Difficult Interview – Overall Positive Experience – Yes, and I accepted – Thu, 10 Sep 2015
Interviewed Sep 2015 in Richmond, VA(took 15 days)
I applied online and was lucky enough to have a friend that currently works at a retail Apple store who allowed me to use them as a reference on my application. I received a call from a recruiter two days after applying online. This was a basic call that started with the recruiter telling me about the position and asking if I was still interested. We then spoke about me previous experience, and she asked me a few questions (Why apple? How would you define Apple's approach to customer service?) followed by a simple role play where the recruiter pretended to be someone who was having trouble with their iPhone, that they had just bought and but it would not turn on anymore. After the role play the recruiter told me I would receive an email to schedule my Skype or FaceTime interview. Empathy is key.
I have very little experience with remote video interviews. I made sure the camera had a good angle of my face and that I looked happy when I smiled. I had to raise my laptop off of my desk using books to get what I considered to be a "professional" angle. You can never be to prepared, though Apple turned out to be very relaxed when it came time for the interview.
The Skype interview was with a woman in a simple office, only her in the room. She again told me about the position and asked if I had any questions. At this point I told her no, as I wanted to save them for the end and just get on with the interview. In this interview I was asked questions that had more to do with my previous experience and how it applied to apple. She asked about a time I dealt with an angry customer. What my definition of good customer service was. How I perceived Apple's customer service, and asked about how much experience I had with Apple products previously. She also asked what I would do if I got the job, and when I go to start one day my internet is down. What do I do? What are my steps? After this she asked how much experience I had troubleshooting wireless networks without the help of a service provider. Finally she did a simple role play in which she said she had just bought a new iPad, but couldn't get the volume to work on a youtube video her daughter had just sent her. Again empathy is key here. Once we finished up, she told me she was passing me on to the third interview and gave me an opportunity to ask questions. Always have a couple questions to ask!
The third interview was one week after the first. I scheduled it using an online application. This was with someone who is currently a manager of Applecare at home Advisors, in his home. This was a very laid back interview, and felt more like a conversation than an interview. It lasted about 30 minutes of him asking me questions, and 10 minutes of me asking him questions. His questions had to do with both customer service (Angry customer, couldn't understand customer's request, most stressful time at work, time when you had to do multiple things at once) as well as some role play scenarios (Help I turned on my iPhone and my contacts are all gone!) Use your empathy skills. This was the only role play I can remember but we did 1-2 before he closed the interview. Afterwards I asked him about working for Apple, which he said he highly enjoyed. Always have questions to ask!
Overall, the questions were very in depth but I have 5+ years in electronics customer service and repair so I was well versed in every aspect of the interview. Apple is looking for EMPATHY across all statements. If you cannot show empathy before anything else, you will not get hired. Again, EMPATHY, not SYMPATHY.
Interview Questions
Why do you want to work for Apple?
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How would you define Apple's customer service approach?
Answer Question
I just bought an iPhone and it won't turn on, can you help me?
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What would you do if you get hired, attempt to log on for work and your internet doesn't work?
Answer Question
How would you help someone troubleshoot their email account not working?
Answer Question
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, 1:1 Interview and a Background Check