7 hours in the spaceship: interviewing for a job at Apple Park

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 42
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    Anilu_777 said:
    If I were hiring for a company with a high emphasis on keeping details secret, and a prospective employee immediately wrote about their experience at my company’s interview and about its property, the prospect would be considered a security risk and rejected. 
    I would think a person brought in for a seven-hour interview at Apple headquarters would be sufficiently intelligent to delay by some time his post.  If I were  intent on posting my interview experience I might write it while it’s fresh in my mind, then wait a few weeks, review it to ensure it’s completely generic and then post it.  That way I’d be confident Apple had interviewed a good number of people since my visit, running each through that similar process.  So I wouldn’t assume it was a prospective employee Apple had in immediately prior to the post going up.  It could have been orchestrated to be put up and then shortly thereafter taken down, knowing it would be read and screen grabbed.  Let the early viewers carry the story from there.
    edited July 2018 uktechieStrangeDayspscooter63lostkiwi
  • Reply 22 of 42
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    If the blog is true then the person is probably untrustworthy and a little dim. But perhaps the blog is completely false (apart from the detail of getting an interview) then that would make the subject quite brilliant and would convince Apple that he's a person that can be trusted (someone who leaks only totally false information.) Taking the story down was all part of the ruse to get us all to believe it.
    uktechie
  • Reply 23 of 42
    leehammleehamm Posts: 58member
    jimh2 said:
    "looked custom made and very new,"...Thanks genius we already know the building is new and that it is custom. 

    Indeed, but who knew the ceilings were made of granite? That is hard to believe...
    welshdoguktechie
  • Reply 24 of 42
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    I interviewed at Apple Austin for a Mac support job several years back. It was a pleasant enough experience. I was struck by how professional everyone was - even the front desk/reception people were absolutely top notch.  My interview didn't go all that well and I did not et the job, but they called me back, suggesting I try for a different position as an At-Home-Advisor for iOS.  That job I actually got, but it turns out I am utterly not suited to phone based customer service. Totally stressed me out and I had to quit after only six weeks.

    There was a long discussion thread on one of the other Mac info sites totally dedicated to discussing becoming an At-Home-Advisor.  Mostly, it was people interested in the AHA jobs or those who had applied and were waiting for an offer. There was one long time commenter who actually worked for Apple currently as an AHA. He was high level tier 2.  He commented there for a long time until Apple finally tracked him down and fired him.  He was generally very careful about what he said to ensure they couldn't figure out who he was.  Eventually he gave out one too many bits of information and they put the puzzle together.

    I would recommend if you are thinking of applying and interviewing at Apple, you don't talk about it to anyone or post anything about it ever. They are watching and searching and are deadly serious about holding you to any NDAs signed. I was told it was best to not even tell people you worked for Apple to avoid uncomfortable situations that might arise from people wanting favors/discounts etc. Family was one thing, but other people not a good idea.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 25 of 42
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member
    I have interviewed many people over the years. 

    There are only really 2 question that  I try to find the answers to, all the supplementary questions try to find these out and are based on these 2  simple questions:

    1) Can  this person do the job? Aka. Do they have the skills, or are they trying to pull the wool?

    2) can they fit in lto the team (aka are they a total cancer / asshole?)

    if you are trying to  find a job all you have to do is not come over as a complete ass and know what you are doing. Simple really!
    You're taking a god's eye view which is not what is happening. Firstly you say 'if the interviewer can do the job'. It can take quite a while for this procedure because it's likely that the interviewee thinks he can do the job, but the interviewer has to ascertain whether what the interviewee thinks is correct, i.e. whether or not he can do the job, or maybe the interviewee cannot do the job. In which case it has to ascertained how far is he/she from being able to do the job and if that is a worthwhile proposition, due to factors that depend very much on the individual.

    The interviewer might decide to go on a few possible tangents that could arise from the investigation into the above process. Perhaps the interviewer slightly underestimated the precise requirements but it was discovered during the interview by the presumably skilled interviewer that the interviewee may very well have other skills that have now come to light that have been underestimated by the interviewee, and perhaps a conversational tone to the interview might then ensue. How ever it all depends on the job. I doubt that every single job requires such precision, but there's more to it than 'can do the job'.

    Ironically you have given another very excellent reason for a job interview to take some time, namely whether or not the interviewee is a prospective highly skilled asshat. The skilled asshat will presumably be enthused to get around the tricky questioning that he surely knows he will be asked. So the skilled interviewer who will be skilled in fishing out very clever asshats, will develop a conversational style in order to draw the possible asshat into giving himself away. I would imagine with Apple's attention to detail and dislike of asshats and huge staff that this second procedure is also fairly lengthy. Not to mention that one person's efficient worker is another person's asshat.


    edited July 2018 pscooter63
  • Reply 26 of 42
    mtbnut said:
    "Moen faucet" style spigot that contains four smaller hoses..." 

    And this is how they identified the author: They swap out the faucet brand for each interviewee. Grohe is Person A, Delta is B, and so on. 

    Genius. 

    Classic style: I think they were the company advertising that ;)
  • Reply 27 of 42
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    The security staff in spaceships are supposed to have red shirts not blue. :smile: 
    GeorgeBMaclorin schultzpscooter63lostkiwidarwiniandude
  • Reply 28 of 42
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    mtbnut said:
    "Moen faucet" style spigot that contains four smaller hoses..." 

    And this is how they identified the author: They swap out the faucet brand for each interviewee. Grohe is Person A, Delta is B, and so on. 

    Genius. 

    The real genius was convincing us this story is legit, or happened this way, when it didn’t.
  • Reply 29 of 42
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    I have interviewed many people over the years. 

    There are only really 2 question that  I try to find the answers to, all the supplementary questions try to find these out and are based on these 2  simple questions:

    1) Can  this person do the job? Aka. Do they have the skills, or are they trying to pull the wool?

    2) can they fit in lto the team (aka are they a total cancer / asshole?)

    if you are trying to  find a job all you have to do is not come over as a complete ass and know what you are doing. Simple really!
    That is true, but many assholes present very nicely. Their true nature may not appear until later. A grueling 7-hour process might tend to unmask the true personality than a cursory one.
    Very little of the 7 hour process would be HR or personal. Tech interviewers are not encouraged to judge personality because of intrinsic biases.
  • Reply 30 of 42
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member

    jimh2 said:
    "looked custom made and very new,"...Thanks genius we already know the building is new and that it is custom. 
    There was nothing interesting here, was there? In fact it could have been totally made up.
  • Reply 31 of 42
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member

    ireland said:
    Maybe this person DIDN’T get the job, thus felt free to post. Then thought better of it anyway. 
    That was one of my theories. The other is they actually work there and felt the need to tell how cool it was to, and wrote this based on creative observations and not personal experiences.
    Kids today feel no need to be loyal to the people or company paying them. Those with little work experience or sense of responsibility or the legal repercussions of their actions are in for a rude shock eventually.
    Well California is an "At will" state. 
  • Reply 32 of 42
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    I have interviewed many people over the years. 

    There are only really 2 question that  I try to find the answers to, all the supplementary questions try to find these out and are based on these 2  simple questions:

    1) Can  this person do the job? Aka. Do they have the skills, or are they trying to pull the wool?

    2) can they fit in lto the team (aka are they a total cancer / asshole?)

    if you are trying to  find a job all you have to do is not come over as a complete ass and know what you are doing. Simple really!
    Job's list replaced your #2 with  Commitment and Dedication.  He wanted "A" players.   And, he knew that "A" players liked to work with "A" players -- and that had nothing to do with their social abilities.   He also knew that while technical ability was a prerequisite, without commitment and dedication, it was mostly worthless.  He put such pressure on his employees to perform that it caused the prima donna's to crumble  and the social butterflies to flitter away...

    For Job's an "A" player had knowledge and natural ability that was enabled by a passion that pushed it beyond normal limits.
  • Reply 33 of 42
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    ireland said:
    I have interviewed many people over the years. 

    There are only really 2 question that  I try to find the answers to, all the supplementary questions try to find these out and are based on these 2  simple questions:

    1) Can this person do the job? Aka. Do they have the skills, or are they trying to pull the wool?

    2) can they fit in lto the team (aka are they a total cancer / asshole?)

    if you are trying to  find a job all you have to do is not come over as a complete ass and know what you are doing. Simple really!
    If only life was that simple.
    It IS that simple -- in mediocre organizations....
  • Reply 34 of 42
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    leehamm said:
    jimh2 said:
    "looked custom made and very new,"...Thanks genius we already know the building is new and that it is custom. 

    Indeed, but who knew the ceilings were made of granite? That is hard to believe...
    If Apple is really hyper about security every interview room would be differently designed so that if a story like this leaked they could narrow down the leak based on a combination of factors.   One room Granite ceiling, One room Glass Ceilings, One room Mahagony ceiling, etc.   Greeters wear Green Shirts on monday, Orange on Tuesdays, Red on Wednesdays, Purple on Thursday, Yellow on Friday.  I'm sure they interview lots of people but it almost becomes like the game of Clue.
  • Reply 35 of 42
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    Two sets of employees welcomed the individual, with blue-shirted Apple Security personnel accompanied by green-shirted "greeters," who acted as guides in a similar way to front-of-store Apple retail employees directing customers to other store staff."

    Apple Park is the world's most beautiful Prison.
  • Reply 36 of 42
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    ascii said:
    The security staff in spaceships are supposed to have red shirts not blue. :smile: 
    But if they wear red they’re always the first to die battling with the aliens. Better stick with blue. ;)
    lostkiwiascii
  • Reply 37 of 42
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    k2kw said:
    Two sets of employees welcomed the individual, with blue-shirted Apple Security personnel accompanied by green-shirted "greeters," who acted as guides in a similar way to front-of-store Apple retail employees directing customers to other store staff."

    Apple Park is the world's most beautiful Prison.
    The data center I worked at, one of the largest private data centers in the country at the time, a had unique security system:  The doors opened freely going in.   But you needed a security card to get back out. They let you get deeper and deeper and deeper and then trapped you there.
    (But that was in the days of magnetic tape and before when people destroyed things for the hell of it.  They were more worried about theft than terrorism)
  • Reply 38 of 42
    flydogflydog Posts: 1,123member
    Robots78 said:
    "Informed the building was quite confusing" How did they manage to make a circle confusing?
    Well it's 2.8 million square feet so there's that. 
  • Reply 39 of 42
    Apple does everything so well, it leaves us excited for more.  It I often scratch my head at the obsessive reporting of details, holes in a desk top or walls for ventilation, the shape of a faucet, or is it just breathless reporting of a watchband with stripes . It makes me hope for illuminati code hidden in the maniacal minutia. If the faucet is phallic shaped will the iPhone X be released early or if the watch band stripe is blue blue red blue will Apple launch law enforcement projects next year.... or just colour coded shirts like Star Trek .... I am clearly gold or at worst Chartreuse.... tee hee.

    Well as we minions wait for the the civilized future to be delivered on an apple platter, can we help but get excited, but could we also talk more about substantive suggestions and less about the shape of spigots.... the colours of wristbands and pseudo informative articles like how to type a review on Apple Insi

    (didn’t read that one )


  • Reply 40 of 42
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member

    That was a very nice read! I liked reading about the inner workings of the building.


    mtbnut said:
    "Moen faucet" style spigot that contains four smaller hoses..." 

    And this is how they identified the author: They swap out the faucet brand for each interviewee. Grohe is Person A, Delta is B, and so on. 

    Genius. 


    I really laughed hard for this! I'm glad my Coffee was done before I got to this post!!
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