Apple

It looks good on your CV when you're looking for other jobs.

There are almost too many to mention.

The localization department in Cork is supposed to be some big hush-hush secret because they are testing unreleased software and hardware. But de facto, it's such a low priority to the company that almost all of the people in the department are easily disposable contractors who have to work in portacabins on the back-side parking lot!

The localization department does its own recruiting and will hire people on short-term contracts for different projects within the department to fill quotas set by Cupertino. In California, I'm sure there are people lining up to work for Apple, but in Ireland, it's a different story. So, in effect, this means that they will hire just about anyone speaking the required language for the project who is willing to come to Cork.

The department has a high turnover, as people will end up leaving after a few months when they realize it's a dead-end job and how poorly managed the department is. Basically, you cannot get fired from this place, no matter how hard you try! They will simply not renew your contract if they are not pleased with you, but there is no review process whatsoever, so you don't get any feedback on your performance!

For some languages, it's even so difficult to find people in Cork that they are desperate to keep the ones they have on board, no matter how incompetent or sociopathic they are! I even knew of a person who came to work smelling of booze repeatedly and received several complaints to the managers, and still was not fired!

Working in this department, you are reviewing and testing Apple software products in different languages. The daily test cases will often be long and very detailed, and there is never, ever enough equipment for you to fully test all the steps because it often means testing interconnectivity between multiple devices. There is always a shortage of computers and devices, making it hard to do your job fully. You would think that in a company like Apple, there would be an abundance of equipment at hand, but no.

This department also has the worst case of nepotism I've ever seen. If you've got a friend, brother, sister, ex, parent, whatever, working here, you can get a job in this department completely regardless of your actual skills. The managers are simply too lazy to do any proper recruiting, as they know you will leave in a few months' time when you realize what a disaster this working environment is. The team leads have no HR training whatsoever to deal with people problems, and it's all about being loyal and not complaining if you want to work your way up and get some kind of recognition. Stay away from this place!

Stop letting people's siblings, partners, and friends get the jobs. Do some actual work recruiting skilled people with a fitting profile!

Get your managers and team leads some proper HR training so they can tackle people problems when they arise.