Last year, I found myself in a unique situation where I has a chance to peek behind the curtain at one of the most secretive companies in technology. I had been in sales for a few years and was told I would be needing a new job. I had been going to the Apple store for a long while and decided that if I spent my spare time there, I might as well try to work there. I went to my local store and applied using a computer there. I applied for a specialist position with the company and waited.
Before I go into too much detail about the process, I want to touch a bit on the history of the store. In early 2000, Steve Jobs recruited Ron Johnson from Target to create a new store that would feature Apple products. Steve had noticed that in most retail stores at the time, Apple products were displayed in the back of stores, and often sold by people who didn't understand them. Ron created the store experience from scratch using concierge desks as his inspiration. Ten years and over 300 store later, the Apple store has become a huge success and a major revenue stream for Apple. In my hometown of Las Vegas, there are 3 stores. Two on The Strip, and one 3 miles south on Las Vegas Boulevard. I applied for all 3.
Prior to the Apple store, I'd become accustomed to a certain process when it comes to hiring. Apply to a company, get a call back, go for interview, get job. Because of this, I assumed the process would take a few weeks at the most. I applied to the company with in June of 2010 and then I waited for a call/email. And waited. Two weeks later, I went to the store to follow up about the application. The manager of the store spoke to me and put me through my first interview. He said he was impressed and I would hear back from him later. And then nothing. Again.
Three month later, I checked my email and the account I used for my Apple ID had a message from Apple. I'd been invited to a "Group interview" where I would be interviewing with roughly 60 other people. The time came and I went to a local hotel not knowing what I was getting in to. They introduced all the employees by name and after that everyone in the group did the same. We then watched a video about the Apple store and after, we broke up into groups of 3-4 people. The idea was to play specialist in several hypothetical scenarios designed to see which people knew the products and which didn't. After that, there was a written test about Apple products with questions like "What's the difference between an iPhone 3GS and an iPhone 4" and "define RAM to someone who's buying their first computer ever." After this, we shook hands and went home. About two hours later, I received a call from Apple to come back the next day for a "panel interview". I went and interviewed with three Apple employees(interestingly, only one was in management) with 2 other people. We were given random questions like "describe a difficult customer and what you did to handle him/her." Once we answered all the questions they had, we were told that if we made it through this interview, we'd come back the next day for the "final" interview with the regional manager for Las Vegas.
In case you're keeping track, that's 4 interviews for an entry level retail position. I understand that the process to be an engineer or developer at a company is intense, but this isn't a position that requires a graduate level education. But because Apple has a unique user base, they can be that selective. And it's that selectivity that ensures the continued success of the store. Not anyone can work there. And the employees know it. Because of the fact that Apple retail is more selective than Harvard, the people who get in feel like they've won the lottery. Even though they'd likely be paid the same at Best Buy, the attrition rate at the Apple store is nonexistent. Next time you're in the Apple store look at the employees. Odds are you won't see anyone who isn't thrilled to be there. And that's the biggest secret I learned going through the process. The success of the Apple store comes from several factors, but the biggest one is the people in the store itself.
Epiloge: I didn't get the job. Oh well. It all worked out for the best.
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