In the retail stores, it's really easy to get in. A 1-2 round interview with store or manager regarding some pretty basic questions would get you the job. Nothing special, but I'm sure from the other posts you will realize that retail store is a very different story to the corporate office, which is very tough to get in....

Apple interviews tend to be more focused on the questions you ask instead of the answers they ask. Be prepared to ask some good questions. After a few interviews and talk with the Cupertino headquarters, things iron our well. They're quite relaxed and casual in their interviews but obviously tough to get in.

Dress code is quite casual, as long as you are wearing the Apple T-shirt. You can hang around the office anytime you like, and do what you need to do to finish the work. Employee interaction is alright, but management to employee relationships are not that great (unlike the Wells Fargo posts I read on this site)

Growth is probably the biggest issue in the company. It is extremely hard to get promoted. If you do well at a lower level job, you are fit for that lower level job and don't deserve to be doing a higher level job. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted! The managers often don't know what they are doing, but they say that our retail experiences don't qualify us as managers.

Apple, like many corporate firms, try to squeeze out every penny they can make out of you, and compensate you very little for it. Bonuses are pretty impossible to get, and raises are tough too.

Working in the stores, there is often a disconnect feel towards the corporate office. The human resource department is far away and does not help us much. When we make a complaint, our managers will know about it first and it usually is the opposite of solving the problem. The creative work makes up for a lot of it though.

Culture is great here, a lot of smart and motivated people working with you (specifically as an engineer). However, Apple has an attitude that excludes other products and feel there is a stigma to endorse any non-Apple things. Lack of communication is usually a problem too. The decision makers think their stuff is the best take in little later feedback. The products do sell very well though.

The Culture is expected to be more relaxed. Casual dress codes all the way. ( unless in some European offices.) Dress only formal in meetings with outside clients. The environment at the head office in Cupertino is beautiful with great cafeteria and parking. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed. It not hard to find people playing sports on the campus. generally, people who work here are happy. Apple also have many events to get people to communicate and meet each other. There is also a diverse group of people on the campus in terms of both race and personality.

Compensation in the retail service for sales representatives are usually in the teens. If working full time, there are some benefits but not stock options. In the Cupertino headquarter, compensation is fair. Engineers get pay in the 6 digits. Project managers get around $55,000 to $75,000. However hours required are usually a bit over 40 hrs/wk. Interns gets around $20/hr plus some overtime and benefits.

The process to obtain a position in the retail store is rather simple and easy. There is usually only one interview with the store manager. Sometimes there is a phone or email interview with the the HR department. As long as you are willing to work full time, the process goes a lot smoother. In the corporate level in Cupertino, it's more formal. There is a first round interview in the region, then a second round on the campus in Cupertino. The interviews are all very relaxed. The interviewers usually comes in casual cloths, even on the campus. Each interviewer/manager has different personality and method. They usually reserve significant amount of time for questions for them. It's recommended to have a few good questions for them to spark conversations.

Hours are usually 40 hours a week and working overtime is usually frowned upon. The work is fun and creative, but there is a TON of micromanagement, pretty much from the top down. Multiple supervisors don't really communicate much and say different things.

In the headquarter in Cupertino. Work is hard and challenging, but at the same time, the environment and atmosphere makes it somewhat fun. People works hard within groups and projects. One thing that's unique here is that people don't like other groups inquiring about the details of their work. Secrecy and security is tight here.

The middle management of the firm usually has very high turnover, primarily because of the micromanagement style from the top down. There's a lot of pressure to work overtime and do good work. However, the worktime itself and such is very flexible.

When started in the sales side of the business, it's hard and sometimes discouraged to advance to the corporate level. There is a virtue " No advancement to corporate " policy; Advancement within retail is possible but hard to achieve. In the corporate level, advancement in the lower ranks comes rather quickly and easy. But there is a major blockade at the middle rank management.

Apple has a very collegial feel to it, with a friendly and open atmosphere. People would play sports during work, and a lot of social interactions go on. Diversity is vast, and things are really fun. If you walk into other peoples' offices and ask what they are doing, you would be looked don upon, because of the security and secrecy of Apple's philosophy.

Apple is a company that is very detail oriented towards their products. It's creative and exacting as the same time. The work is tough and exhausting, but if you have a passion towards these products, you'll be ok.

A lot of the comments here on growth are related to the retails stores. In the corporate firm, they believe in hiring within, which makes growth opportunities quite good. This may be another reason why "outside" retail store members cannot be promoted into the corporate structure. Also, sometimes it would be harder because most people at the high level are very comfortable about where they are at.

If you work at a store and perform excellently, while knowing how to suck up, you can get promoted within the retail store. However, there's almost no chance to get into the corporate office through this medium.