Company: Apple
Date: 2008-12-28
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

Apple Inc., a place to grow deep roots and become fruitful in talent and skills.
Pros: The best reasons to work for Apple are very numerous. Apple pays higher in retail than any other retail employer from my experience. They seek to find a spot for you that fits your needs and desires, as such, it is very difficult to get fired from the company for failing in you current job (if something else is open that you show aptitude for, they will certainly give you the chance), you will be fired however, for standard terminable issues (theft, deceit, consistent horrible work performance, etc.). The benefits are excellent and management will always help you move up in your position or into another higher level position. Apple also offers a unique opportunity to transfer from Retail to Corporate in their ARC Program. It's one of the only companies that I know of that will let retail employees, if they qualify, to work for three months in Cupertino for the chance to be transferred to corporate. Apple also attracts some of the most diverse people that you can find and you will always learn something from your coworkers.
Cons: If you work in the Retail division, then there are the same potential issues with management that you can come across at any retail store. Apple is very selective in whom they hire, however some members of management can slip through and demonstrate a complete lack of HR management and in some cases, a lack of knowledge of the product. The retail stores are constantly high pressure (not because of commission sales, since no one is on commission) with many, many customers looking to purchase, have servicing done and engaging in training. All of this is done under the same roof and many times each area can come into conflict with the other areas (training customers complain of noise from the sales floor, Genius Bar customers complain of lack of space at bar and Specialists (sales people) standing around not helping them with tech related issues). If you work for corporate however, these problems don't exist.