Apple Reviews in Austin, TX Area

Pros

- Great benefits
- Decent pay
- Access to your own computer with little site blocking (although you're technically not supposed to do it while on a call)
- Fairly easy work to learn and master

Cons

- Unreasonable customer expectations (e.g. customers feeling like they deserve a new iPhone because they have AppleCare, which is a warranty not insurance, after the phone is dropped)
- Very high goal targets (90% customer satisfaction) where irrelevant/incorrect (e.g. for another adviser) or really bad customer expectations are not weeded out

Advice to Senior Management

Don't just consider the numbers or goal target not met. Also look at how hard a person is working, especially when management can't figure out what's going wrong and thus can't give feedback on what needs correcting.

Pros

The caliber of people you encounter here is extremely high and one of the biggest benefits is that each and every person truly was the best candidate for that job. Everyone is committed to doing a good job of doing their job.

Cons

If you are geographically bound to a remote or field office, opportunity for advancement is limited. Relocation is often necessary.

Pros

Nice newer office with a clean and modern feel. Training is adequate. Great cafeteria and benefits. Friendly co-workers and a nice gym.

Cons

Crazy hours/days off and a WEIRD SALES model makes this a difficult place to work. No metrics and a very arrogant company. Pay is cheap, as they get away with it because they are "Apple." Senior managers at Apple (at least in Austin) are clueless with the exception of one or two. Very hard to advance. Contractors are treated awful, so if you are going in as a VOLT employee, I would advise against this having seen how they are treated.

Advice to Senior Management

Train your sales managers better. Most of them goof off and sit on facebook all day and are generally clueless when it comes to asking for help. They refer you to a "deputy" who is just a guinea pig. Your Apple....pay better and get your HR Recruiters on the ball.

Pros

People, products, being on the cutting edge, never a slow period

Cons

secrecy of new products, lack of promotion from within

Advice to Senior Management

Weed out the incompetent management, there are a number of talented individuals waiting in the wings

Pros

I've been with Apple for 27+ years now, and I've seen them go thru a lot of changes. Apple cares about their employees like I have never heard of any other company. Fighting Cancer and can't come to work. Then they brought the work home to them. Have bad eye sight then they got him a much larger screen with big lettering. Want a degree Apple will help you and allow you to meet the needs of your schedule. I have always had great managers who would always be there for me if I needed help. I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

Cons

The only thing I could say in this department would be that sometimes the communacation isn't there all the time. When working on something new you need to look at the trail all the way to the end to see who it all effects.

Advice to Senior Management

Same as above. Sometimes when a new project or system is being worked on make sure that you follow the trail for all that it will involved.

Pros

Opportunity for advancement, great people, great pay, great experience, overall just a great time, good fellow employees, 8 bucks a month for a gym membership, definately one of the best companies to work for, its great & i love it!

Cons

I cant think of any, they give out free apples to employees, cons would just be those that apply to all companies in general, whatever that may be!

Advice to Senior Management

it would be super awesome if volt employees could also use the gym! oh and maybe all employees would get free iPhones? haha just sayin :)

Pros

Job security and the pride of working for the best company in the world where creativity and ideas are more important than experience and excellence is the rule, not the exception.

Cons

Non salary employees rotate schedules every 3 months. OT requirements during Christmas and working Christmas.

Advice to Senior Management

As Steve told Tim, continue to do what is right! Keep the foundation of creativity and excellence Steve built intact and flourishing. We are leaders in every area of our business...keep it up!

Pros

Great innovative products and just security with low stress.

Cons

Very busy and am underpaid compared to competitors

Advice to Senior Management

Need to make the sales process more efficient.

Pros

Love for the products.
Diversity among community.
Very stable company.
Exciting potential to grow within the company.
working at apple is fun.

Cons

Must be flexible with work schedule.
Compensation is not always desirable.
The growing pains from a small to large company

Advice to Senior Management

Tim Cook,
The best of luck, future endeavors, and leadership guidance your new role as Apple Inc C.E.O

Pros

Best benefits out there, the discount is pretty slick and hey, you work for Apple.

Cons

I worked retail at Best Buy and didn't feel so much as a cog as I did at Apple. In retail, you can progress quickly and do well and be recognised. At Apple Corporate, I knew people who'd been in the same middle-management job for 15 years. In a company growing at the rate of Apple, that's frightening.

Couple that with the compartmentalisation within Apple and it's hard to move around or up. People get too specialised and therefore, stuck.