Software Engineer Interview Experience - Cupertino, California
September 1, 2014
Neutral ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The interview process involved being contacted by a recruiter, followed by a screening by a manager, and then a technical phone screen. This was then followed by a take-home coding test and a day of onsite interviews.
I will say this: every technical test prior to the onsite was relatively easy. When the onsite interviews started, we jumped into the deep end right away, and the questions were at least 3x more difficult than the technical phone screens or coding test. I was definitely not prepared :)
Questions
Reverse a string in Python without using str.reverse().
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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
22%
Pass 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
Positive57%
Neutral23%
Negative20%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Apple's Software Engineer interview process in Cupertino, California.
Apple Work Experiences
3.0
Stable job with some messiness
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
October 21, 2024
Pros: Relatively relaxed and access to a lot of great company resources and perks. Good work-life balance in my experience.
Cons: My department was badly managed and had a lot of red tape. Half of my team did not have access to the other half's work.
There was a lot of uncertainty, as many projects would start then get canceled shortly after, and contractors would be terminated.
Knowledge was very specialized as well, so it wasn't helpful for future roles.
3.0
Good Team, Lacking Transparency
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
February 25, 2021
Pros: Good teammates and knowledgeable.
Cons: Too many secrets and not enough transparency.
5.0
Fantastic experience and great manager
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Cupertino, California, United States
March 13, 2019
Pros: 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.
- 3.0Stable job with some messinessSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesOctober 21, 2024Pros: Relatively relaxed and access to a lot of great company resources and perks. Good work-life balance in my experience.Cons: My department was badly managed and had a lot of red tape. Half of my team did not have access to the other half's work. There was a lot of uncertainty, as many projects would start then get canceled shortly after, and contractors would be terminated. Knowledge was very specialized as well, so it wasn't helpful for future roles.
- 3.0Good Team, Lacking TransparencySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeCupertino, California, United StatesFebruary 25, 2021Pros: Good teammates and knowledgeable.Cons: Too many secrets and not enough transparency.
- 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.
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