I interviewed for a software position in the Special Projects Group, which is run like a startup within Apple.

Overall, it was a reasonable interview process. It was fairly different from other top tech companies, which concentrate mainly on algorithm problems. It consisted of the following:

• Phone interview covering basics of C++ and other languages, and other common software questions.
• On-site interview with five interviews covering algorithms, software version control, design patterns, in-depth questions concerning my area of expertise, behavioral questions, and other resume-based questions.

Everyone was friendly overall and seemed very strong technically. I also enjoyed working with the recruiter. They had a very flat company culture, and it seemed like a very exciting position.

My C++ skills were not strong enough, and I was told that was the main reason I did not get an offer. This is understandable, as I have very little industry C++ experience.