Difficult Interview – Overall Negative Experience – No – Thu, 11 Jun 2015
Interviewed Jun 2015 in Atlanta, GA
Apple was a company I was passionate about working for. From the feedback I’ve read here on Glassdoor and around the web it appears they treat their employees very well. The work is challenging, but rewarding and I wanted to be a part of a solid company that I could grow with. After putting in numerous applications I finally received my first call from Apple in April 2014 for AppleCare Technical (Tier 1) Chat Support. I was familiar with Apple products, but only owned a few of their gadgets. My tech support knowledge was limited, but I knew I could do the job with my dedication to learning new things. I needed a challenge and this was going to provide it. I studied my butt off to ensure I knew Apple inside and out and that definitely paid off. I managed to make it to the third/final interview and seemed to hit it off with each person I met with. Based on the conversation during my final interview I was confident I would get an offer. Long story short, it took about six weeks before I received the final word from my recruiter. For whatever reason, I didn’t get the job and my recruiter was very vague as to why. I was heart broken, but I absolutely enjoyed my experience during the process. Apple left me with a great impression of the company, even though I wasn’t offered a position. I vowed to reapply the following year if I were still interested. I did apply the following year, numerous times. The urge to work for Apple never ceased. I figured I had been blacklisted from previous applications, that I shamelessly created a new account on their career website with a revamped resume and cover letter just to have some fresh applications in the mix. After giving up on a call from Apple, I was contacted in June of 2015 for iTunes Chat Support. The recruiter I spoke with was extremely sweet and I was instantly moved on to the second interview. Although this was my second round with Apple, the position was more customer service based and for the iTunes Store which I wasn’t a frequent user of. I made sure to brush up on my knowledge. The second interview is where my passion for Apple went down the drain. First red flag of the interview was a late recruiter. No big deal right? I was still excited and super nervous. The recruiter I interviewed with clearly didn’t like their job, nor did they want to speak with me. I got the impression they didn’t bother reading my resume. Our interaction was extremely awkward. I’ve never felt so disrespected during an interview. The recruiter made snide/rude comments and appeared to not have much knowledge on the position beyond the written description on the website. According to this recruiter, watching the recruitment video on the career website was supposed to answer all my questions about working for Apple. I won’t go into further detail to expose whom this person is, but they should NOT be working for Apple. They did not embody what Apple strives to be. I really wanted to ask this person if they were okay and if there was a problem, but I was too afraid to do so. I really regret that now. I knew at the conclusion of the interview that I wasn’t going to be moved forward. The recruiter could have saved their fake enthusiasm at the end. I was a complete wreck once the cameras went off. Based on this experience I won’t reapply for a third shot, but it truly hurts that I didn’t get a shot at my dream job. Just like any recruitment office, there are some bad apples. I’m over it now, but I wanted to give folks some perspective.
Interview Questions
Tech Support -
Questions ranged from previous work experience to the applicant's experience with technical support. It's not required, but it's helpful if you own a few Apple products. There were a ton of general technical questions asked, but nothing too challenging. Expect a roleplay during the second and third interviews. Be familiar with both iOS and OS. The second interview is the most challenging. For the third interview, the manager you'll meet with wants to make sure your knowledge is consistent with what you showcased in the second interview, but will focus on getting to know the applicant on a personal level to see if you're a good fit.
ITunes -
There were a mixture of questions related to previous work experience, if I had ever been fired from a position, why I no longer work for previous employers, what Apple products do I own, if I had chat support experience, and why I want a chat support position (which was asked at least twice). Those questions were followed by two chat roleplays related to iTunes support. Customer A is having trouble with their log in. How would you help them? Customer B's child purchased multiple apps using their account without their knowledge. How would you help them? The recruiter plays the customer and the prospective employee is to provide support. Be prepared to handle both roleplays at once. This is to simulate managing multiple customers at a time.
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Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, 1:1 Interview and a Skills Test