How to Get a Job at Apple | The Org
Apple’s history and culture
To get into Apple it’s imperative to know the company’s backstory so you fully understand its culture and are able to draw on the right information while networking.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, both college dropouts, founded Apple in 1976 seeking to create a user-friendly home computer. Since its creation, Apple has grown into one of the most successful and well-known companies in the world based on an empire of consumer electronics, computers, software, and a range of other technologies. In 2021, it would be more difficult to find someone who didn’t own an Apple product than did. And much of the company’s success and growth has been rightfully attributed to Jobs.
In 1997, Job’s turned Apple’s organizational structure on its head; what had been running as a typical large company was changed almost overnight to one functional organization where everything ultimately came together under the CEO.
Jobs laid off all the GMs and restructured Apple around areas of expertise rather than products, meaning to this day a number of teams work on the same product and are led by experts in their area of expertise rather than managers. In 2011, Jobs passed away but Apple continued to grow as a company.
Because of its strong focus on trusting in and following technological experts, Apple understandably has a strong focus on cultivating technological expertise. To get a shot at the company, you must have determination, motivation and a strong tech background.
Apple’s seven central values are built into every part of the company, including its careers, so be sure to remember and link back to them throughout any interactions with the company.
They are: a focus on accessibility for everyone; education as the equalizer and a source of opportunity for all; valuing the environment; a commitment to making Apple more inclusive and the world more just through inclusion and diversity; designing Apple products to protect privacy and give users control over their information; a long-term racial equity and justice initiative to help ensure more positive outcomes for communities of color; and maintaining supplier responsibility to ensure a safe, respectful and supportive workplace for everyone. The company culture also has a strong focus on creativity, collaboration and innovation.
