Apple Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated Feb 8, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 839 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 839 ratings
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| 41–50 of 839 Apple Interviews | Sort by |
Mac Specialist (Apple Store) at Apple
Posted Jan 3, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 in Orlando, FL (took 1+ week)
I received a call from the Interviewer, an Expert. She was very easy to talk to. She asked several situational questions, including: 1) What is your idea of good customer service, 2) What is an example of how you handled a customer. She also asked my familiarity with the product offering and what products I have used.
I was surprised to learn that most people start on a part-time basis at the stores. If you are exceptional, then you can be offered full-time status. Next step was a group interview at the store with 10 or more people. Questions in the group interview are likely to include depth of understanding of mac offerings, but interviewer made sure to advise that evaluation is 70% personality and 30% product knowledge
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
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Helpful Interview?
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Specialist at Apple
Posted Dec 21, 2011 — 3 of 3 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 in New York, NY (took 2+ weeks)
I applied for the Specialist position online in October. A friend of mine who works at an Apple store in another state logged in to their internal referral portal and recommended me for the position. I suggest that you find someone who already works at Apple to do this as it makes the entire process much more fluid.
I didn't hear back until December when I was called in for a group interview. This is the first stage of the hiring process and this particular group interview was for referrals only. There were about 30 of us at a conference room and it was a very relaxed, informal setting for dialogue. We filled out a form that asked questions about availability. On the back side were about 30 questions about Apple products that anyone who is accustomed to using a Mac would have no problem breezing through. We introduced ourselves, gave an interesting fact, and then the facilitators (there were 2) gave us some information about Apple retail, facts, figures, etc. At the end of most slides they opened up the floor for discussion.
Be a part of the dialogue but don't be over eager or overbearing. Listen as much as you speak, and don't just speak for the sake of speaking (i.e. reiterating what has already been said). Our facilitator was incredibly friendly and quickly learned the names of the most active participants. After the dialogue we had a small group activity basically profiling a fake customer and making a product recommendation based on the little bit of information we were given. We then reported our solution to the rest of the group. Again, make sure you are working as a team. I don't think the assignment is about getting the correct solution. I think they are more interested in seeing how you function as a team. Listen to your group members, be insightful, and present with confidence.
We left and were told next steps would be a phone interview if we were chosen to proceed.
The phone interview went rather well. The person that interviewed me happened to be the same woman that facilitated the group interview so I was at an advantage there. I had done hours of online research and preparation that ended up not really being relevant to the conversation. We chatted more about why I wanted to work at Apple, how my experiences prepared me and next-steps for setting up the last and final interview with the store leader. The phone interview was honestly more of a fluid conversation than anything and it kind of seemed like she had made a decision about me moving forward before we even began talking.
The last and final interview with the store leader happened at the same location as the group interview. I met with two individuals from the store I applied to, went over my resume, chatted about my educational background, versatile skill set and other customer experiences. Again, I was very much just being myself and the dialogue was extremely conversational.
MY ADVICE: Do your research as you should with ANY interview, but from my experience, this is less of a test of your technical expertise and more of an assessment of your personality. If you are applying to work in a high-traffic store can you handle difficult customer situations? Do you have retail experience? Are you personable? Do you learn quickly and efficiently? Think about the answers to these questions and emphasize that more so than your smarts. Training will come later. As a specialist the emphasis is definitely more customer interaction. If you are on this site then you're already in good shape.
Good luck!
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
No negotiation. I was happy with my offer. Also, be sure to have open/weekend availability.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview and a Background Check.
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Helpful Interview?
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Computer Architect at Apple
Posted Dec 29, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2011 in Urbana, IL (took a day)
they will ask you a few questions about the tree and some other forms of data structure which I was taking the class by then. SO I couldn't answer the questions and the interview didn't go well
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Mac Specialist (Apple Store) at Apple
Posted Dec 26, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 (took a day)
I applied for a Specialist position at Apple in November and received an invitation to a hiring event in my city about a month later. I read some interview tips on here, as well as other tech blogs around the interwebs, so I felt fairly confident when I went to the event. I selected the 9am event and arrived about 20 minutes early, filled out some paperwork about availability and experience with Apple products, and attempted some small talk with the guy sitting next to me.
8 or 9 Apple employees came out 5 minutes before 9 and mingled amongst the candidates for a meet and greet, some asking "Why Apple?" and others asking to tell them a little about yourself and your experience with Apple products. About 5-10 minutes later, they all went back into the conference room, closed the doors, and then reopened them with clapping and cheering as we all filed in. The room was set up with 6 chairs to a table, all facing the front where there was a projector and screen. The Apple employees went around and introduced themselves and then had all the candidates (about 30 in my session) introduce themselves.
We started with a couple videos about why working at Apple was so great and their financial accomplishments. As other have said, pay attention, especially to the numbers. After a few questions about what stood out about the videos, the Apple employees chose a table and basic scenario questions were asked, for example "An elderly woman comes into your store to take cover from a rainstorm. She has no intent on buying anything. How do you sell her on Apple?" Chime in whenever you can, even if someone answers the question before you do. If someone says the same thing you were going to say, try to elaborate on their answer.
Afterwards, one of the managers said that we should receive some type of communication, either email or phone call, by the end of the day about the next step in the interview process, so I stayed glued to my phone for the rest of the day. I didn't hear anything that day, or the next, or the week after. I called a few times to follow up and was told my messages would be forwarded to the hiring manager and about 2 weeks after the hiring event, I finally got my rejection email. I understand that they saw probably over 100 people during the hiring event, but don't tell us we'll get a response later that day and then not deliver.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
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Helpful Interview?
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Family Room Specialist at Apple
Posted Dec 26, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 (took 1 week)
I applied on the Apple website. A few weeks later I received an invite to a group interview at a local hotel. Was told to dress casual ("We won't be wearing suits, we don't expect you to!") and to expect the event to last about 3 hours. I wore khakis and a polo shirt, the attire ranged from jeans and a backwards hat all the way to a suit and tie. The majority of people wore jeans and a t-shirt, which is what the current employees wore. Didn't seem to have an impact on success/failure.
The group interview started by having everyone quickly introduce themselves, followed by a video about Apple. After the video they asked some questions, both from the video and about products/history not mentioned. I read the Steve Jobs bio a few months ago, that basically covered everything you could possibly want to know (There was also a 20 question work sheet attached to your application, it had a lot of basic Mac and computer questions). After that they had employees talk about the different positions and roles in a store. We then broke up into groups of 5-6, and spread out. An Apple employee and an iPod guided us through a round robin interview process, where each person got a new question. we ended up answering about 3-4 each (Final Question: Why are you right for Apple?). After that we basically were sent on our way. On the way out they had us check "to see if they needed more information on our application". They asked about 10 of us to sit down and wait, turned out it was to go for our second interview. This was about 2.5 hours in.
The second interview was again a group interview, this time they started to split us into groups based apparently on potential position/full vs part time. They were about 5 of us, and 2 managers. The questions got a little more pointed, along the lines of what type of experiences do you have, tech sales etc. Give an example of.....tough customer, bad experience, basically the usual interview questions. Again finished with "Why Apple, and what do you bring to the table?"
After this was asked to stick around for a 3rd interview. This time it was based on position. Myself and another guy were asked to interview as Family Room Specialists. It was the 2 of us and the General Manager and a current FRS. The questions were again a little more specific, and more tech based. At this point it was very comfortable, and if you get this far you'll know what to expect. Don't assume you're good to go tho, you can still lose it. After this, they told us we would hear back from them within 24 hours either way it went. In all, it ended up being about 5.5 hours spent there, the majority of it actively interviewing.
The next day I got a call asking me to a 4th and final interview with the district manager that Friday. I showed up early, he was running a little behind (about 10 minutes). We went to the Starbucks next to the store and sat at a table. He started by asking me to tell him my story, followed by why I would be an asset for Apple. After that it was some tougher questions, mostly the usual personal invterview type stuff: Describe challenging situations, customers, successes, etc. He also asked some really pointed Apple product questions (Time Machine vs Time Capsule??), as well as what my expectations for the position were. There was a lot of back and forth, very fast paced and focused. At the end, I was told that I would recieve a formal offer on Monday. The other candidate for FRS was interviewing later, and that would determine the specific position.
Monday came, I recieved my offer for the FRS position, and was told to come in later in the week to submit my paperwork. I have a week n a half of shadowing coming up, followed by CORE training for 3 days.
A couple of observations: The whole process was big on how awesome Apple was, so if you can't enthusiastically agree don't bother. Everything was focused on personal experiences and qualities, even for the FRS position which is a hybrid sales/tech position. Getting out of the group process required paying attention, answering in the whole group setting and doing very very well in the small group question part. After that, it was a matter of connecting with your interviewer, listening well, and responding quickly intelligently and confidently. Know your Apple stuff, be your self, and be confident. Cant wait to start!!!
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Was told this is the offer, no room for negotiation.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview and a Skills Test.
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Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Family Room Specialist at Apple
Posted Dec 19, 2011
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2011 (took 2 weeks)
After Steve Jobs passed away, I was on Apple's website reading some stuff about him when I saw the career opportunities link and thought I would apply to the Apple store just for fun. I didn't think anyone would call back since I applied to many smaller, less popular employers to work for than Apple and didn't hear anything from them. Surprisingly, I got an email from an Apple recruiter after about 2 weeks inviting me to a hiring event at a local hotel. The interview was a group interview with many others and multiple managers from different stores in the region present. After that interview, I went home and researched and found that the Apple store usually has a 3 interview process. I got a call back after 2 days for my second interview at the actual store. This was with the store manager and since this was a family room position, with the Genius manager as well. After about 2 days, I was called back for the third interview, this time at the store again. This was with 2 other managers, one responsible for the region as well.
After about a week, I got a call back from the store manager telling me I got the job. I was happy to work for Apple and started the job and training about 1.5 weeks later. All in all, it was a tedious interview process but I'm glad I got the job since I invested so much time and money traveling for it. I'm 2 weeks into the job and still in training and it can seem overwhelming at times with so much to learn, but I have faith in God that He'll help me get through it with a positive attitude and that I'll make a positive contribution to the store and company.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview and a Background Check.
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Helpful Interview?
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Mac Specialist (Apple Store) at Apple
Posted Dec 17, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2011 in Indianapolis, IN (took 4 days)
I applied online and several months later, received an email inviting me to a hiring event. The first day included informational videos about working at Apple and everyone (about thirty applicants) was invited to introduce themselves and say something about their background, what was most fun about their favorite job, and why they would be a great fit for Apple. At the end of the informational portion of the interview we were divided into groups to answer behavioral interview questions (standard situational questions). We were told we would get a call within an hour about whether we would progress to the second interview.
I received a call within the hour and scheduled the second interview for the next day. This interview was me and one other person. We each had a 2:1 interview at the same time, then switched interviewers (one set was general sales background and qualifications, the other was basic product knowledge). Again, they promised to call if I was selected.
Regrettably, I did not receive a job offer, and I know exactly why. I really didn't prepare at all for this interview. I have a pretty solid background in retail sales including high tech consumer electronics, and I use apple products every day. I figured I would be fine. With just a little preparation, I would have been fine. It had been a while since my last interview and I wasn't prepared for behavioral questions in the second interview (or the first really) and while I use Apple products I don't use most of the software that they sell. Perhaps the worst thing I did however, was present myself as more interested in being compensated than helping Apple. Obviously I wasn't aware I was doing this at the time, or I wouldn't have done it.
Also, it would have been nice to receive a phone call saying, 'you were not selected' or even a no-reply email.
At the time of the interview I really was more concerned with the other options I was pursuing. I got ahead of myself during the second interview because I was so confident I would get the position, and I asked about benefits and compensation (which of course should really be saved for after receiving the job offer).
Apple is (from what I can tell by interacting with different employees in the store) primarily concerned with hiring people who are fun and have a sociable personality (while there are bright people at the store, some of them I've met were clearly lacking).
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
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Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Senior Software Engineer at Apple
Posted Dec 16, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 in Cupertino, CA (took a day)
I was contacted by the staffing agents. The hire manager did about 45 minutes phone screen. Then a guy called me, without scheduling and we talked about 1 hour. A few day later, I was invited to onsite interview. It lasted from 10:00 -5:00.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Staffing Agency and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
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Helpful Interview?
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No
Inappropriate?
Specialist at Apple
Posted Dec 11, 2011 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2011 in Las Vegas, NV (took a day)
Filled out application and 1 month later invited to a group seminar. Seminars last 2 hours, watch some videos and break up into smaller group and have interview with store manager. During the seminar they stated that we will have result within 7days but it's 10 day already and still no words..
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
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No
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IPhone Mechanical Design at Apple
Posted Dec 13, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed May 2011 in Cupertino, CA (took a day)
Very short. One technical question and done after the response. You need to impress them with knowledge but they are very cocky and do not let you ask any questions. Had people lined up and some interviews lasted less than 2 minutes depending ion the interviewer.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
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