Company: Apple
Date: 2015-07-15
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

The best dead end job in the world
Pros: Apple has an incredible ability to hire outstanding people.  I've been in the work force for 20 years now and the 3 years I spent at Apple were with the best people I've ever worked with.  My team was phenomenal. the skills gained were extremely valuable, and above all, I had a lot of fun, and pride in my company and my contribution.
Cons: Unfortunately, Apple's care in hiring does not extend to the managers.  While Apple goes to considerable lengths to carefully hire only the best for the non-managerial roles in retail, they seem content to hire pretty much anyone with retail management experience as managers.  This significantly damages the overall experience of working there, because for all the talk of being special and better than other retail jobs, in the end, it's really all the same.  What makes Apple special happens in spite of the managers, and not because of them.

There is no real opportunity for advancement.  You may move from part time to full time, or some inconsequential minor move from one position to another in the store, but any real growth in skill or experience is not rewarded or incentivized with promotion or raises,  Again, the managers are nearly all hired externally, when the people who have earned those jobs are kept in lower positions.

Also, the pay is awful.  Since leaving, offers I have received have ranged from 23-55% higher than my Apple salary.  Apple's benefits are great, but the pay is anything but.