Apple Interview for specialist or Concierge (London)
Hello,
I recently had an interview for Apple but didn't get the role, so it thought I'd post this up hoping that is someone else gets the opportunity in the future, they know what to expect.
So let me start from the beginning:
I gave me CV to a friend who currently works at The Apple Store in Regent Street In London. He's said they were recruiting and that if gave him my CV, they'd call me in for an interview as they prefer to employee referrals rather than through their website. He told me be patient and they contact me in a couple of weeks.
Sure enough, 3 weeks later I get an email from Apple saying I'd be selected to attend an Apple Seminar their head office around the corner from The Regent Street Store.
Know the one thing I did notice about the email was that it didn't have my name on it, and there was no phone number or email address to contact if I wasn't able to attend. Maybe this was to see who would show up.
Anyway, a week later I went to the seminar, I decided to wear jeans, a plain light sweater and shoes. I didn't want to dress business smart as thats not the way the company operates.
So I get to reception about 10 minutes early, I'm given a visitors pass and told to catch the lift to the correct floor. I meet the receptionist on the floor for Apple, and she asks for my name and my visitors badge. She then marks off my name on a sheet of paper. I notice there were 4 others groups on the sheet, probably from earlier seminars in the day. Although he group looks like it was supposed to have about 10 people on 5-7 were marked off, which probably meant some people didn't show up.
I then grab a seat a have a friendly chat with the guy sat next to me who there for the same seminar. A lady then appears (not from thin air!) through these glass doors, and she asks all to follow her into a meeting room and to grab a seat.
In total there were 7 of who were candidates in the meeting room and 2 people from the HR department. They introduce themselves and how they got started with Apple. She then puts on a short movie about the staff at apple which shows the buzz around the world about apple store and how "important and valuable" their staff are. It's actually quite a cool 10 in video and does really make you wanna work for them.
After the clip, the two people taking the seminar ask as us to tell us all a little about ourselves, like our name, what we're currently doing and our experiences of apple products. Some people were fairly knowledge able based on experience, some weren't. But i think they were looking for someone based on character and personalty at the time rather than product knowledge.
Ok see we all finish our little intros and the HR people start talking a little more about the roles, how the company operates and how the business is doing at the moment.
We then have to take part in little roles plays in groups but not in front of everyone else. eg:
2 people, one is the customer, then other the specialist/concierge
an example of a role play maybe: "a customer bought an ipod a different retailer and it's stopped working. The ipod is out warranty by 2 years and the retailer has told the customer to go to an apple store and they might help him. When the customer gets to the Apple Store, he/she demands a new one. What do you do?"
This is just one example there's a couple of different scenarios they have for the groups, but you try all of them. At the same time, one of the HR people is taking notes of people and how they interact with each other and how the role play goes. I forgot to mention earlier, but they also take notes when you're introducing yourselves earlier too.
After the role play is complete. The HR people spent a bit more time talking about the store and how it operates. We then had to hand over ID for them to make a photocopy. She then advised us that if we'd be successful based on the seminar, we'd get a phone call inviting us back for an interview.
so.......
Fast forward 24hrs and I get the phone call saying well done, can you come into the store next week for an actual interview. I get an email to confirm and wait until the next week..........
one week later....
The morning of the interview, again i decide to dress smart casual, shoe, jeans and a different sweater.
This time the interview is in the store, so i got to meet one of the concierge staff and tell them i have an interview with Mr X.
I get invited into there back offices below the shop and told to grab a seat in there staff lounge area.
Ok here's the gold stuff... what they ask in the interview....
So firstly how are you? How's our week been?
Tell a little about yourself, what you've been doing recently? (I told them about my current job and university)
What do you think the role of a specialist is?
Tell me about a time where you've given outstanding customer service
Tell me about a time when you've actually had a really good customer experience yourself as a customer
Tell me about a situation where you've had an angry customer and been still able to provide good customer services
Who is your inspiration?
What two things would you show a Microsoft windows user to "wow" them into buying a Mac? (pick your answer carefully on this one, don't bring up anything to do with windows, I think this is where i went wrong in the interview)
Give me an example when you've worked under extremely busy circumstances and under pressure
How do you feel about targets?
I think that was about it, I can't remember if there was anything else I was asked. At the end of the interview, she quickly went over my application to confirm what hours I could work, my telephone and email address.
She then advised me that should i be successful, I'd get a phone call. If not, I'd get an email saying sorry but not this time. Also I forgot to mention that after the seminar and interview that they don't give feedback if your unsuccessful, so I have no idea where I went wrong.
Anyways here I am, a little annoyed I didn't get the job but not that disappointed as it was only a retail job and although the role is in Central London, wages are less than £8 per hour and Apple don't do commission. So if you are looking for a retail job, I'm sure there are better alternatives. But if you are desperate to work for Apple, and money isn't an issue, I hope this all helps.
I have to emphasis a couple of things, apparently Apple change there interview and seminar stuff every year, so a heads up if you're apply for the role, also the role I applied for was for concierge or specialist. It WILL be different for different roles. Finally this role was for the UK. I'd assumer the process would be different in other countries, especially in the USA.
Hope this helps and best of luck to anyone who has an interview.
Oh, and my spelling and grammar isn't usually this bad, it's only a forum so apologies for any mistakes!
I recently had an interview for Apple but didn't get the role, so it thought I'd post this up hoping that is someone else gets the opportunity in the future, they know what to expect.
So let me start from the beginning:
I gave me CV to a friend who currently works at The Apple Store in Regent Street In London. He's said they were recruiting and that if gave him my CV, they'd call me in for an interview as they prefer to employee referrals rather than through their website. He told me be patient and they contact me in a couple of weeks.
Sure enough, 3 weeks later I get an email from Apple saying I'd be selected to attend an Apple Seminar their head office around the corner from The Regent Street Store.
Know the one thing I did notice about the email was that it didn't have my name on it, and there was no phone number or email address to contact if I wasn't able to attend. Maybe this was to see who would show up.
Anyway, a week later I went to the seminar, I decided to wear jeans, a plain light sweater and shoes. I didn't want to dress business smart as thats not the way the company operates.
So I get to reception about 10 minutes early, I'm given a visitors pass and told to catch the lift to the correct floor. I meet the receptionist on the floor for Apple, and she asks for my name and my visitors badge. She then marks off my name on a sheet of paper. I notice there were 4 others groups on the sheet, probably from earlier seminars in the day. Although he group looks like it was supposed to have about 10 people on 5-7 were marked off, which probably meant some people didn't show up.
I then grab a seat a have a friendly chat with the guy sat next to me who there for the same seminar. A lady then appears (not from thin air!) through these glass doors, and she asks all to follow her into a meeting room and to grab a seat.
In total there were 7 of who were candidates in the meeting room and 2 people from the HR department. They introduce themselves and how they got started with Apple. She then puts on a short movie about the staff at apple which shows the buzz around the world about apple store and how "important and valuable" their staff are. It's actually quite a cool 10 in video and does really make you wanna work for them.
After the clip, the two people taking the seminar ask as us to tell us all a little about ourselves, like our name, what we're currently doing and our experiences of apple products. Some people were fairly knowledge able based on experience, some weren't. But i think they were looking for someone based on character and personalty at the time rather than product knowledge.
Ok see we all finish our little intros and the HR people start talking a little more about the roles, how the company operates and how the business is doing at the moment.
We then have to take part in little roles plays in groups but not in front of everyone else. eg:
2 people, one is the customer, then other the specialist/concierge
an example of a role play maybe: "a customer bought an ipod a different retailer and it's stopped working. The ipod is out warranty by 2 years and the retailer has told the customer to go to an apple store and they might help him. When the customer gets to the Apple Store, he/she demands a new one. What do you do?"
This is just one example there's a couple of different scenarios they have for the groups, but you try all of them. At the same time, one of the HR people is taking notes of people and how they interact with each other and how the role play goes. I forgot to mention earlier, but they also take notes when you're introducing yourselves earlier too.
After the role play is complete. The HR people spent a bit more time talking about the store and how it operates. We then had to hand over ID for them to make a photocopy. She then advised us that if we'd be successful based on the seminar, we'd get a phone call inviting us back for an interview.
so.......
Fast forward 24hrs and I get the phone call saying well done, can you come into the store next week for an actual interview. I get an email to confirm and wait until the next week..........
one week later....
The morning of the interview, again i decide to dress smart casual, shoe, jeans and a different sweater.
This time the interview is in the store, so i got to meet one of the concierge staff and tell them i have an interview with Mr X.
I get invited into there back offices below the shop and told to grab a seat in there staff lounge area.
Ok here's the gold stuff... what they ask in the interview....
So firstly how are you? How's our week been?
Tell a little about yourself, what you've been doing recently? (I told them about my current job and university) What do you think the role of a specialist is? Tell me about a time where you've given outstanding customer service Tell me about a time when you've actually had a really good customer experience yourself as a customer Tell me about a situation where you've had an angry customer and been still able to provide good customer services Who is your inspiration? What two things would you show a Microsoft windows user to "wow" them into buying a Mac? (pick your answer carefully on this one, don't bring up anything to do with windows, I think this is where i went wrong in the interview) Give me an example when you've worked under extremely busy circumstances and under pressure How do you feel about targets?I think that was about it, I can't remember if there was anything else I was asked. At the end of the interview, she quickly went over my application to confirm what hours I could work, my telephone and email address.
She then advised me that should i be successful, I'd get a phone call. If not, I'd get an email saying sorry but not this time. Also I forgot to mention that after the seminar and interview that they don't give feedback if your unsuccessful, so I have no idea where I went wrong.
Anyways here I am, a little annoyed I didn't get the job but not that disappointed as it was only a retail job and although the role is in Central London, wages are less than £8 per hour and Apple don't do commission. So if you are looking for a retail job, I'm sure there are better alternatives. But if you are desperate to work for Apple, and money isn't an issue, I hope this all helps.
I have to emphasis a couple of things, apparently Apple change there interview and seminar stuff every year, so a heads up if you're apply for the role, also the role I applied for was for concierge or specialist. It WILL be different for different roles. Finally this role was for the UK. I'd assumer the process would be different in other countries, especially in the USA.
Hope this helps and best of luck to anyone who has an interview.
Oh, and my spelling and grammar isn't usually this bad, it's only a forum so apologies for any mistakes!
Comments
I didn't get the job.
Things turned out better for me. If you are passionate about Apple than Apple Retail could be real exciting for you. But in the longer term, your passion can be directed more effectively than Retail.
Appreciate your long description nonetheless and I'm sure many people would be interested to see the details of what you went through.
My brother was pushing me to go through a contact of his that worked as a Genius at Regent St. I thought it was not really ethical because how was this Genius supposed to vouch for me if she hadn't even met me at all?
In the end he said I might have succeeded if I went that route.
He and his wife also spent more money on their dog than helping me when I was staying with them in London when they were supposed to be helping me get a foothold in the London job market.
I'm not resentful and I'm sure my facts aren't all there and I ain't a superb human being... anyways my big fat London fail in the middle of last year was documented on these here forums if you've happened to read through them.
Maybe you could try Carphone Warehouse. NOT.