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tips for my interview as a sales Specialist

D

David-fr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 7, 2008
440
26
Bay Area
hi, after applying for a year to work with apple in retail i got and invitation for a seminar/interview. if anyone has Gone thru one please tell me what to do and how it will be. I'm a apple fan boy that know every apple product, I also have sales expirience..please help, I bet you all have more expirience in formal interview. than me (19yrs old)

I'll be wearing a blue light button shirt and bage Khaki pants (Merona).
 
David-fr said:
hi, after applying for a year to work with apple in retail i got and invitation for a seminar/interview. if anyone has Gone thru one please tell me what to do and how it will be. I'm a apple fan boy that know every apple product, I also have sales expirience..please help, I bet you all have more expirience in formal interview. than me (19yrs old)

I'll be wearing a blue light button shirt and bage Khaki pants (Merona).
Click to expand...
I wouldn't focus too much on prior traditional sales experience. The way Apple does it is totally different, so if anything, spin it in the light that you've noticed that Apple does it differently and how much you'd like to work in that type of environment.

Other than that, do your best to show that you like to find solutions for people. Being able to listen, understand, and be able to relate the products in the most simple form will put you way ahead of another candidate that knows every detailed spec but can't relate to a non-tech customer. This is a huge reason that fanboys aren't the best people for Apple Retail. ;)
 
aristobrat said:
I wouldn't focus too much on prior traditional sales experience. The way Apple does it is totally different, so if anything, spin it in the light that you've noticed that Apple does it differently and how much you'd like to work in that type of environment.

Other than that, do your best to show that you like to find solutions for people. Being able to listen, understand, and be able to relate the products in the most simple form will put you way ahead of another candidate that knows every detailed spec but can't relate to a non-tech customer. This is a huge reason that fanboys aren't the best people for Apple Retail. ;)
Click to expand...

I guess that was one of the reasons they want to interview me, I dedicate my life to business managment and in my resume I put that I could connect an apple product to the business industry, a mac for office, iPhone and touch for PDA and so on...

thanks alot I'll stick to that..
 
I was recently interviewed by my local Apple store. It was like no other interview I had ever had. Mine was a group interview with like 20 people. The management staff broke up the large group into 3 smaller groups. They then asked questions where everyone responded together while the manager took notes.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
I was recently interviewed by my local Apple store. It was like no other interview I had ever had. Mine was a group interview with like 20 people. The management staff broke up the large group into 3 smaller groups. They then asked questions where everyone responded together while the manager took notes.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Click to expand...

did u got hired?????
did they tell you in the spot or call u later? what did they looked for? maainly...

was it for speacialist???!?

thanks!
 
Didn't get hired.:( Like I said there were about 20-25 of us there competing for only 3 positions. They did not tell us at the end if we were hired. The different managers had to compare notes I guess. There were lots of open ended questions. The thing is, that I had to sometimes wait for other people to give their answers, or maybe add on to what they said.

It was definitely quite an experience. When is your interview?
 
Dress business casual. Truthfully, I'd wear a nice polo shirt and khaki pants. Maybe with a cloth belt to offset the business look.

And then act yourself. Keep in mind that while Apple needs smart people (aka fanboys), they also need people who fit their niche. Keep it cool and be cool, and be personable with the interviewer. Interact with them, and don't talk too much about Apple -- they already know you know it all, so show them how you'll sell it.

The presentation is more important than the product.

And don't mention MacRumors. Seriously.
 
If you're given the opportunity to speak or answer a question, speak with enthusiasm. Ramble a bit if you need to. Don't speak with a monotone, and don't speak softly/quietly.

With most jobs, they won't hire anyone they don't like, so you need to be the most liked. This is probably most true in the retail sector. If they don't like you, customers may not like you.

With this particular job, they probably won't hire someone who doesn't seem easy for people to talk to immediately (i.e. within the first 5 seconds of talking to you), or isn't able to speak with enthusiasm about their products.

I know you are excited about Apple products, but you need to project it. Project project project. Nobody gives a crap if you can answer the question. There are 20-25 other applicants, and 10 of them can probably answer the questions just as well as you can. Heck, 2-3 of them may be members of MacRumors. :D While your goal should be to answer the questions to the best of your ability, your primary goal should be to leave an impression. Be remembered. Otherwise, you'll just be remembered as, "The guy who was sitting near the window."
 
Another piece of advice for group interviews - you're being judged even when you're not the one speaking. So don't sit there and look bored while others are on the hot seat. Make sure you stay engaged the entire time.
 
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