Mechanical Engineer Interview Experience - Cupertino, California
August 1, 2012
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
Expect two rounds of half to full-day on-site interviews, with four to five individuals each day for a total of eight to ten people. You will likely need to take a half-day to a full day off for interviews with Apple.
This process culminates in a one-week take-home design challenge. You will then return to present your solution to a panel of the same individuals who interviewed you earlier. They will put you on the spot.
Questions
Questions about molding and design for manufacturing.
Experience with what types of engineering materials?
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 20 interview experiences for the Apple Mechanical Engineer role in Cupertino, California.
Success Rate
15%
Pass Rate
Apple's interview process for their Mechanical Engineer roles in Cupertino, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive45%
Neutral20%
Negative35%
Candidates reported having good feelings for Apple's Mechanical Engineer interview process in Cupertino, California.
Apple Work Experiences
3.0
Resources Abound, Balance Lacking
Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
June 22, 2021
Pros: Lots of resources and cross-functional work.
Cons: Work-life balance, high stress.
4.0
Great People, Fierce Competition
Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
November 2, 2021
Pros: Great people to work for and with.
Cons: Lots of competition amongst peers.
2.0
World-class products, but poor work/life balance and culture
Mechanical Engineer • Former Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
November 20, 2019
Pros: —famous company.
—Pay can be good, depending on which product and org you work in.
—Benefits are good. Health, dental, etc., are top-notch. Some people complain it doesn’t have free food 24/7, but Apple does have free dinner.
—Travel benefits are excellent for people who travel a lot. I can’t communicate how good their travel is. The Apple Travel group are great people and help you no matter where you are on Earth, 24/7, at a moment's notice. Business class tickets for international, and your pick of hotels.
—Funding is unlimited for products the company is committed to shipping.
—Some fantastic colleagues. I’ve become friends with really great people because of the challenges you endure together.
—The experience is unique: only Apple can do Apple.
Cons: —management. Good ones are hard to find, and even more difficult to transfer to. Often, job openings are due to people quitting a manager, so people coming in don’t have a clue to what situation they’re stepping into.
—Highly political culture. Very siloed. GSM and Capex community is particularly difficult to work with. Some PD groups are legendary for being difficult to work with.
—Turnover is high.
—People are highly educated, but sometimes don’t possess good engineering common sense. Endless funding and a faux accountability structure insulates people with amazing pedigrees but poor engineering judgment.
—People are good at shifting blame, covering tracks, and overall bending the optics so that they look good regardless of outcome. More often than not, other cross-functional groups and people are “thrown under the bus.”
—Most positions are support. i.e., you’re most likely working on someone else’s vision or idea, whether you’re in product development or operations.
—Engineering is mostly execution-based. You are most likely going to spend endless hours to prove out ideas based on ID’s whim and managers’ behest. This can be deeply frustrating for creative people.
—Career advancement is poor. You were hired to turn a crank, and that crank you shall turn.
—It is a political place to work. Worth mentioning twice...
- 3.0Resources Abound, Balance LackingMechanical Engineer • Current EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesJune 22, 2021Pros: Lots of resources and cross-functional work.Cons: Work-life balance, high stress.
- 4.0Great People, Fierce CompetitionMechanical Engineer • Current EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesNovember 2, 2021Pros: Great people to work for and with.Cons: Lots of competition amongst peers.
- 2.0World-class products, but poor work/life balance and cultureMechanical Engineer • Former EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesNovember 20, 2019Pros: —famous company. —Pay can be good, depending on which product and org you work in. —Benefits are good. Health, dental, etc., are top-notch. Some people complain it doesn’t have free food 24/7, but Apple does have free dinner. —Travel benefits are excellent for people who travel a lot. I can’t communicate how good their travel is. The Apple Travel group are great people and help you no matter where you are on Earth, 24/7, at a moment's notice. Business class tickets for international, and your pick of hotels. —Funding is unlimited for products the company is committed to shipping. —Some fantastic colleagues. I’ve become friends with really great people because of the challenges you endure together. —The experience is unique: only Apple can do Apple.Cons: —management. Good ones are hard to find, and even more difficult to transfer to. Often, job openings are due to people quitting a manager, so people coming in don’t have a clue to what situation they’re stepping into. —Highly political culture. Very siloed. GSM and Capex community is particularly difficult to work with. Some PD groups are legendary for being difficult to work with. —Turnover is high. —People are highly educated, but sometimes don’t possess good engineering common sense. Endless funding and a faux accountability structure insulates people with amazing pedigrees but poor engineering judgment. —People are good at shifting blame, covering tracks, and overall bending the optics so that they look good regardless of outcome. More often than not, other cross-functional groups and people are “thrown under the bus.” —Most positions are support. i.e., you’re most likely working on someone else’s vision or idea, whether you’re in product development or operations. —Engineering is mostly execution-based. You are most likely going to spend endless hours to prove out ideas based on ID’s whim and managers’ behest. This can be deeply frustrating for creative people. —Career advancement is poor. You were hired to turn a crank, and that crank you shall turn. —It is a political place to work. Worth mentioning twice...
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