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How do I work at Apple?
What can I do to get a software engineering job at Apple?
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6 answers
Updated
Chirayu’s Answer
To work at Apple as a software engineer, you can take the following steps: Acquire a solid understanding of computer science fundamentals and programming languages, such as Swift, Objective-C, or Python, as well as experience with various operating systems, including macOS, iOS, or watchOS. Work on personal projects or participate in hackathons to demonstrate your technical abilities and showcase your portfolio. Connect with current and former Apple employees, attend industry events, and join online communities related to Apple and software engineering to build your network and learn more about the company culture and job opportunities. Check Apple's career website regularly for open software engineering positions, and tailor your resume and cover letter to match the requirements listed in the job description. Be familiar with Apple's products, services, and culture. Research the company's values and mission, and be ready to answer technical and behavioral questions during the interview process. Remember that competition for software engineering positions at Apple can be high, so it's important to demonstrate your technical skills, show your passion for the company, and highlight your unique qualifications.
Thank you, Chirayu!
Chris
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Jodie’s Answer
I believe working your way up to your "unicorn" role is vital for being successful in your career. It is always good to aim high, however in my experience, coming from professional services, I found this really gave me the opportunity to work for a range of clients across a number of industries, which gave me the chance to dip my toes into the "tech" world and have a passion for working in cyber security in this field. CS is forever changing and sometimes quite often hard to keep up. Another piece of advice would be to have a primary and secondary specialisation, make yourself valuable by at least having two things to fall back on. Don't be a jack of all trades and a master of none - hone in on specialising in an area that is business critical and market yourself in a way that will make yourself a necessity - not a "nice to have, but not needed for now".
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Kyle’s Answer
Hi Chris,
It's not Apple, but I have experience as a recruiter and I currently work at Atlassian, so I would love to provide some general advice on how to break into a software technology company:
- Try to personalize your resume to match the theme of the job description. With large corporations such as Apple, if multiple roles in different functions suits you. We suggest tailor different versions of resume to fit those roles. - I added a link below that will hopefully help with resume writing.
- Check websites like Glassdoor to get an idea of interview questions and gain insights to the companies culture. This will help you prepare if you do get to initial stages. (link below)
- Gain contacts within the company you are trying to join, in this case Apple. - I suggest doing research on LinkedIn profiles, that have career backgrounds that interest you. If you find one you like, you could even try setting up an introductory call to learn more about how they got their job.
- If you are still in college I would target internship programs. Often times if you can get into a company's internship program and you perform well, there is a high likelihood of full time conversion.
-If applying fresh out of college I would target new graduate programs. - I gave an example link for Google's Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) program below.
-For some of the larger technology companies you want to practice for coding challenges. To prepare you can use sites like LeetCode (code questions), Pramp (You get to practice with others who are also preparing to interview) , code academy (https://www.codecademy.com/)
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/google-recruiters-say-these-5-resume-tips-including-x-y-z-formula-will-improve-your-odds-of-getting-hired-at-google.html
https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/gcp/adventures-in-sre-land-welcome-to-google-mission-control/
https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm
https://leetcode.com/
https://www.pramp.com/#/
It's not Apple, but I have experience as a recruiter and I currently work at Atlassian, so I would love to provide some general advice on how to break into a software technology company:
- Try to personalize your resume to match the theme of the job description. With large corporations such as Apple, if multiple roles in different functions suits you. We suggest tailor different versions of resume to fit those roles. - I added a link below that will hopefully help with resume writing.
- Check websites like Glassdoor to get an idea of interview questions and gain insights to the companies culture. This will help you prepare if you do get to initial stages. (link below)
- Gain contacts within the company you are trying to join, in this case Apple. - I suggest doing research on LinkedIn profiles, that have career backgrounds that interest you. If you find one you like, you could even try setting up an introductory call to learn more about how they got their job.
- If you are still in college I would target internship programs. Often times if you can get into a company's internship program and you perform well, there is a high likelihood of full time conversion.
-If applying fresh out of college I would target new graduate programs. - I gave an example link for Google's Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) program below.
-For some of the larger technology companies you want to practice for coding challenges. To prepare you can use sites like LeetCode (code questions), Pramp (You get to practice with others who are also preparing to interview) , code academy (https://www.codecademy.com/)
Kyle recommends the following next steps:
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Ismail’s Answer
There are a few ways. First way is through college application with good college projects on your resume and good github repo showing what you have done in personal time.
Second way would be getting experience in another tech company , potentially a start up where you can fast experiment and get experience to be a good choice for Apple
My advice would be targeting similar companies as well since interview selection process is tied to too many factors that you will not be able to impact. When you are not selected for interview, it doesn't mean you can't do the job
Second way would be getting experience in another tech company , potentially a start up where you can fast experiment and get experience to be a good choice for Apple
My advice would be targeting similar companies as well since interview selection process is tied to too many factors that you will not be able to impact. When you are not selected for interview, it doesn't mean you can't do the job
Updated
Ariel’s Answer
Full disclosure - I didn't get the job at Apple BUT I did get an interview! The only way that happened was through a personal referral. I had applied multiple times blindly to openings that I thought I was qualified for but no one from Apple ever replied - my personal experience with the application and interview process was awful, I found it disrespectful and insincere - more on this below. Only when a coworker who used to work at Apple gave me a connection for a personal referral did I get an interview. If your goal is to get into Apple no matter what and you don't know anyone who works/worked there, my best recommendation to do this is to beef up your LinkedIn profile and start networking. If you're already in tech - awesome! If not, you can Google "ways to improve LinkedIn profile" (heck they even have a step-by-step list to help you!) which includes following people, companies, and influencers who are involved with companies you're interested in. Be honest - it's ok to let folks know what you're looking for and ask for help. By connecting all the dots around Apple, you will eventually get a connection to someone at Apple.
Food for thought - Apple is hard to get into, it's not impossible but they do have a high bar for entry. I say this not to say you won't get in, but that if you don't get a reply (like me!) just know it's not personal! Sometimes they just want you to have specific experience before considering you.
Now, back to the interview process. Looking for a job is hard - it's hours on a resume, hours applying, hours wondering if you'll hear back and Apple disappointed me consistently. They never even said "thanks but no thanks" to my applications. The time I did get an interview they somehow forgot to tell the interviewer that I was on deck for them that day and didn't give me instructions on reaching the right building in their massive campus (my requests were also ignored). I didn't hear back from the interview for months, by that time I had already secured a job at another company. To me, it said "We don't care how we treat you, if you don't like it someone else is begging to get in and we'll make them an offer."
If you want to work for Apple because it's a big, impressive name - cool. It's also helpful to consider what would make you good at your job - do you need a certain salary? A manager who can offer feedback? The ability to work remote? Peers of your age/gender/ethnicity? An optional career path that the company created or can facilitate? Good benefits? Reverse-engineer what YOUR needs are before you select a company and then ask them to provide what you need, the same as you'd choose a partner. I wanted to work at Apple because it was a big, impressive name but after interviewing at half a dozen companies and hearing about what they offered, I realized what was most important to me was feeling supported professionally which would allow me to grow and elevate my career no matter where I ended up.
Food for thought - Apple is hard to get into, it's not impossible but they do have a high bar for entry. I say this not to say you won't get in, but that if you don't get a reply (like me!) just know it's not personal! Sometimes they just want you to have specific experience before considering you.
Now, back to the interview process. Looking for a job is hard - it's hours on a resume, hours applying, hours wondering if you'll hear back and Apple disappointed me consistently. They never even said "thanks but no thanks" to my applications. The time I did get an interview they somehow forgot to tell the interviewer that I was on deck for them that day and didn't give me instructions on reaching the right building in their massive campus (my requests were also ignored). I didn't hear back from the interview for months, by that time I had already secured a job at another company. To me, it said "We don't care how we treat you, if you don't like it someone else is begging to get in and we'll make them an offer."
If you want to work for Apple because it's a big, impressive name - cool. It's also helpful to consider what would make you good at your job - do you need a certain salary? A manager who can offer feedback? The ability to work remote? Peers of your age/gender/ethnicity? An optional career path that the company created or can facilitate? Good benefits? Reverse-engineer what YOUR needs are before you select a company and then ask them to provide what you need, the same as you'd choose a partner. I wanted to work at Apple because it was a big, impressive name but after interviewing at half a dozen companies and hearing about what they offered, I realized what was most important to me was feeling supported professionally which would allow me to grow and elevate my career no matter where I ended up.
Thank you!
Chris
Updated
Maxim’s Answer
Dive headfirst into the community! The macOS engineering community is huge and incredibly helpful!
The macadmins.org Slack channel, with nearly 65,000 users, is a hub of activity and it's 100% free to join! Conferences and local meetups are fantastic opportunities to mingle with people who share the same interests. Keep an eye out for events such as /devworld/ and don't worry if you can't make it in person, you can always catch them on YouTube!
The macadmins.org Slack channel, with nearly 65,000 users, is a hub of activity and it's 100% free to join! Conferences and local meetups are fantastic opportunities to mingle with people who share the same interests. Keep an eye out for events such as /devworld/ and don't worry if you can't make it in person, you can always catch them on YouTube!