How to Get a Job at Apple

Apple Details & History

Apple is a global software and hardware company headquartered in Cupertino, California that specializes in consumer electronics and software. They're also the largest company in the world, and odds are-- you probably are reading this piece now on an Apple device. The company was founded in 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Some other key apple devices include Airpods, Airtags, Apple Watches, and iPads.

Apple also launched Apple+ in 2019 to compete with other streaming offerings to complete their Apple TV offering.

Apple Office Locations

Apple is a global company and has offices all over the world. The company headquarters is in Cupertino, California, but they also have satellite US offices in Austin, Boston, New York, Santa Clara, Seattle, and Sunnyvale.

Their other offices include London, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Apple also has retail stores in most major cities.

Apple's Primary Competitors

Apple has several different product offerings, and have individual competitors for each category. The only company who comes close to Apple's ecosystem is Microsoft.

The only spot Apple falters is Apple+. They only have a 6% marketshare as of 2023, and primary competitors include Disney+, HBO, Hulu, Netflix and more.

Top Apple Departments for Entry-Level Roles

• Product
• Marketing
• Operations
• Sales

Diversity at Apple

Apple has a great walkthrough of their diversity efforts front and center on their site. Women currently make up 35% of their workforce, which is up from 30% in 2014, and minorities make up 50%, up from 44% in 2014.

Their breakdowns were extremely thorough, and we encourage you to poke around in it if you're interested, here.

Is remote work allowed at Apple?

No, actually. Apple announced late 2022 that they were returning to a hybrid work schedule that includes Tuesdays, Thursdays and a "flex" day that's team dependent.

Is it hard to get a job with Apple?

Yes. Apple is no different from any big tech company, which means it's very competitive to even get an interview. We recommend being very focused and patient with your job efforts if ending up at Apple is your dream goal. To be realistic, it might take getting an entry-level role at another company and jumping to Apple with some experience under your belt. We'll talk more about this later.

Does Apple have good benefits?

Depending on your criteria, yes. We've ranked their benefits package a 6/10 for not allowing remote work or giving commuter benefits. Some unique perks besides healthcare and 401k match on 6%:

• Free lunch, dinner and snacks at the office
• Onsite gym and $300 gym credit
• 25% employee discount and $250 yearly credit
• 18 weeks of maternity (4 before, 14 after) and 6 weeks of paternity leave
• $7,000 relocation bonus
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year

Apple values people of all backgrounds to create community in their workforce. They especially seek out those who demonstrate their company values.

Apple Values

• A healthy respect for well-being.
• Putting the personal in personalization.
• Keeping it green. And clean.
• Growing roles into careers.
• Off to a running start.
• Inspiring minds by augmenting reality.
• Looking ahead for Apple. Looking out for all.
• Bridging cultures with inspiration as a Volunteer Champion.
• Helping people grow in their own direction.
• Making products and careers even more accessible.
• Rethinking a supply chain to reimagine recycling.
• Connecting products with code. Connecting people with privacy.

Apple Interview Process

The interview process for Apple heavily depends on what position you're going out for, but one thing they all have in common: they're tough. Expect 4 rounds, including both a 6-hour onsite and a take-home assessment.

Round 1 Interview at Apple: Basic Phone Screen

A recruiter screen is extremely normal for larger companies to vet you for the role you're applying for. They will ask some "screener questions," often written by the hiring team, to try and weed out the applicants who are not qualified to save everyone time. Expect to talk about previous experiences that mimic the wording in the job description. If you get contacted by a recruiter, that's already a huge win. Apple deals with hundreds of applicants every day.

Round 2 Interview at Apple: Hiring Manager Facetime Interview

This is a mix of technical and behavioral questions moderated by the hiring manager to weed out if you're a good fit for the particular role. They'll hit hard on things like communication, problem solving capabilities, and teamwork styles. If you're interviewing for a technical role, expect the technical portion to mainly live here too.

Round 3 Interview at Apple: Take Home Assignment

Many of the roles in the tech realm of Apple include an assessment in the Apple Assessment Center. The contents of the assessment will be heavily dependent on what role and department you're working with.

Round 4 Interview at Apple: Team Onsite

If you pass the assessment, you'll be invited onsite to Apple's office to meet potential team members in a structured, 6-hour interview process. Expect to meet between 8-15 team members total.

Apple Internship Program

Apple offers 12-week summer internships in most of their corporate departments, including engineering, design, marketing, and sales. Interns work on real business problems and are given opportunities to network with Apple employees.

To be apply for an internship at Apple, students need to be currently enrolled and have a strong academic record. The application process includes submitting a resume and cover letter, and may also include an interview process and (if applicable) a coding challenge.

Apple Associate Product Manager (APM) Program

Apple has an APM program, which is a rotational program for recent graduates who show aptitude for a product management career. If selected to be an Apple APM, you will rotate through different product teams to be exposed to as many business problems as possible. There is also a strong mentorship program connecting APMs to senior product managers to receive specialized coaching.

We have a tried-and-true process to help our Bridged readers get hired. It's 5 primary steps, but the meatiest is finding ways to get specific experience. Read on for recommendations.

Identify Your Target Role

Do your research, through Bridged or another company, to identify roles that may align well with your interests and core competencies. You can start here with our review of Best Entry-Level Tech Jobs to explore some options.

Apple is incredibly competitive, so your target career might be a role you see yourself holding in a few years. For example, if you'd like to be a product manager at Apple, that's not usually an entry-level role-- so you'll be competing with other folks who have product management experience.

Explore Ways to Get Experience

There are lots of ways to gain job experience without being on the job. Bridged gives several recommendations in our Job Guides for each job, but you can start by exploring programs like Coursera or Udemy to get valuable, resume-ready certifications from reputable sources.

For Apple specifically, some certifications will be great building blocks towards a role-- but not the entire piece. Don't let a bootcamp fool you into thinking you can immediately land a competitive role at Apple after completion of their $3,000 program. Employers like Apple look for demonstrated experience in the given field at real companies, and the best way to achieve this is by working at a less-competitive tech company in a similar role first.

Use Jobscan to Optimize Your Resume

Even if you're the most impressive person Apple has ever seen, we're sad to report it's part pure luck if you get picked for an interview.

We've written a whole article about this, but you'd be surprised how many impressive resumes NEVER see the eyes of a human! That's because of a pesky-little thing called an Applicant Tracking System (or ATS for short) that scans and ranks resumes based on their matchability to the job descriptions.

For a company like Apple that's getting hundreds of candidates DAILY, it's extremely important to match their ATS. Apple uses an in-house ATS (meaning they built it themselves) so it's definitely better than most, but still is scanning resumes looking for matching skills.

We love Jobscan because it helps match your resume to job listings with targetted skill keywords and comprehensive improvement recommendations. Get our full review writeup here.

Use Linkedin Premium to Find and Reach out to Apple Recruiters

If you think you have what it takes to work at Apple, it never hurts to reach out to a recruiter. This is especially relevant if you're looking for an internship and can find the person in charge of recruiting interns.
‍
We recommend a premium subscription because it allows you to view more profiles and send more Inmails. This way you can locate and reach out to the exact recruiter that works on an area that hosts your target roles. Be funny, and emphasize the work you've done to match with your target role, and take feedback gracefully. Mention Apple's values, and how you'd relate. A little human connection works wonders.

And Finally: Be Patient

It's a weird world out there in the job market. Everyone is getting rejections. Don't let it get to you, and keep upskilling in the process. Someday you'll see you're exactly where you need to be, and on the right path. Good luck!

Because of it's extremely competitive nature, it may be hard to get an entry-level tech role at Apple. It's a great target company for an entry-level tech role, but may require some other tech experience first. Be persistent, and be sure to spread your applications around to other similar roles to your target Apple role. You've got this.

Here at Bridged we are huge fans of stacking micro-certifications to achieve desired career results. We're building a product to make your career planning fun and affordable, and we'd love to talk to YOU! Was this article helpful? Did you land an interview at Apple?

Let us know at hello@getbridged.co