Software Engineer Interview Experience - Cupertino, California
Process
I had a phone call with a recruiter, followed by two in-person screenings and a full on-site loop. From the first call to the on-site, it took about a month and a half.
The on-site consisted of 7 interviews with lots of behavioral questions (someone is scraping Amazon for interview ideas? :)). I assume this is role and position-specific, really, but I did not get any generic whiteboard coding questions. Everything was more about domain-specific problems and discussions, which I think is great.
The most frustrating part of the process was a part of the lunch interview when the hiring manager asked tons of behavioral questions starting: "What if your unreasonable manager...".
Overall, it was a fun experience, very different from everything else I have done during this interviewing cycle. I had to follow up with the recruiter in almost two weeks (Apple was closed for a week during Thanksgiving) to get the template rejection letter.
Questions
Design a work flow diagram for a problem.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 162 interview experiences for the Apple Software Engineer role in Cupertino, California.
Success Rate
Apple's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Cupertino, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Apple's Software Engineer interview process in Cupertino, California.
Apple Work Experiences
- 4.0Good to work at AppleSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesJanuary 10, 2013Pros: Dynamic to work in this company.Cons: It's hectic to work in this company.
- 3.0Experience at AppleSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesJune 30, 2013Pros: Apple employees are valued very much by other employers. Their next job is always easy. They have the opportunity to work on the latest technology.Cons: Work resembles that of a startup without enough rewards. Long work hours. Employees are loyal to the company, but the company does not seem to care about employee retention. In product development groups, employee turnover is high. In the iPod group where I worked, on average, every month there would be about 40-50 employees leaving the company and approximately the same number would join as well.
- 5.0Fantastic experience and great managerSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesMarch 13, 2019Pros: Supportive manager, interesting problems, competitive salary, and about everyone is dedicated to the product. Truly first-class coworkers and the culture within my org was supportive. I could really focus on the work in a way I couldn't at other larger companies, and I knew that my contribution was amounting to an important impact for users. The skills I learned here have translated forward to other jobs I have had afterwards, and I am certain I am a better engineer for having spent time here.Cons: Not sure if it is a "con" per se, but Apple is very secretive, and you are expected to be part of that. You might have to avoid talking about the specifics of what you do with friends and sometimes even other co-workers.
Apple Interview Questions
