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Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

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Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#11
post #9

There's enough talk here about Apple, maybe not about working or interviewing there, but honestly there's just way too much talk about big companies on HN already; we don't need more. What's the point of this meta thread anyway? Are you planning to work at Apple? If so, why don't you just ask specific direct questions about that? Flagged for zero content.

Sounds like personal preference. This site is for natural selection. If people are interested in it then it will get voted up. Voted Up because I've often wondered it myself

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#12
I believe that they've got somewhat strictest policies on talking about internal stuff.

Well, at least that's what some bloggers write about [1] and I haven't heard about any counter-proofs.

[1] http://gizmodo.com/5427058/apple-gestapo-how-apple-hunts-dow...

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#13
post #8

The first rule of working at Apple - No one talks about Apple.

Second rule of Apple: one button and no more. If you need more, just use the on-screen buttons.

I actually understood the one-button mouse idea recently. It forces software developers to try not to hide all the useful features behind right-click menus, but figure out how to consistently lead a user to where they want to go.

User Story: My wifi wasn't working on my windows laptop the other day, I knew there was some nice "troubleshoot network" button, but I could not find it for the life of me every time i clicked on the wifi icon, causing me to go through the "network and sharing center" menu . 10 minutes later I finally realized right-clicking instantly brought up the troubleshoot menu.

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#14
post #6

My first guess would be respect for the company. Secondarily, plenty of results in google reveal that the policy (if somewhat unofficially) is that you can say you work at Apple on your blog, etc, but not really blog /about/ Working At Apple. Even if there's no official policy on it, it's just better taste to say "The thoughts of John Doe" and not represent oneself as "John Doe of Apple." "There's a PR department for…

Interesting, I never realised that Rands works at Apple...

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#17
post #9

There's enough talk here about Apple, maybe not about working or interviewing there, but honestly there's just way too much talk about big companies on HN already; we don't need more. What's the point of this meta thread anyway? Are you planning to work at Apple? If so, why don't you just ask specific direct questions about that? Flagged for zero content.

Sounds like personal preference. This site is for natural selection. If people are interested in it then it will get voted up. Voted Up because I've often wondered it myself

This site is not completely for natural selection. I think PG would agree or there would be no moderation.

Well-Kept Gardens Die By Pacifism.

http://lesswrong.com/lw/c1/wellkept_gardens_die_by_pacifism/

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#18
Though the `mysqldump` command looks inconspicuous, it does cause mysql to lock the tables in the entire database (which, if it is large and/or your connection is poor, will take a while (minutes? hours? depends)). Proper replication is a preferable solution, but if you are already aware of the concept of replication you will undoubtedly already be aware of database locking (and when it happens).

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#19

I believe that they've got somewhat strictest policies on talking about internal stuff. Well, at least that's what some bloggers write about [1] and I haven't heard about any counter-proofs. [1] http://gizmodo.com/5427058/apple-gestapo-how-apple-hunts-dow...

I agree. I have close, personal friends who went to work at Apple. The last time I talked to one of them, they started getting visibly nervous just talking about the breakfast they had at the on-campus cafe.

Not what it cost, or what it was, but even that it existed.

I quickly changed the topic.

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about working or interviewing for Apple?

#20
For the people working there, talking about it on a public forum is cause enough to get fired, and hiding behind an online alias is not going to give you enough protection. Apple is full of really smart people, who like their jobs well enough not to risk losing them so casually and for such little incentive.

As for the process of interviewing: for a lot of the more interesting jobs at Apple, interviewing involves signing an NDA. Hence, whether or not they end up getting hired, they’re contractually prevented from talking about the interview process.

Having worked there in the past myself but not anymore, I can speak only _somewhat_ freely about it all. The interview process can be intense, taking up to several weeks and with a minimum of 4 interviews, but usually 7 or 8. Often, for practicality reasons (travel to Cupertino), all those interviews are done in a single day, and if it's more than 8 it'll be done across two+ days. As for the specifics of an average interview itself, I can’t really say anything.

And as for working there, my own experience was largely fantastic, but it wasn't for me in the end. Apple's campus is by far the nicest I've seen of all the major companies (and I've seen all the ones in Silicon Valley), and though there is always a constant pressure, stress and a major (and insane) deadline to make, working there is incredibly satisfying. Unless, perhaps, you're at MobileMe. But maybe that was just me.

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