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Apple Hiring Seminar - What to expect?

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Hey there guys. Finally after many applications, I've been invited to an Apple Hiring Seminar. Naturally I'm very excited and I really, really don't want to blow this opportunity to work at Apple. The position I applied for is the Specialist (sales floor) position, so I'm assuming that's the position I'll be aiming for at the seminar. I'm just wondering if anyone who has gone to one and been hired could let me know what I should expect or prepare for when I attend the seminar. I was given a choice of three different times to RSVP for, and was thinking I should RSVP for the earliest one to show I am interested and can be awake before noon. Please provide any information you can that you think would be helpful to me in this thread or through PM. Thanks.

- ImageX
 
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I've been to two. Not hired... yet. :)
Drink plenty of coffee - they want to see lots of energy and eagerness to participate. Don't be timid or too self-conscious to have fun. That's all.
 
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I was actually one step away from either a Genius or Specialist position and spent about 3 months of my life waiting on the people at Apple to get back to me through every step. They're really self centered in that way. I eventually didn't get the position due to the fact that the store which wanted to hire me didn't have openings, and passed me on to their 5th Ave store, which I kind of loathe. The guys uptown liked me a lot and wanted me there, but had no choice, so it just went downhill from that point on.

The hiring seminar is a lot of fun and very casual. They're not looking for over the top butt kissing, but do appreciate people who understand the brand and have a good understanding of their products. The main thing about the seminar is that you should be fairly outspoken (without being obnoxious about it), attentive and interested in what is being said.

The recruiter will ask very general questions (nothing technical) and will be looking for people to speak up. After a bit, you'll be divided into groups (likely 4 groups of 5) and you'll possibly be given a portfolio of a random stranger. You'll have to assess this person's needs with your group and figure out what scenario (hardware and software wise) would suit this person best, depending on their M.O..

That part was really fun, and really gives you an opportunity to stand out from the crowd, and to also show how much of a team player you are at the same time.

There's also a technical questionnaire, which is really silly. It's 20 questions or something, asking about basic computer knowledge, such as:

"what is an operating system" "what is RAM" "what are 4 unique features of the iPhone" etc... Really stupid questions actually.

If you get an immediate email... no dice. If they don't call you for weeks, it's a good sign (didn't feel very good to me, but that's how they are apparently) Then you'll likely have either 2 or 3 interviews. (I had 4 due to shifting to the other location and was pretty much ****** and didn't even want to be there at that point)

The interviews are fairly relaxed and standard fare. Stupid questions abound: " So why Apple?" From what I gathered in my experience, they care more about personality than they do experience. In fact, the 5th Ave store has some pretty stupid people working there, and they all walk around like zombies.. I can't stand that store. The employees are really ghetto for the most part, as some barely manage to speak decent English. (I don't mean that they're from another country, I mean ebonics and such)


The best advice I can give you is to be relaxed and be yourself.

If you want more details feel free to PM me.

Doug
 
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From what I gathered in my experience, they care more about personality than they do experience.

From my hiring history (not being hired) this is almost always true. If I can get along with someone, I can train them. At least that is my humble opinion.
 
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From what I gathered in my experience, they care more about personality than they do experience.

From my hiring history (not being hired) this is almost always true. If I can get along with someone, I can train them. At least that is my humble opinion.

That's all well and good, and mostly agree with you.. but if your fate is left up to someone who may be having a bad day, it's nice to know that credentials mean "something". I personally have a very likeable personality (in person... forums are possibly another story ;) ) and can get along with anybody, but I'm not a phony and it shows. If I don't like someone or am not feeling their vibe, I won't go out of my way to try. Could be a shortcoming I suppose.
 
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ImageX
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It's nice to hear that they're interested in the people who show interest in their products and who are being themselves. That will be easy for me because most of the time, I'm very interested in Apple products and can naturally be myself because I love computers and electronics. Thanks for all of the info. I'm also wondering what I need to do on that day. Like do I need to approach someone about the Specialist position who is from the store where I applied or will the whole thing be pretty much run by them and I'll just be there following directions? Also, what did you guys wear? =)

Thanks again.

- ImageX
 
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Just follow their lead, no need to worry about the position. You'll be prompted at some point. Dress casually but neat. Don't over do it. They don't like ties ! I wore nice black corduroys (was February) with a casual nice sweater. Jeans are fine.

Doug
 
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Too Many hoops, Id rather Buy a Mac than Sell one... For god sakes its a position selling macs at an Apple store in flip flops..... Goverment applications arent this formal... My advice go work somewhere else lol
 
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Too Many hoops, Id rather Buy a Mac than Sell one... For god sakes its a position selling macs at an Apple store in flip flops..... Goverment applications arent this formal... My advice go work somewhere else lol

I concur. Unless you plan on going somewhere within their corporate sector in Cupertino, it's just a schlub job really. Funny thing is, they don't want to hear anything other than "I want to be a specialist" (or Genius etc if that's the position you're going for) The moment you reveal higher aspirations, they take that as a negative of sorts.

One of the interview questions in fact, was "if you could do anything as an Apple employee, in 5 years, what would it be... sky's the limit!" Riiiight. Because you really want me to tell you that I'd like to be part of a creative think tank sitting around a table coming up with solutions to improve and create new products. Uh hu... Don't fall for that one if you really want to do sales. Just stay in line, basically.

For the money they pay, the hoops they expect you to jump through are a bit absurd. But, if the job makes you happy that's all which matters really. I make more than twice as much now as they'd have paid me, but who knows... maybe I'd really have liked the environment more than my current place of employment.

Mental health is sometimes worth more than money!

Doug
 
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Just thought I'd update this so anyone else having concerns would know how to go about things I guess.

I went to the seminar and was in the lobby for a short while waiting for whoever it was to come and greet all of us there. There were about 30 people there and yes, Apple does love excitement and enthusiasm. After everyone checking in, they walked us up to the conference room where the chairs and tables were arranged along the walls in a "U" shape with music playing and all of the Apple employees clapping and moving around the room. We sat down and they go through like a 1 hour lecture asking questions periodically to get the people's input and see who's active and outgoing I suppose. There were also a couple of times when they split us into groups and we had to introduce to the crowd the person sitting next to us. The other time we grouped was to answer random retail/sales related questions from a cube that one employee in each circle of groups had. Basically they don't care if you know how to even turn on a computer. They want someone who knows retail and can deal well with customer interactions and knows how to swipe a credit card. I find that to be a major downfall of the whole hiring seminar operation because I don't have any retail or sales experience, but since I know quite a bit about computers and the hardware and software in them, it wouldn't be hard for me to learn how to use an iPod Touch with a card scanner on it as opposed to having someone who would have to learn about computers to know what they're saying while answering customers' questions. Basically, this seminar will teach you that Apple is pompous and knows how to do business very well. They even made it a point to let us know that they hand pick each plank of wood that goes in to making their showroom tables and the granite they pick from special quarries for their floors. They even compared their per square foot profits to the Tiffany's jewelry store in that Tiffany's made $1500/sq. ft. of store space while Apple made $7000/sq. ft. of store space in profits during 2009. I was turned off to see how self-absorbed Apple is and I'm seriously rethinking wanting employment with them.

Basically to do well at one of these seminars, you have to be very involved in the conversations going on and not be shy at all to speak up about whatever input you may have. If you stand out as a weirdo at the seminar, you'll probably be called back.

I'm off my soap box...

- ImageX
 
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Basically, this seminar will teach you that Apple is pompous and knows how to do business very well. They even made it a point to let us know that they hand pick each plank of wood that goes in to making their showroom tables and the granite they pick from special quarries for their floors. They even compared their per square foot profits to the Tiffany's jewelry store in that Tiffany's made $1500/sq. ft. of store space while Apple made $7000/sq. ft. of store space in profits during 2009. I was turned off to see how self-absorbed Apple is and I'm seriously rethinking wanting employment with them.

This portion isn't so much Apple saying "We're so much better than everyone else!" as it is saying "If we put this much importance into the stone, wood and metal to build our stores, to make sure everything is just right, how much more important is it that we choose the right people to fill it?" Yeah, it does come across as slightly arrogant, but the question is a fair one. Apple is a huge deal in retail sales - they generate more revenue per store than Macy's or J.C.Penney's, they have more traffic than many anchor stores. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2009, when overall retail sales declined 2.4%, Apple rose 7%. In 2010, when the retail industry saw a 4.5% increase, Apple saw a 70% increase in sales. Choosing the right people as, for lack of a better term, ambassadors of the brand is paramount.
 

chscag

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According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2009, when overall retail sales declined 2.4%, Apple rose 7%. In 2010, when the retail industry saw a 4.5% increase, Apple saw a 70% increase in sales. Choosing the right people as, for lack of a better term, ambassadors of the brand is paramount.

This is reflected in the amount of traffic the local Apple stores garner. There isn't a single day or hour that I can walk into my local store and not find it crowded. The store closest to me (about 10 minutes away) is located in a large shopping town square where parking is at a premium. It's not unusual to have to park 4 or 5 blocks away. Imagine lugging a 27" iMac from the store to where you're parked. A good muscle builder. :)
 

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Just thought I'd update this so anyone else having concerns would know how to go about things I guess.

I went to the seminar and was in the lobby for a short while waiting for whoever it was to come and greet all of us there. There were about 30 people there and yes, Apple does love excitement and enthusiasm. After everyone checking in, they walked us up to the conference room where the chairs and tables were arranged along the walls in a "U" shape with music playing and all of the Apple employees clapping and moving around the room. We sat down and they go through like a 1 hour lecture asking questions periodically to get the people's input and see who's active and outgoing I suppose. There were also a couple of times when they split us into groups and we had to introduce to the crowd the person sitting next to us. The other time we grouped was to answer random retail/sales related questions from a cube that one employee in each circle of groups had. Basically they don't care if you know how to even turn on a computer. They want someone who knows retail and can deal well with customer interactions and knows how to swipe a credit card. I find that to be a major downfall of the whole hiring seminar operation because I don't have any retail or sales experience, but since I know quite a bit about computers and the hardware and software in them, it wouldn't be hard for me to learn how to use an iPod Touch with a card scanner on it as opposed to having someone who would have to learn about computers to know what they're saying while answering customers' questions. Basically, this seminar will teach you that Apple is pompous and knows how to do business very well. They even made it a point to let us know that they hand pick each plank of wood that goes in to making their showroom tables and the granite they pick from special quarries for their floors. They even compared their per square foot profits to the Tiffany's jewelry store in that Tiffany's made $1500/sq. ft. of store space while Apple made $7000/sq. ft. of store space in profits during 2009. I was turned off to see how self-absorbed Apple is and I'm seriously rethinking wanting employment with them.

Basically to do well at one of these seminars, you have to be very involved in the conversations going on and not be shy at all to speak up about whatever input you may have. If you stand out as a weirdo at the seminar, you'll probably be called back.

I'm off my soap box...

- ImageX

Welcome to the Earth. People you dont know want your money, and do not care about anything else. Why would they? it doesn't benefit them.
 

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