Apple store hiring saga

[Crashmaster]

I used to be a member here but had my account removed in case Apple did a check for my e-mail and such. My old user name was Crashmaster007.

This is copied from a blog post that I made earlier today, I thought I would share it here.

First let me say that this is by no means a rant against Apple, I still enjoy their products and will continue to use them just the same as before. This is about one store, and the ordeal that they put me through.

About two months back I applied at the Apple Store using their on-line application service, I wanted to have a job secure before I went on summer break, or just after. So about two weeks later I decided to give them a call, at the urging of family and so on.

I get transfered to their hiring manager who sets up an interview for me later that week, a Thursday. So I drive the hour and a fifteen minutes it takes me to go from my dorm to the mall, my house is only 15min away. I meet with two guys who work at the store who ask me the standard interview questions and so on. I nail all of them, they even tell me that I did a great job. Tell me at the end of it that I will receive a call soon.

More then a week later, a Sunday, I get a call from the hiring manager. Wants to set up a second interview with me. Only time to do it is the next Sunday. So I wait around for a week and head back down to the store. This time I interview with Ryan, head of the Mac Specialists for the store. Interview goes good again. Said, now this is the important part, that I would get a call within a week, probably sooner. Awesome I thought, I will know damn soon. Well a week goes by and no call. So I call the store to speak to Ryan…he is on vacation, OK. So I ask to talk to the hiring manager and I get “Sir the hiring manager will call you back about your job”. Well then.

Another week goes by, I call the store on Saturday. Ryan is still on vacation and I still can’t talk to the hiring manager. Damn it, well when will Ryan be back? Tuesday was the answer. So I try to call on Tuesday and it just rings through. Ugh.

On Wednesday I try again. I get through! And Ryan is there! Yay! The time is 1:30pm.
Me: Hello Ryan this is Mike **** You interviewed me more than two weeks ago and said I would get a call within a week, I never got one.

Ryan: *Conused* No call? Well my hiring manager is out to lunch, I’ll touch base with her and call you back.

Me: OK

And 5:00 rolls around, wow that was a long lunch break, I get a call. It is the hiring manager wanting me to come down. Apparently I “got lost in the shuffle” and “fell through the cracks”. So I go down to the store, 20 min drive from home. I wait around for the hiring manager to be ready (did I mention for the previous two interviews I waited around for at least 10min each?). Finally she is ready to talk to me. An interview ensues using a display Mac that is on lockdown so you can’t do too much so when I try to show her what she is asking for it won’t do half of it. Twenty minutes later it is over. She says she will e-mail me the background check stuff that night and get talk to the other two guys who interviewed me.

I wait around all night, no e-mail arrives. So today, still no e-mail. Finally 5:00pm and I get an e-mail. YAY! …wait…wtf:

Michael,

First of all, let me personally thank you for your interest in Apple Retail and for your participation in our interview process for the King Of Prussia Apple Retail Store. It was truly our pleasure to meet you.

At this time we have chosen to move ahead with candidates who better meet the business needs today.

Thank you again for your time and interest in Apple. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Best regards,

Emily Osborn

Great so I didn’t get the job. And she sends me a ****ING TEMPLATE E-MAIL! After dicking me around for two months I get a freaking template e-mail. Ugh. And this blog post came soon after.

Now I am by no means saying that Apple is at fault, or that all Apple retail stores are like this one. I also do not feel that they owed me a job. I just want to point out that they should treat their applicants a little better. Because remember that most applicants are also customers.

Yes I may not have been exactly what they were looking for, obviously because I didn’t get the job. I’m not mad because they didn’t hire me. I’m mad because of the way that I was treated during the whole process and the time that it took, time that could have been spent looking harder at other job prospects.

[Turkish]

Welcome to the real world. This is what it's often like.

Sorry.

[Mac-Addict]

Ohh thats a bitch! Sorry to hear about it! I hope you find a better job with better pay and then you can look back and laugh! :P

[eenu]

yep had the same apple email. Don't worry about it 95% of the people apple employ in their retail store are fools!

Your well shot mate.

[Crashmaster]

Welcome to the real world. This is what it's often like.

Sorry.

Oh I know, but that by no means makes it right.

[Turkish]

Oh I know, but that by no means makes it right.

Make it right?

I've been strung along for interview processes for 6 months before. It's the way it goes. And you can certainly now kiss any chance of ever working for them at any level goodbye... never good to burn your bridges.

Anyway, good luck. :)

[daneoni]

That sucks. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

[flopticalcube]

To the OP:

If it makes you feel any better, I did this to several employers just before I decided that I didn't really want to work anymore and retired. It can be a two way street sometimes but it does suck when you are on the receiving end.

[JNB]

It's not Apple, it's any company that has more than two or three people. It's a process, it's years of "HR" and litigation and bottom line, and it's been this way for at least 40 years or more.

"Hiring managers" and everyone involved are cogs like the rest of us. They're human, they drop track on stuff, they occasionally completely ****** up.

Apple prolly has a very high application rate, compared to oh, say, Circle K. I wouldn't doubt that they are overwhelmed with applicants and other admin "stuff."

This doesn't excuse or make your experience right. It IS what you should be prepared to expect from most anywhere in mid- to large corporations in the US today (and I suspect much of western Europe, as well).

Ya gotta understand that this is the way things are in the world now, and it grates on me to no end. But, as was said above, you can't burn any bridges, because the folks that dissed you today may be the ones doing the hiring at (pick a retailer) tomorrow. It's a revolving door for them, too.

Better luck tomorrow!

[MagicUK]

To the OP:

If it makes you feel any better, I did this to several employers just before I decided that I didn't really want to work anymore and retired. It can be a two way street sometimes but it does suck when you are on the receiving end.

I think I know where your coming from.

So what exactly is your problem? You went throught the process and didn't come out the other end the way you wanted. Did you ask what the process was at the start. You say all the standard interview questions, they are standard for a reason. You didn't like the time scales. Who set's them, you? Did you ask what they were?

When you interview people these days you are very careful about the feedback you give, everybody does great, hell who want's to be sued. You just were not the best.

[flopticalcube]

I think I know where your coming from.

So what exactly is your problem? You went throught the process and didn't come out the other end the way you wanted. Did you ask what the process was at the start. You say all the standard interview questions, they are standard for a reason. You didn't like the time scales. Who set's them, you? Did you ask what they were?

When you interview people these days you are very careful about the feedback you give, everybody does great, hell who want's to be sued. You just were not the best.

I think he was PO'd that they didn't get back to him when they said they would.

[mkrishnan]

I think he was PO'd that they didn't get back to him when they said they would.

Eh, but it's like that in engineering, in consulting, in marketing, in finance, in medicine... in a ton of fields in which people have worked far harder for their credentials than this. It sucks. But it *is* the real world. HR people in hiring aren't always competent. They aren't always efficient. You get torqued around. Sucks. Sometimes the torquing around continues for months. And then you deal with headhunters, and you long for dealing with inefficient inside HR people. :(

[twoodcc]

sorry to hear that. i feel for ya. good luck getting a summer job

[Bern]

Welcome to the real world. That's the way it goes when you apply for a job with a reputable company. People BS their way through job interviews all the time and companies like Apple don't survive by hiring just anyone. You went through a screening process and you didin't cut the grade for them... move on. This won't be the first time for you so choc it up to experience.

[Legolamb]

That sucks. But the good news is you're back here.;)
Seriously, though, this happens frequently even in research and non-profit institutions. What I've learnt from this type of experience is to be more humane when I'm hiring.

[dukebound85]

thats why you never just apply to one company and hope you get it. when i apply i go all out and then when the offers come, i get a choice of what i want moreso if you know what i mean

just deal with it and apply to somewhere else

[steamboat26]

I just applied online for a job at a retail store yesterday, I hope i don't have to go through something like that :eek:

[CubaTBird]

If Apple hired me, let's just say Id be movin' mac's outta their stores to customers fast, with apple cares attached to 80% of them. But then, they won't hire me either so go fig. I mean I walk into one of their stores and the foo's that work at the one near where I live don't know jack about macs. Heck, they don't even know jack about retail in general. You'd think they would know about attachment rates and other % figures and quota's that need to be met for the day. But no, they probably don't know that either. They just wander around with their their little cutsey five o'clock shadows and their hands in their pockets.

[QuarterSwede]

Just remember one thing. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Calling to find out what's going on is not a bad thing. In fact, it shows that you actually want the job unlike someone who just put in an application and then disappeared.

Also, bigger companies often use psychological tests to see how well you would fit in their company. Too bad the basic ones suck because the answer they are often looking for is not what you would think.

ex. Do you think most people are honest?
Answer they're looking for: Yes, because it's a positive answer.
Unfortunately, most people are not honest (everyone hides things about themselves) so people who have a brain don't get the job because of some stupid weeding test.

[swingerofbirch]

Very sucky. I"ve only had two jobs. The first was at McDonald's and they called me in for an interview. When I got there, I was asked to sit at a table with five other people who had applied. It wasn't an interview--they had already decided to hire all of us, although someone forgot to tell me. It was an informational session about the uniforms dress code etc. The other time was at a video store I applied to. They called and said they wanted to interview me. When I got there the only interview question was when can you start, what hours can you work.

The jobs I haven't gotten all involved an interview with actual interview questions. So, I guess in retail that's what I've found.

Good luck! Hope you find someone friendlier to work with! I totally know what you mean about not calling back when people say they will. It really irks me, especially from people who are apparently so demanding (they won't hire you and you obviously are interested, while they are completely slacking?) Maybe it's just they don't want someone to make them look bad!

[jng]

If Apple hired me, let's just say Id be movin' mac's outta their stores to customers fast, with apple cares attached to 80% of them. But then, they won't hire me either so go fig. I mean I walk into one of their stores and the foo's that work at the one near where I live don't know jack about macs. Heck, they don't even know jack about retail in general. You'd think they would know about attachment rates and other % figures and quota's that need to be met for the day. But no, they probably don't know that either. They just wander around with their their little cutsey five o'clock shadows and their hands in their pockets.

You say that but you can't support it with evidence. Everyone feels like they deserved the job. And maybe it's true that you can do it. But it does not mean you deserve it per se, or that you will get it.

People give HR managers crap, some of which they deserve. But like someone else just mentioned at larger companies, there's a bottom line and other barriers to potential employees.

The problem if you're a tiny fish in a big pond. From your original post, sounds like you flunked the last interview (the machine is SUPPOSED to be locked down). You can blame Apple all you want for "losing you in the shuffle." But you failed the interview.

I know it sucks. But move on. I blanked out in an interview a few weeks ago when they asked me logic questions to do on the spot. Lesson learned.

Take it in stride and start looking for the next job. And be more aggressive. Don't wait a week to call people back. Call sooner for the hell of it anyway. Just because you drive over an hour to get to the store, doesn't mean anything. I know people who fly across country for interviews (or leave the country for that matter). It's a gamble. And often people lose.

But if you don't gamble, when will you ever win?

PS - A good friend of mine works at the Apple store and does not fit the stereotypes many of you are giving above. Neither do the Apple people I deal with in Boston fit that.

[jt2009]

Ok,
I was told to go in and hand in my resume..shake the manager's hand..ect. So I decided to make a cover letter which I attached to my resume. This way, they do not base it fully off my resume which is just black and white. I put my presonality and related my past jobs with how I could work an apple job in the letter.
So, I go in today to meet the manager (or the one to hire me) and he decided not to come in! I talked to another manager. He laughed at some of the stuff I put on my resume (as far as windows vista goes :-D). He asked what applications I knew for Mac and I explained. Then he threw me a curve ball question, "What do you know about cell phones." I mean, this was a broad question but I do know he was relating it to the iPhone. So, I explained what I did on my cell (the simple texting, ring tones, pictures) but he said he wanted to know what I'd tell a business person coming in how to work applications on an iPhone (as far as if it had any and such). I didn't really know what to say considering I had never really touched a PDA in my life and since NO ONE i know owns one. I did feel this was an unfair question but I did throw out that I was a quick learner. He said he'd pass on my application and I guess I'll call them thursday to follow up.

[pjarvi]

Every job I ever interviewed for, I never got.

Every job I was ever referred to by friends/family, I got.

My current job I never even applied for. A temp agency pulled my resume off of Monster.com and asked me how soon I could start.

[MovieCutter]

Guys, I've worked for Apple Retail...it's NOT THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD!!! It's cool and all to say you work for Apple, but you're the bastard stepchild of the company. You don't get inside info, you get to deal with really dumb customers sometimes, and you spend a lot of time answering the SAME questions over and over and over again. It's probably one of the better places to be if you want to be or have to be in retail...but it's not the greatest place in the world.

If Apple hired me, let's just say Id be movin' mac's outta their stores to customers fast, with apple cares attached to 80% of them. But then, they won't hire me either so go fig.


Riiiiight. You try selling an extended warranty to people who are coming to buy a Mac because they don't want their computer breaking down, 4 out of 5 of which will say "I know somebody who can help me" or "I don't buy extended warranties" or "I can fix these things myself". All of which have effective responses but they don't work most of the time.

[uNext]

Call me crazy but during my break i dont aplpy at 1 job i apply at 3-4 diffrent places of interest. Is not like apple pays more then the next summer job.


time that could have been spent looking harder at other job prospects.
If i would have been you and see how irresponsible they are with handling future employess the moment i see that ryan goes in vacatin and does not even make an attempt to give me a call to keep me updated i ould have been already applying at 2 diffrent places. Can you really blame apple they just delayed what other jobs do within 1-2 weeks.

[FormerApplewkr]

I recently applied too. I use to work at one of the stores in the area and had to leave for personal reasons. I wanted to return to the store after 5 years away. I went through the process and was told that I did very well and that they will "be seeing me". I got the same form letter you did.

When I was there I did very well in sales. I had one of the highest averages per hour in sales. So, I am a bit baffled in the email due to the lines I got from the interviewers; "it was a great interview, we will be seeing you. here is how training works. etc....

After thinking about it I realized something. All the employees were young, including all mangers that I met. There wasn't a person who appeared to be over their low 30's (except for the only two original remaining employees who are still there. I know them , I worked with them). Also, all the employees seemed a certain type (there are multiple stores in the region and I was in all of the recently. They all had the type in them). I am guessing that at 40, I am too old to work in the stores any more. Also, I don't fit "the type" that are in the stores (when I was there, there was no type, we were all very different). I look like I am in my mid thirties and I dress more conservatively than the type does.

So in conclusion, I believe it is most likely them and not you.

[MattSepeta]

Welcome to the Corporate world.

I spent my early life working for corporations mostly at malls, when I thought I was interested in retail merchandising.

Then I got hired by a small company where there was no "Training Packet", no "Codes" or any of that crap, and certainly no template emails, and it was/is pure bliss compared to the faceless corporation. Not their fault though. Its jsut the way it works, so get with it, or get out ;)

I never want to work for a corporation again, and plan on starting my own business as soon as I have enough saved up.

[gkarris]

^^^^ Yes, I work retail for a smaller company and it's awesome!

OP - I almost got a job with the Apple Store, but didn't get chosen. Companies now use your Credit Score as well as a Background Check. If your Credit Score isn't at their minimum, they may decide not to hire you.

Plus, I don't think I fit the "hip" type... :(

Hope you find a job you love and enjoy like I finally did!

[hazza.jockel]

I know exactly how you feel. A few summers ago i did an expensive life guard course and then tried to get a job as a life guard. One place i went to before i had done the course they said to come back when i had finished and i could have a job. However when i went back they took my resume and qualifications and said they would call. I did the same at about 5 other pool centers. I didn't get one call back. Despite the promise.

Now, i realize that i may have just not been good enough for the job however a call to say i hadn't got the job would have been appreciated. I did go back to some of the pools to ask what was going on and was told again that they would be in touch, which never happened.

Working for a corporation sucks compared to working for a small company. I use to work at dominoes and because there were so many rules and codes it made things hard to get done. For example many things required a managers password to authorise things on the computer but if the manager was busy you had to stand there waiting whilst a customer gets angry at you. Now i work at small shop were i can make decisions by my self and rarely need approval from the boss and its a lot better.

[RedTomato]

I've had many jobs over the years. I have to say I've almost never got a job that I actually applied for. I've been through many ****** job application processes. In one case, I found that the person who beat me to the job (one that I really wanted) was the cousin of the lead interviewer on the interview panel. In a couple of other cases I found that the job winner went to the same school as the interviewers.

Almost all the jobs that I've had have been through family or word of mouth or my current employers recommending me to someone else. In most cases I've already been offered the job before starting the interview process, and it was just a formality to satisfy the regs.

Some famous interview advisor, I forgot who, stated that 95% of jobs are gained through word of mouth and contacts, and less that 1 in 20 go to people who just applied from an advert, blindly, without any prior relationship with the employers. I've found that to be true.

Another point - I've worked for a couple of large companies (in the rare cases that I applied for and actually got the position) and I have to say that it sucks. Small companies are 100% better. You get to know people, you have a much wider range of responsibilities and you learn more.

[jessica.]

yep had the same apple email. Don't worry about it 95% of the people apple employ in their retail store are fools!

Your well shot mate.
Were 95% of them fools when you applied there or just after you were declined a position?
Oh I know, but that by no means makes it right.
Make it right? What was wrong? You were strung along just like many people are when they interview for a job. I hope you find another job you want but it's by no means "wrong" what they did.

[RedTomato]

In one case, I found that the person who beat me to the job (one that I really wanted) was the cousin of the lead interviewer on the interview panel.

I just remembered - the person who got the job couldn't deal with it, so the organisation ended up hiring me at the last minute to get her project done!

LOL - but they went down the toilet a couple of years later. They're still around but a shadow of their former self. Pity, as apart from the hiring nepotism, they were doing some interesting things.

To the OP, don't worry, you'll get your revenge later. You seem too intelligent to be working as an Apple drone anyway.

[allmIne]

Were 95% of them fools when you applied there or just after you were declined a position?


I'm sure he knew rightly they were fools prior to applying. If I want to maximise my chances of getting a job, I'll pick somewhere I believe is staffed primarily by fools. ;)

[rdowns]

Were 95% of them fools when you applied there or just after you were declined a position?

Make it right? What was wrong? You were strung along just like many people are when they interview for a job. I hope you find another job you want but it's by no means "wrong" what they did.


Good morning sunshine. I think you need another cup of coffee. You are replying to posts from 2007 and one of the posters has been banned.

Have an excellent day. :D