminar which was basically a rah-rah session for all things Apple. By the end of the day I got an email that they weren’t interested in hiring me, probably because I was overqualified.

I applied over the summer to work at the genius bar at Montgomery Mall (outside DC). Found the job classifications rather bizarre and appear to have applied for both genius and sales. Went thru 3 sets of interviews, but at the nearby Bethesda, MD store. Assumed hiring was centralized. Interviewers were always late. The first time was some sort of introductory meeting. Managers were clapping as applicants entered the store. (The corniest thing I ever saw.) Then they showed a short and old Think Different video. Rather hurt that I wasn’t hired, as I had been working on and tearing apart Macs since 1986 and clearly had more expertise than the other applicants in the room. They were clearly interested in starting people in sales and moving them to the genius bar.

I’ve been through the hiring process here (did not take the job) and my experience was NOTHING like this at all. My recruiters were really, really awesome.

Had nine interviews, used to work at CompUSA, no love lost there. No love from any store in my state. Had the same experience with managers, and even had one manager take me aside one day to interview for Shipping/Phone Op. Still no letter of acceptance. Most of the other applicants made the cut, and remember me; Still, they cannot answer any of my questions, neither can the Genius Bar, I must use The Studio… I still love Apple products, and want to work for them. So I am going another route; get certified first. That should stop “Over-qualified” excuses…

I know Apple pretty well, and you neglect to mention anything about the training they would be giving you. I have friends who work at the NYC Apple Store and Apple flew them overseas to train them in Europe for several weeks before they started.

It seems to me, considering they knew you write an Apple blog, that - duh - you would make a good employee. You also say that, while they warned you Apple is secretive, they were open with you about their own opinions.

sounds like a pretty standard interview process and standard employment agreement to me.

Of course, I’m sure they were more interested in how you answered their questions versus the number of correct answers. A customer service person needs to know what he does and doesn’t know, first and foremost.

I got hired at Apple nearly a year ago as a Mac specialist and I’m in training to become a Creative trainer… but my hiring experience was nothing like yours. I had AMAZING interviewers and I still have great managers now. Yeah, we got the flack about how Apple is secretive– but it doesn’t MATTER because on the retail level, we don’t find out anything significant ahead of time anyhow. When they put out the pink nano in February, we got them the morning that they were supposed to go on the shelves with a note that was basically– “here, new nanos, put them out.” They are more worried about us discussing rumors from Apple fan-blogs with customers, because in that case we’re representing Apple.

If you got a bad vibe from your hirers, thats one thing, but not all Apple stores are like this. Management varies greatly depending the store.

I think that the key with applying for a job in Apple Retail is realizing that it’s Apple, but it’s also RETAIL. Working retail can be one of the most miserable experiences imaginable, but I’ve got to say that working at Apple was tons better than working somewhere like Staples (I was even on their halfassed GeekSquad, EasyTech). As mentioned above, there’s a lot of training that goes into every employee and generally working at the Apple Store was a good experience—not something that I can say about any other job I’ve had.

I do have to admit, though, that I was getting pretty burned out on iPhone.

Where’s the intellectual property agreement? Without that, this is really just boilerplate and meaningless since there is nothing unusual in this offer letter whatsoever. Show us the intellectual property agreement: that’s where the action is here, if there really is any action here.

1) I think the questions they asked you weren’t that simple. I’ve been playing around with Mac for a while and I would have had to make up answers.
2) Genius Bars are an amazing service Apple offers. It saved me and others hundreds of dollars. You stop by, they have a look at your MacBook, they fix it and your’re gone! In other places like Melrose Mac, you have to leave your computer, and they charge you $50 just to look at it, and it takes 3 to 5 business days!!!!
3) Yes, Geniuses are not engineers but they’re paid $17/hour. It is a lot for a store to pay. And there aren’t only one Genius on the floor. Yes I wish they’d be engineers, but what company could afford to pay such wages.
4) I see the Genius Bar as the selection area in a hospital during a war where injured people are being pre-examined by nurses and young doctors who sends them to the “real”doctors if needed, or they treat them themselves.

how is someone supposed to make a living on $17/h???

that’s roughly $2720 before taxes and all other stuff that get deducted… my guess is that after taxes this leaves like like $1900 in the bank… $22k/year??? WTF???

Seems like the hiring process to every retail environment, I don’t see why this is note worthy.

Work part time for the discounts.

$17/hr is a great rate for retail jobs.

Most retail jobs pay barely above minimum wage, with shift-like hours (easily starting 2-4 hours before the store opens to 2 hours after closing - you won’t work the entire day, but that’s when your hours can start/end!).

The flunky at Best Buy or Circuit City or Future Shop barely make minimum wage (I’ve asked them - I’ve got friends). With commission, they earn a few more bucks per hour.

I’d guess the Apple store employees get paid at a rate a few bucks more than minimum wage - the Apple stores I’ve seen are horrifically busy, the employees are all tied up helping people (despite having 10 times what a normal retail store has, not counting Geniuses), and really, they seem happy to help.

….working at an apple retailer is as much “working for apple” as working for blockbuster is working on the set of a major motion picture…..

aka..its not.

US$17/hr (AUD$20) is nothing, its only marginally more than a McDonalds employee is paid in Aus, yet the Genius people are supposed to be highly skilled employees.

I’ve been running my own Mac consulting business for the last 12 years. Before that I worked in computer retail at an Apple dealer. I was better at the technical side of things and started my own business after the retailer I worked for didn’t have good technicians on hand and their customers always wanted in-house work done which the retailer refused to do.
Today I’m making $100K a year because I’ve moved into corporate support contracts where the money is. You’ll never make a comfortable living working in retail for someone else!

You guys can do it too, just be diligent, friendly and KNOW YOUR STUFF. Be versatile as well, don’t shy away from those terrible Windows boxes. Selling customers into the Mac is easy now. Apple’s business is growing by leaps and bounds and I’m reaping the rewards.

the pay looks all well and good but i dont like the bit where it says you can be fired forwhat ever reason or no reason, you could have worked all hours on a large project then next day your fired.

you would think you would hide your name too. I know I would have.

I was a Lead Genius at an Apple Store for a year, and I can tell you, it is all about who the mgmt is. Ours were petty, political and outright ignorant. It’s too bad, but now on the outside (working at a Mac consulting firm), it’s obvious Apple Retail is falling apart in some Stores.

I worked in retail while I was in college, and this sounds like the same process I went through for department stores. And ismh’s comment about some of the stores falling apart is true for every chain.

I went through the entire hiring process from start to finish and these are my impressions. I doubt my experience was typical because Apple both sought me out and because the store was only in the planning stages so there was no local management - so all my interactions early on were with people in California.

Six Months Out I was approached by an Apple recruiter and agreed to have a telephone interview with her, they told me about what they were looking for and what it was about me that interested them. The discussion was pretty free ranging and the technical conversation was pretty brief. I said I was interested and I remained in contact with this recruiter for a couple of months.

I was provided with updates, they told me the physical location of the store and other things. I was actually really suprised by how much I was being told by the apprently secretive Apple.

At this early stage I was pretty excited, given the high level contact and the disclosures I figured they had big plans for me.

Jump ahead and they tell me some Apple Retail people are comming to town and they want to meet, I was told this would be informal. It was basically myself, a couple of Apple retail people, a pair of store managers from elsewhere and several other canidates. The Apple people said virtually nothing, I spent far more time talking to the other assembled canidates than I did talking to the Apple people who frankly seemed either bored or hung-over.

I got the distinct impression that the meeting had gone very poorly - California called a few days later and thanked me for meeting with their team and indicated to me that from here on out my point of contact would be one of the people I had met with. This alarmed me because the guy who I had met in person didn’t seem to know anything and had a real attitude problem.

It was about this point I began to lose interest, but I continued since I had so much invested in the process at this point so I figured I would see it through.

Around this time I was told when training would take place, no offer had been made but they told me if I was interested to make sure I was available at those times.

I had a further meeting with my new contact and it went extremely poorly, I had absolutely no desire to work with this person in any capacity for any period of time. He would not have been the permanent manager, he was manager of another store but my dislike of him was that strong.

Evidently Apple felt it went fine, but by that point I had lost all interest and indicated such. They said they were sorry to hear that and they would consider other canidates and please not to rule out future oppertunities with Apple.

I heard once more from the person in California who expressed their appreciation for me sticking with them for so many months and again said they hope I consider other oppertunities with Apple.

Applying and interviewing for a job you have no intention of accepting is kind of a dickhead thing to do. Not only does it waste an employer’s time and money, but it also robs another potential candidate of the opportunity for consideration. I do not understand why you would blog about this. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this interview process or offer letter. The only impression I am really left with is that you are basically a jerk.

Sometime ago, I interviewed Alex Frankel who wrote a book on the front-line jobs he had at companies like Gap, Starbucks, UPS and Apple Store during a two-year project. You may find interesting tidbits in the interview:

Author interview: “Punching In” at the Apple Store
http://counternotions.com/2007/11/26/punching-in-interview/

I call bull-shit!
I interviewed with Apple and it went nothing like this. I also received a background packet via e-mail prior to a job offer. I would assume that is the standard practice company wide.
Also the letter of intent was nothing like his.
And lastly, if he really interviewed with that smug attitude and the questions he asked the SM and AM he’d never get the job.

I think it’s entirely your right to scout job opportunities and see what they offer you. If you find a nice fit that’s better than what you’re doing now, than go for it! This happens even on executive levels at top corporations in the world. Once some stock options vest, it’s interview time.

I say if your resume is good enough to land you an offer with Apple after one interview, then you shouldn’t have much to worry about with finding another job. It’s too bad that Apple isn’t a little more hands-on with management. A little bit more of a clamp down on management could result in better taken care of geniuses and better scouted retail employees.

I’m sure it goes back and forth between location as to how the stores are run.

I have a question. How long does Apple generally take to contact you after a group interview? And would they contact you if they were not interested in you?

Well, I just went through the Genius hiring process, and to be honest, it was wonderful. The management seemed thrilled to talk to me, and they did so with a very high level of excitement. I also didn’t see the paperwork until after I was hired.

My first interview was with a recruiter from California. The second was in the store with an ASM, and the third was with a hiring manager. Each experience was awesome. They walked me around, introduced me to all of the team members, and it seemed that everyone just loved their job and I felt very welcomed. It was a completley different experience than I’ve had with other employers.

So, I accepted the position, and I hope for the best. So far though, I haven’t had a reason to feel uncomfortable, and every manager I’ve met is laid back, really polite, and seems to have a realistic outlook on the retail world.

Wish me luck.

Seriously — Everyone who says “Psshhh. They didn’t hire me because I was overqualified” is exactly the type of person Apple doesn’t want to hire. Nobody likes a know-it-all. I loved working at Apple, and my hiring process was great. I will say it was more about finding a good team dynamic than anything. Most of the tech stuff can be taught, as long as the basic foundations are there. They don’t want people who think they know everything going in because they just turn out to be a pain-in-the-ass to train. Having great customer service skills is the most important thing, and getting along with the rest of the team comes next.

That’s what they’re really looking for. If you’re not a fit, you’re not a fit. But get off the “I knew too much for this retail crap” high-horse.

Apple was great to work for. The pay wasn’t amazing, but I couldn’t complain. Most of the people I worked with had been there for over a year, and it’s because you get to have a lot of fun and make great friends.

Hi. I was just wondering if anyone knew how long it took to be notified to see if you were given an interview. I really want to be a campus rep but I have yet to hear anything. Thanks.

I applied at apple last month and I still haven’t heard anything. This is my dream place to work and have been waiting since age 14 to work there. I know a ton of stuff about macs and im the one everyone calls when there computer goes wrong! If anyone can give me any hints on how to snag a job there or if anyone knows a recruiter here is me Email: Adamtaylor307@msn.com.
Thanks a ton!

You would have to offer me $50 an hour to do that job. Retail hours? Showing people Itunes? Please…I currently make $63k a year, just out of college with an engineering degree. It is not that hard people, you don’t have to work retail. At my current job, Apple is one of our customers. Not the retail stores, but Apple itself, in California, the actual engineers / product designers.

Get through it people! You can do it! Down with the Man! No more retail hours!