I had an informal sit-down interview with a couple of Apple representatives at my school. We went over a few things on my resume and talked a great deal about Apple. I believe what really helped me stand out was showing my enthusiasm by asking a lot of technical questions about manufacturing (what I was interested in). They're not just looking for smart people; they want motivated people.

This led to an on-site interview with the Operations/Manufacturing Design group about four weeks later. Honestly, I was surprised because it seemed like I didn't need to do much to get an on-site interview. Oh well.

I was flown to Cupertino for three days (Thursday-Saturday). The interview was all day Friday. I had six 30-minute interviews scheduled, but there were actually more interviews. HR adds in some extra "downtime" where random managers can come to interview or re-interview you.

Overall, the interviews were not bad. Some were more structured with HR questions, while others walked me through technical questions (e.g., "How would you measure these dimensions?" or "How would you assure the quality of this part?"). It shouldn't be too difficult for a well-trained engineer. Just know, interviews are not done until you go home around 8 PM. So, even when the schedule says interviews end at 3 PM, they can interview you later, even during the "reception." Don't let your guard down.

Key things to remember:

• Be enthusiastic and show your desire to work on Apple products. They want people who will buy into their products.
• Bring examples of your work, if possible, such as a written portfolio or a manufacturing project you worked on. I definitely used this to showcase my work, and it paid off with an offer. The people at Apple are very visual and will appreciate this.

What do you want me to know about you?

How would you measure if the Apple logo on the back of the iPad was oriented correctly?