Insider's Guide to Getting a Job at Apple

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The Insider's Guide to Getting a Job at Apple

Get a referral

- Back in the days Apple recruits are often hired through recommendations of existing employees.
- Apple staff are usually happy to recommend newbies for upcoming jobs, and they even get a payment for the privilege.

Can't get anyone to refer you?

- The next best thing is to get yourself talent-spotted by a recruiter.
- Apple uses both agencies, and internal recruiters.
- The company has plenty of eyes looking for new recruits.

How to steal the spotlight?

- Contribute a fantastic iOS or Mac app to the App Store.
- Something as simple as answering questions within the Apple support forums is also rumoured to have lead to employment too.

Want to leapfrog straight into the spotlight?

- Prove yourself!

Hugo Fiennes

- Went from college then to Apple where he heads up iPhone hardware development.
- How he did it?
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- By proving a long-standing and intricate knowledge of the ARM hardware at the heart of the iPhone.

Jordan Hubbard

- He moved to Apple's Core OS Engineering Department as its manager of BSD Technologies in 1999
- How he did it?
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- He generated valuable input and code to an open source project Apple invests heavily in.

Comex (AKA Nicholas Allegra)

- How he did it?
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- He routinely jailbreak each iOS version of Apple and received an offer for internship.

Get yourself bought

- Plenty of people have created commercial products and found their companies bought by Apple, along with themselves.

Bill Nguyen

- He sold Lala to Apple for a reported $80 million.
- He didn't just receive a large lump sum though, as Apple wanted access to Lala's technology and team.
- All his employees went to Cupertino.

Dag Kittlaus

- The man behind Siri.
- Apple bought Siri for an estimate of $200 milion.
- Following the acquisition, Kittlaus and Co. moved to Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

Send your CV on spec

- Of course, Apple accepts applications direct to its front door too.
- However, they would "highly recommend trying to locate an insider" before doing this.
- A little goodwill goes a long way at Apple.

Get an internship

- Apple accepts interns, and while you'll need to be studying for a relevant course and willing to work for lower-than-Apple-average pay.
- It's not all good news though. Internships have a shelf life.
- Apple's maximum internships are for 51 weeks, so expect to be back on the job hunt within a year.

Start at the bottom

- The ground floor entry is Apple's retail stores.
- Constant expansion, and customers queuing out of the door, mean Apple's constantly hiring retail staff.
- Apple applicants for each retail jobs estimates around 200.
- That's right, you'll need to out-perform 199 other people to get that coveted Apple ID badge.

Secrets To Getting A Job At Apple, Google Or Microsoft

Start Something
- Launching a small tech company, or just a project, can demonstrate virtually everything a tech firm wants to see.

Create an Online Portfolio

- A simple web site with a description of your major accomplishments can provide more context than what your resume can provide.
- Recruiters might stumble across your portfolio online and give you a call.

Get Out There (And Online)

- Attending tech events will help to build your network, but don't forget about the online channels.
- Recruiters search for potential candidates on blogs comments, industry forums and Twitter.
- Being active on online can be an excellent way to catch a recruiter's attention.

Reasons Your Current Resume Will Never Get You A Job At Apple Or Google

You didn't go to an elite college
- Where you went to school does matter to the tech giants.
- There are exceptions, but an Ivy League or other top university will get you noticed.

You were a waitress instead of an intern when you were 19

- Most students who want to graduate with jobs know they need to get a relevant internship while they're in school.

You aren't a generalist

- If you want to work at one of the top tech companies, it helps to have at least a basic understanding of multiple positions in the organization.

You're a bad writer

- Writing and communications skills aren't just necessary for media jobs.
- They're important in any career you'll have.

Study! Study! Study!

- Obviously, competition is fierce, so you'll need to get yourself noticed!
- It should go without saying that Apple won't hire you unless you're up to speed on the latest and greatest tech.