One of the most loved brands in the world is Apple. Founded by Ronald Wayne, Steve Wozniak and the late, great Steve Jobs, the tech giant manufactures electronic devices, such as the Mac, the iPad, the iPhone and AirPods wireless earbuds. They offer online services and software applications, as well.
Besides being a tech company, Apple is a fantastic place to work. According to Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, Apple ranked 84th on the 2020 list. What’s more, the tech giant has been on that list every year since 2009. Apple employees have the golden opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies while enjoying world-class perks.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career at Apple, read our comprehensive guide first before you submit your resume. We’ll cover the reasons for getting a job at Apple, the job roles that you can expect from this company and career advice to bump up your hiring chances.
Why Get a Job at Apple
Before we get to the benefits, here’s a disclaimer you should know about Apple:
The work you’ll be doing for this company will challenge you. Pursuing a career at Apple means that you have to be consistently at the top of your game, work long hours (which could burn you out if you don’t practice work-life balance) and adhere to the company’s culture of secrecy.
Working at Apple, however, isn’t all bad. Many employees have a lot of good things to say about the company.
Great Commute Options
Before the pandemic hit and sent people to work from home, the company offered benefits to help lighten the burden while commuting. Apple has a shuttle service that takes workers from sections of the area to its campus in Cupertino. The tech giant also offers a stipend to help shoulder the cost of employees traveling to work by train, bus and other forms of transportation.
Benefits Extended to Part-Time Employees
Many part-time jobs don’t have benefits that full-time workers enjoy. This isn’t the case when you land a job at Apple.
Although some retail employees complain about their take-home pay, many praised Apple for giving benefits even to part-timers. The company provides all employees who work a minimum of 20 hours per week with 401(k) and health benefits.
Competitive Salary
Apple isn’t stingy. Many employees, including managers and engineers, will love the compensation that the tech giant provides.
According to the Apple Salaries Report from Indeed, an Apple software engineer earns $171,966 per year. The average salary of the same position, according to PayScale, is $87,146 per year. This serves as an indication that positions in Apple earn well above the industry average.
Delicious Food on Campus
If you land a job at Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino, you’re in luck. Although the tech giant may not provide as many insane perks as Facebook and Google, the company does serve great food. Some employees loved the food at Caffe Mac.
A Startup Vibe
Although Apple may one of the most valuable companies on the planet, this doesn’t mean that the tech giant functions like a large company. The organization operates more like a cluster of startup ventures under the umbrella of a bigger organization.
This setup can benefit your career at Apple. Think of the tech giant as several small workgroups or companies. When your current position gets dull and old, which is bound to happen at some point, you have the opportunity to move within other teams.
This option is ideal for individuals who want to obtain a fresh outlook without having to resign and move to another company. It’s also suitable for people who want to improve their skill set, as Apple offers plenty of opportunities for career advancement.
Smart Apple Employees
The late Steve Jobs was fond of saying that he preferred A-level individuals on staff. If you’re working for Apple, you’ll surely meet bright and talented people on campus. Having a lot of intelligent people in the company can make things competitive and bring out the best in people.
What Apple Careers are Available
When you head over the Apple Careers page, you can find available job openings by category. Among these categories are Support and Service, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Hardware, Software and Services and Apple Retail.
Not sure what jobs you could pursue at Apple? Take a look at a few of these roles:
Camera Machine Learning Engineer
This role is part of Apple’s camera engineering team. As a Camera Machine Learning Engineer, you are responsible for the development of synthetic image processing and large-scale, end-to-end system simulations. You’re also expected to craft product roadmaps.
Release Engineering Project Manager
The role of the Release Engineering Project Manager will require you to speedily identify and resolve process issues, analyze data to forecast release risks and communicate requirements and status clearly at all levels.
The job requires stellar communication skills, as you’ll be working outside and within the Software Engineering team, including partnership across the tvOS, watchOS, macOS and iOS program management teams. What’s more, you’ll be working closely with leadership, engineering and project management teams to help define, communicate, track and schedule release statuses at large.
Service Readiness Technical Program Manager
This job position will require you to qualify, design and deploy high-volume and top-quality repair and screening solutions at 3PL and contract manufacturer sites across the globe. As a valued individual contributor in the AppleCare Engineering organization, you’ll be responsible for driving new and innovative service processes that will establish the bar for quality in the service sector, while improving the cost efficiency of service and minimizing Apple’s environmental impact.
Still a Student? Consider Apple’s Internship Programs
If you’re still studying in college or university, you may want to take advantage of Apple’s internship opportunities. Whether you sign for a co-op or a summer internship during the academic year, you’ll have the unique opportunity to work on crucial projects on an Apple campus.
When you’re an intern, you’re part of the Apple community. This means that you’ll have an insider’s perspective on the people that lead the organization and the way employees work.
If you’re eligible and interested, don’t hesitate to check out the Apple Careers page and see which internships are available.
Tips to Land a Career at Apple
Accessing the Apple Careers page and submitting your resume aren’t the only things you should be doing when applying at this tech company. You also need to take steps to make sure that your application stands out from the rest.
Before you give your resume to Apple, take note of the following tips:
Polish and Proofread Your Resume
Apple makes sure to hire only the best of the best. If your resume looks terrible, the tech giant will likely ignore it and move to another job candidate.
Remember that your resume serves as the foundation of your job application at Apple. Make sure that this document is coherent, proofread, polished and visually pleasing to the eyes.
If you’re unsure that your resume is good to go, do not hesitate to have that document checked by friends or family members. They may help catch errors and even provide suggestions to help you make an awesome resume.
Be Ready for Group Interviews
The initial interview at Apple retail job roles often entails a group event of at most a hundred candidates. The folks at talent acquisition will then separate the candidates into smaller groups of four to six people. During this part of the application, you need to be willing and ready to share and participate in group activities.
Prepare for Tough Interview Questions
The initial interview with several Apple employees will start as easy. When you progress to the next rounds, however, expect to get tougher questions. If you’re applying at an Apple store, for instance, one question that you may get is “Name a time when you needed to deal with an unruly or abusive customer.”
When you’re thrown tough questions, take a deep breath and allot time to formulate your answers. Then, come up with a rational response to the question.
Getting a job at Apple won’t be easy. By taking note of this guide, you can raise your chances of getting that dream job you’ve always wanted.
