I applied through university. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at Apple (Cupertino, CA) in Oct 2012
Interview
I had an informal sit-down interview with a couple of Apple reps at my school. We just went over a couple of things on my resume and talked a great deal about Apple. I think 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.
So that got me an on-site interview with the Operations/Manufacturing Design group about 4 weeks later. Honestly, I was surprised because it seemed like I didn't need to do much to get on-site. Oh well. I was flown to Cupertino for 3 days (Thurs-Sat). Interview was all day Friday. I had 6 30-min interviews scheduled, but really there were more interviews. HR adds in some extra "down time" where random managers can come to interview or re-interview you. Overall the interviews are not bad, some are more structured with HR questions, some walk you through technical questions (how would you measure this dimensions, how would you assure quality of this part). It shouldn't be too bad for a well-trained engineer. Just know, interviews are not done until you go home at around 8PM. So even when the schedule says interviews end at 3, they can come and interview you later, even during the "reception". So don't let your guard down.
Key things: Be enthusiastic and show your desire to work on Apple products. They want people who will buy in to their products. Bring examples of your work, if you can. Written portfolios or even a manufacturing project you worked on. I definitely used this to show my work and it paid off with an offer. The people at Apple are very visual, and will appreciate this.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
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?
I applied online. I interviewed at Apple (Cupertino, CA) in Nov 2025
Interview
First interview was 30 mins with the recruiter. Followed by a 45 minute interview with the hiring manager. Then SIX 30 min long interviews with the cross functional team. Questions focused on technical knowledge with maybe 1 per person about personality. Heavy focus on direct extensive experience doing the specific task at hand
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Guide me through the whole QMS and where does the risk management process happens as if I was 10 years old. Then the gaps where filled with very specific technical questions
The process started Online though the company website. The company portal was user freindly and easy to navigate. Several rounds of reviews with a number of team members. Overall a positive experience.
I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Apple (San Diego, CA) in Apr 2024
Interview
Recruiter Screening
I was contacted by a recruiter for a different role than the one I applied for on the company's website. The recruiter was relaxed and suggested some resume adjustments before submitting it to the hiring manager.
Technical Interview
I was given a medium-level LeetCode question during the technical interview. Initially, I was asked to pass the provided test cases, which I managed to do within 40 minutes. However, the interviewer pointed out that I should have considered all possible scenarios instead of focusing solely on the provided test cases. I was informed that other candidates performed better.