Apple At-Home Advisor...

[jcowens2007]

Finished my third interview. Pretty much the same questions listed above. Very relaxed, went very well. Said I should "hear back in a week if not sooner."

Good luck everyone! Drink a beer to take the edge off the nerves this weekend

It great last night. I was more comfortable with facetime than I thought I would be.

He drilled me about my work history. He asked me several questions about my role, processes, my interaction with clients, responsibilities, and more. I was caught off guard with that, but they were easy questions.

Then he asked me a role play question. Then he asked me why I wanted to work for Apple. I had that one rehearsed well. Those were all of them.

He said Ill move on to a third interview. Oh and he mentioned maps may goto to 24 hour clock. Meaning, in the future the hours may be in the middle of the night.

Ill keep my fingers crossed!

----------

This will most likely be my final post as I no longer have a connection to Apple Inc. or Apple products. I was in fact terminated for violating the NDA with a couple of my posts here so consider yourself warned: If you do post after you become an employee be very cautious of what you say because they will find you.

Unbelievable. Wow. While I am not surprised, it is chilling.

 

[AngryGerbil]

I

Unbelievable. Wow. While I am not surprised, it is chilling.

I was a little surprised. I knew that I had pushed the envelope on NDA rules with a couple of posts but I have never worked for any company before that was that big brotherish. The irony here is that I myself had established NDA rules for a couple of companies back when I was self-employed and setting up networks (mine weren't anywhere near as draconian as Apple's though).

My only issue with this was that they could have at least done a letter of reprimand and NDA retraining for a 1st offense instead of just pulling the plug but that's not how Apple rolls.

Anyway, I've spent a year doing iOS and have gotten rusty with my normal skill set... time to break out the mail servers and virtual Cisco routers. At least I won't be walking pc novices through iTunes installs anymore

 

[iwannarock]

I was a little surprised. I knew that I had pushed the envelope on NDA rules with a couple of posts but I have never worked for any company before that was that big brotherish. The irony here is that I myself had established NDA rules for a couple of companies back when I was self-employed and setting up networks (mine weren't anywhere near as draconian as Apple's though).

My only issue with this was that they could have at least done a letter of reprimand and NDA retraining for a 1st offense instead of just pulling the plug but that's not how Apple rolls.

Anyway, I've spent a year doing iOS and have gotten rusty with my normal skill set... time to break out the mail servers and virtual Cisco routers. At least I won't be walking pc novices through iTunes installs anymore

I am sry to hear they cut you off. I've been cut from work just by breathing wrong. But what is NDA you guys keep referring to, what types of things are they not wanting you to say?

 

[applebeer]

I am sry to hear they cut you off. I've been cut from work just by breathing wrong. But what is NDA you guys keep referring to, what types of things are they not wanting you to say?

Due to the chilling nature of AG firing i'm very reluctant to talk and I'm thinking of closing my account.

 

[Clix Pix]

AngryGerbil, you will be missed! Your posts have always been interesting and informative... I agree that a letter of reprimand and a refresher course in NDA compliance would have been less drastic for a first offense than out-and-out termination.

Actually, I have been surprised to see Apple employees on this site, identifying themselves as such, as it seems to me that for a long time that was not allowed. Someone would become an Apple employee in any capacity, whether it was in one of the retail stores or in some other position, and they would disappear from MacRumors (either altogether or simply ceased posting and actively participating). Apple must have loosened up somewhat on its stance. I know that with NDAs and such it does put an employee in an awkward position; a friend from another forum (which is not an Apple-related one but in which there is a subforum in which Apple products are discussed) has told me that she had to step back from that site (of her own volition) because she felt awkward seeing some comments made and not being able to correct misperceptions or make comments of her own regarding policies or products. When she and I talk either in person or in email about her job, it's only in generalities and not specifics. I know better than to ask questions about certain things.

I would imagine that indeed there are personnel from Apple corporate who follow MacRumors, and that is understandable, in order to get a feel for how consumers are responding to changes in products (hardware and software) and to be alerted to potential issues. It is also not surprising that they would be following threads such as this one, since it clearly deals with something close to home for them: interviewing, choosing and hiring future employees.
Participants in this thread should be mindful of that, especially if they are already Apple employees. Obviously the various NDAs are important to Apple and they mean for all employees to adhere closely to them.

 

[AngryGerbil]

I am sry to hear they cut you off. I've been cut from work just by breathing wrong. But what is NDA you guys keep referring to, what types of things are they not wanting you to say?

Non Disclosure Agreement... most companies have them but Apple is really paranoid about secrecy. Basically anything that goes on behind closed doors at Apple stays behind closed doors.

At least I don't have to worry about getting fired anymore....

Had I been a little more cautious I would have only posted to this site from behind an anonymous proxy. I don't know how they found me but if I was searching for an employee that made a post, I'd get the poster's IP address from macrumors and then simply run a search through all of the logon IP addresses in the work VPN logs. Pretty easy to find the ID of any Apple employee here, actually.

 

[Clix Pix]

Reading someone's posts often gives clues as to their location and also to the position they hold.....and then, yes, getting the specific IP information. I don't know, though, if Arn or the Admins at MR are going to release that information all that easily, even if it IS Apple asking for it.

In another situation with which I am familiar, an admin on one site was trying to determine the identity of a user to match it with a troll -- contact was made with another admin of another site upon which this same individual (based on various clues) was also apparently posting. The admin of the second site refused to give out the information of anyone's IP, only agreed to confirm or deny if a certain IP were also being used by someone on his site. That in and of itself isn't conclusive, though, due to the possibility of many people within a specific geographic location using the same ISP and therefore similar IP.....

In another situation, the admin on one site was trying to determine the identity of a user in order to match it with a troll, and asked the admin of a different site what the IP of a particular user was. Information was relayed and based on that, accusations were filed against an individual -- and those accusations turned out to be totally based on wrong information. Why? Because of what I mentioned above: geographic location. The individual who was wrongly accused happened to live within the same geographical catchment area of the ISP and so the IP was similar.....

In other words, IP address is not always an accurate way to nail down someone's actual identity. As for VPN and proxy addresses, now a lot of Admins check to see if an IP is a proxy or a VPN or on a list of addresses known to be used by spammers.

All that said, of course, there is a difference between Admins of recreational sites checking with Admins of other recreational sites to see if they can nail down a spammer or a troll and a corporation such as Apple checking with a forum which discusses the company and its products in order to identify an employee who might be either accidentally or purposefully violating NDA or talking out of turn about the company and its policies and procedures.

 

[AngryGerbil]

Reading someone's posts often gives clues as to their location and also to the position they hold.....and then, yes, getting the specific IP information. I don't know, though, if Arn or the Admins at MR are going to release that information all that easily, even if it IS Apple asking for it.

In another situation with which I am familiar, an admin on one site was trying to determine the identity of a user to match it with a troll -- contact was made with another admin of another site upon which this same individual (based on various clues) was also apparently posting. The admin of the second site refused to give out the information of anyone's IP, only agreed to confirm or deny if a certain IP were also being used by someone on his site. That in and of itself isn't conclusive, though, due to the possibility of many people within a specific geographic location using the same ISP and therefore similar IP.....

In another situation, the admin on one site was trying to determine the identity of a user in order to match it with a troll, and asked the admin of a different site what the IP of a particular user was. Information was relayed and based on that, accusations were filed against an individual -- and those accusations turned out to be totally based on wrong information. Why? Because of what I mentioned above: geographic location. The individual who was wrongly accused happened to live within the same geographical catchment area of the ISP and so the IP was similar.....

In other words, IP address is not always an accurate way to nail down someone's actual identity. As for VPN and proxy addresses, now a lot of Admins check to see if an IP is a proxy or a VPN or on a list of addresses known to be used by spammers.

All that said, of course, there is a difference between Admins of recreational sites checking with Admins of other recreational sites to see if they can nail down a spammer or a troll and a corporation such as Apple checking with a forum which discusses the company and its products in order to identify an employee who might be either accidentally or purposefully violating NDA or talking out of turn about the company and its policies and procedures.

I'm not sure how they could have identified me other than by IP address. My profile info is fictitious, it's the only Apple forum I use, I use that username nowhere else and I never put enough info in my posts to piece together who I was(other than approximate age).

You really think MR would refuse Apple's secret police if they asked what's the IP address from such and such a post?

 

[Clix Pix]

I don't know; you'd have to ask Arn!

 

[abananas]

Anyone hoping for the maps position on 11/18 receive the BGC email yet? Trying not to let my nerves get the best of me...trying!

 

[Topics]

This will most likely be my final post as I no longer have a connection to Apple Inc. or Apple products. I was in fact terminated for violating the NDA with a couple of my posts here so consider yourself warned: If you do post after you become an employee be very cautious of what you say because they will find you.

AG-

I am sorry to hear about your termination. Though I feel you will be happier doing something different than taking calls from the mostly helpless & clueless customers of Apple iOS products.

 

[cdove]

Anyone hoping for the maps position on 11/18 receive the BGC email yet? Trying not to let my nerves get the best of me...trying

You're not the only one, I haven't gotten any form of communication from Apple either and yes, I'm nervous too. Just try to keep your mind partially off of it is the best thing I can offer.

 

[abananas]

You're not the only one, I haven't gotten any form of communication from Apple either and yes, I'm nervous too. Just try to keep your mind partially off of it is the best thing I can offer.

Oh good, you were who I was specifically wondering about! Can I ask how long your 3rd interview lasted? I've read on here about some lasting 45 minutes! Mine was 20 to 30 minutes at most.

 

[Topics]

Anyway, I've spent a year doing iOS and have gotten rusty with my normal skill set... time to break out the mail servers and virtual Cisco routers. At least I won't be walking pc novices through iTunes installs anymore

I hear that!
To work at Apple as a AHA you need a lack of real IT skills.
If you don't have any real IT skills and like talking on the phone for hours upon hours a day....you will be happy.
If you have IT skills and are considering this. Heed my words. Keep Looking.

 

[cdove]

No longer than 20 minutes at most.

 

[AngryGerbil]

The company as you’ve mentioned is filled to the brim with those individuals who buy into the Kool-Aid of “Getting into Harvard is easier than Getting Hired by Apple.” Or “Apple products are superior to any other product.”

There was a time, not long ago, when I was a real IT professional.

Those 2 things were, by far, the hardest things for me to deal with. Coming in 3rd would have been dealing with people that had no business using technology.

Addendum: Everyone around me, including both my TM's knew that I never was and never would be a true member of the "happy Apple family", i.e. kool-aid drinker. Whether or not that played a roll in my ultimate demise is hard to say. Regardless of my ambivalence toward Apple and dislike for AHA in general, I still did my job better than many.

 

[Hypnotc]

Wow.... just got confirmation that I was good, and then I see the last few pages. Very sorry to hear about your termination AG, and I'm definitely one of those "IT pros" that is now a little concerned. I can't thank you and all of the other current AHA's enough for the information you provided before and during my application process.

I'm still going to put my best foot forward, as I enjoy working from home and this is a promotion of sorts from my previous contract position, but I'll probably close my account here once my employment begins. Best of luck to everyone, and I hope you find a position that seems less like work and more like getting paid to play.

 

[Topics]

Participants in this thread should be mindful of that, especially if they are already Apple employees.

If they offered what was promised in the realm of true Technical support then I would be much more involved in the process and wouldn't feel like jumping off the Bridge.

 

[WelshDog]

Ugh - I don't know why I keep coming back here after my bad experience with Apple as an AHA. Sorry hear about you getting sacked Mr. Gerbil. Topics - I feel your pain, but don't jump off a bridge. I couldn't handle the world of Apple AHA and I quit on my own without another job lined up. Still not working, but there is no way I could have stayed as an AHA - would have had a nervous breakdown. I just was not a fit for me in any way, shape or form. I really couldn't handle the calls for reasons you guys have mentioned, but I also had a lot of issues with their constant monitoring of everything I did. Seems like the field of view of the watchful Apple eye extends well beyond their borders.

I might consider working for Apple in another capacity, but now that I know they are here on MR (and probably every other Apple forum I frequent) snooping about, I doubt they would hire me again. Of course, quitting probably blacklisted me forever in their eyes as well.

Good luck folks.

 

[abananas]

If you guys are dissatisfied with your experience at Apple could you vent about it on a forum less geared to hopeful employees?

 

[Topics]

If you guys are dissatisfied with your experience at Apple could you vent about it on a forum less geared to hopeful employees?

Wouldn't you and the other "hopeful" employees like to know the true story of what AHA is really like? The more information that you have equals a better decision that you can make.

 

[abananas]

Wouldn't you and the other "hopeful" employees like to know the true story of behind the scenes? The more information that you have equals a better decision that you can make.

Yes, but it's one thing to say I quit because I didn't like XYZ and another to say I was fired for violating the NDA I signed so now I'm going to speak negatively about the company.

These are just my 2 very insignificant cents. I, like almost everyone else here, am just looking for tips to strengthen my interview skills relative to the process. I want to judge the position for myself, if I'm given the opportunity.

Imagine how frustrating it must be for applicants who were turned down and now see employees on this thread complaining about the job they desperately wanted.

 

[Topics]

Yes, but it's one thing to say I quit because I didn't like XYZ and another to say I was fired for violating the NDA I signed so now I'm going to speak negatively about the company.

These are just my 2 very insignificant cents. I, like almost everyone else here, am just looking for tips to strengthen my interview skills relative to the process. I want to judge the position for myself, if I'm given the opportunity.

Imagine how frustrating it must be for applicants who were turned down and now see employees on this thread complaining about the job they desperately wanted.

I understand where you are coming from and the frustrations that these posts (mine included) may have caused.
I believe that we speak out just so that others can investigate the position for themselves, before they apply. Read up on what current and former AHA representatives are saying, or have said.

I wouldn't want for anyone to endure this unless they really are not an IT pro and just want a job where they can sit @ home, talking on the phone for 8 hours a day.

Personally I get bored just sitting & accomplishing close to nothing.
Sure we help folks who can't (or won't) help themselves.
If that is enough for you then I wish you luck!

 

[iwannarock]

If you guys are dissatisfied with your experience at Apple could you vent about it on a forum less geared to hopeful employees?

This forum is about Apple. The good, the bad, the ugly, the best, the hopeful, the hopeless..all Apple. I realize you are super 'excited' about your new position and I'm happy for you. But you need not to advise others on how or where to post. I think it's been made clear very recently that other people have that job, and that's not you.

 

[abananas]

This forum is about Apple. The good, the bad, the ugly, the best, the hopeful, the hopeless..all Apple. I realize you are super 'excited' about your new position and I'm happy for you. But you need not to advise others on how or where to post. I think it's been made clear very recently that other people have that job, and that's not you.

Well aren't you pleasant. I'm flabbergasted things didn't work out between you and apple.