Company: Apple
Date: 2008-04-23
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

Apple-the most fun you'll have at work!
Pros: It's terrific to work for a place that has become such an iconic and reputable company, not to mention the fastest growing retailer in history.  The products are second to none, and Apple has really figured out the best way to attract new customers, and maintain customer loyalty with old ones.  The structure and hierarchy in the stores are unique to any retailer, making us the current envy of just about everyone.  Everyday there is some extremely fun component or thing that happens that makes showing up to work an effortless task.  I would recommend a job at Apple to just about any qualified individual.  It's a great feeling to work for a company that truly does change the fabric of peoples' lives, everyday.
Cons: The atmosphere at Apple is never dull, and on days when most stores in the mall are dead, Apple is overflowing with people.  This is great, but is often hard to keep up with, making for a challenging working atmosphere.  The training process, though long, is at times not thorough enough, putting people on the floor to sell and answer questions who don't have a solid enough working knowledge of the product.  Another huge downside is Apple's "closed-lip" policy about its product development.  People expect us to know the latest scoop about what's coming out next or how something is changing, and it's frustrating that Apple works so hard to ensure that we're in fact the last ones to know.  In those terms, the lines of communication are unsettling.  Another disturbing thing to me is the fact that Mac Specialists are forced to compete in the "numbers" game with regards to the "attachments" that they sell with the computers.  This is how the company determines an employee's worth.