Very Difficult Interview – Overall Positive Experience – Yes, and I accepted – Fri, 13 Jun 2014
Interviewed May 2014 in Cupertino, CA(took 7 weeks)
I applied online and randomly got a call. My cover letter was passionate, I think this helped. It was an HR guy who learned the position I applied for wasn't perfect for me (I'm not the greatest at programming) and said he'll blast my resume out. Got a call from a second HR guy who felt me out. Very real, honest conversation about who I am, why I'm interested in this position, what I'm about, etc... and he answered all my questions. Then I'm cleared for a phone interview, and I asked what to research for the interview (wireless communication history / protocols, etc...). Was calm and prepared for the call, went well, got a second one. Similarly asked what I should study up on (networking protocols). Got an on-site! Was flown out to CA for an intense 4+ hour process of multiple interviews with multiple people (sometimes one, sometimes two), only leaving the room for lunch, which is also an interview. They really grilled me on my resume, making sure nothing was BS, asked technical questions such as how I would test things, had me write psuedo-code on a whiteboard. Some tried to sell me on how awesome Apple is, others tried to tear into me more. Stayed cool, calm and collected and just answered every question to the best of my ability. Bring a bottle of water! I was very communicative with my HR guy through the entire process, bugged him for the feedback which takes a few days (said it was positive!) and eventually got a verbal offer. Then background check, formal offer, and off I go!
Interestingly, no drug test. ;)
Interview Questions
How many ways can you move a ball in a straight line?
Wrote a one-line function to determine if a number is odd.
Write a function to reverse a string.
What are speeds for different wireless technologies?
How would you test iMessage?
Answer Question
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, 1:1 Interview, Group/Panel Interview and a Background Check