How to become a Mac Genius

[brent0saurus]

I'm currently in school, graduating in may, and considering a bunch of job opportunities so i have something before the real world hits...
I have been talking to a ex-Genius where i intern and he explained to me that first you have to take a screening, then if you pass that you go to a 3 week training course.

Can anyone explain to me what kind of test the screen is? Things i should possibly study for, and any other helpful information/insight you have on being a Genius.

Thanks!

 

[jodelli]

http://www.apple.com/jobs/us/index.html

 

[Catch Them]

theyll basically teach you all you need to and can do....meaning, even if you have alot of knowledge on something they basically have a cut-n-dry procedure with getting stuff done and how they execute certain work.

which makes sense but sometimes can cripple the tech.

apparently they make pretty good wages for a retail worker; most of them are full-time, benefits included and a pretty decent hourly wage (not entirely sure how much) but probably worth it to get yourself into the industry.

basically just study proper procedures and knowledge bases on the Apple website, get familiar with that stuff because i think thats where alot of training and their resources also come from.

But be a good customer service rep..especially working the front lines at the 'Bar.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Oh and you need to be patient and have anger management. Some people get pissed off easily or are half retarded. My Windows friends are like that.

 

[Bargsbeer]

Maybe it's just me.But I have never been too impressed with the Apple Geniuses I have met. Maybe it's like Catch Them said it can cripple the tech, I just don't find them to be impressive.

 

[MacNut]

I don't thing the geniuses know much beyond out of the box questions. Throw them a curve ball question and see what they do.

 

[Bargsbeer]

I don't thing the geniuses know much beyond out of the box questions. Throw them a curve ball question and see what they do.

My point exactly.

 

[mason.kramer]

I don't thing the geniuses know much beyond out of the box questions. Throw them a curve ball question and see what they do.

They're good for the pay grade. What else are you looking for?

 

[belvdr]

They're good for the pay grade. What else are you looking for?

Remove the title 'Genius'. Anyone with a title of Genius should be able to do more than routine tasks.

 

[dukebound85]

theyll basically teach you all you need to and can do....meaning, even if you have alot of knowledge on something they basically have a cut-n-dry procedure with getting stuff done and how they execute certain work.

which makes sense but sometimes can cripple the tech.

apparently they make pretty good wages for a retail worker; most of them are full-time, benefits included and a pretty decent hourly wage (not entirely sure how much) but probably worth it to get yourself into the industry.

basically just study proper procedures and knowledge bases on the Apple website, get familiar with that stuff because i think thats where alot of training and their resources also come from.

But be a good customer service rep..especially working the front lines at the 'Bar.

here's the wage
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/593054/

 

[dukebound85]

theyll basically teach you all you need to and can do....meaning, even if you have alot of knowledge on something they basically have a cut-n-dry procedure with getting stuff done and how they execute certain work.

which makes sense but sometimes can cripple the tech.

apparently they make pretty good wages for a retail worker; most of them are full-time, benefits included and a pretty decent hourly wage (not entirely sure how much) but probably worth it to get yourself into the industry.

basically just study proper procedures and knowledge bases on the Apple website, get familiar with that stuff because i think thats where alot of training and their resources also come from.

But be a good customer service rep..especially working the front lines at the 'Bar.

here's the wage
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/09/26/apple.genius.hiring.docs/

or $17/hr

 

[Catch Them]

here's the wage
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/09/26/apple.genius.hiring.docs/

or $17/hr

Lol...man most people would be thrilled to earn that much.
i think people take the concept of working at apple retail to a whole different extreme, its retail. get over it, except what youd expect in any retail environment (not saying its a good excuse to defend apple) but really, in that field and in the environment thats the way it is.....id take it knowing id make a good wage, its not forever, but itd be nice especially during this economy.
Unless you run your own business regardless of who you work for...its never going to be 100% desirable and i suppose its what you make out of it.
tough it up and dont be a baby. work hard and do what you have to.
noone owes you anything, make it for yourself.
[end rant] (this wasnt targeted by the member I quoted. just by reading the whole context of that link..its just ridiculous the notions people seem to have with apple as a company and everything they do they have this extremely bizarre expectations)


OP - if you get the offer go for it, try it out and see if it works out, if not theres always something else.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Lol...man most people would be thrilled to earn that much.
i think people take the concept of working at apple retail to a whole different extreme, its retail. get over it, except what youd expect in any retail environment (not saying its a good excuse to defend apple) but really, in that field and in the environment thats the way it is.....id take it knowing id make a good wage, its not forever, but itd be nice especially during this economy.
Unless you run your own business regardless of who you work for...its never going to be 100% desirable and i suppose its what you make out of it.
tough it up and dont be a baby. work hard and do what you have to.
noone owes you anything, make it for yourself.
[end rant] (this wasnt targeted by the member I quoted. just by reading the whole context of that link..its just ridiculous the notions people seem to have with apple as a company and everything they do they have this extremely bizarre expectations)


OP - if you get the offer go for it, try it out and see if it works out, if not theres always something else.

QFT

My sarcastic answer to the question: Learn to say "that is within spec" with a straight face and be generally condescending to those around you.

My less than sarcastic answer: See above. If they hire you they'll train you, but you should (hopefully) know some basics.

 

[Catch Them]

QFT

My sarcastic answer to the question: Learn to say "that is within spec" with a straight face and be generally condescending to those around you.

My less than sarcastic answer: See above. If they hire you they'll train you, but you should (hopefully) know some basics.

exactly.


theyll never let anyone run loose like that, and will give you intense training, those who come out of it will last longer than others.
its the way the working world works...and well alot of people work these positions so they must have something good to offer. its always growing and expanding so...who knows!

and dont get me wrong. i dont know the entirety of the situation why the person declined the job...they may have a better offer that made them happier, or maybe the people of the store he interviewed at werent serious enough during the process or whatever.

but judging by what ive read online with these positions (mainly the comments and posts by people who either worked, want to/dont want to or customer swho used the Genius Bar), well this one particular seem to carry something that warrants something different apparently to everyone.
ive worked in various tech shops, at ..... a measly $9 ph (though i thought it was good pay then..) i figured work is work...you dont work you dont eat. and i was 18 at the time (this was just a few years ago) and i probably handled alot more at once and dealinig with erratic customers (this was a PC shop mind you) so you can know alot but you wont always know everything 100% unless you deal with it hands on at some point...so its always a learning process and you gotta be willin to learn, you dont need to know EVERYTHING you just gotta have the ambition (its with any field really)
But it was a tough job but i liked it and ive worked for a apple service center and theyd get a pretty fair amount of work in and youd deal with the occasional tense customer but you just gotta let it go and not take it personally.

coincidentally i recently applied for a genius position a few days ago at a few openings around my area. ill be intrigued on what i hear back from and see if it turns out.

ithink itd be a great experience. its one little piece. but you may find more benefits in it then just the wage or package of the job.

 

[brent0saurus]

thanks, everyone for the input! very helpful.

 

[wako]

FYI, if you think you are going to be at the Genius bar all the time helping people with their crap, you are going to be very dissappointed. Most of the time the Geniuses are in the back fixing up the computers that are coming in.

As for becoming one, its pretty competitive....


I really fail to see why so many people who just graduated college (and burned through 60k to go through it) would go work for retail. You couldve been a genius without even going to college.....

 

[StuBeck]

here's the wage
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/09/26/apple.genius.hiring.docs/

or $17/hr

Thats not the normal wage. I know half the Apple store at my home town and no one is making near that much, most are in $12-13 range.

 

[wako]

Thats not the normal wage. I know half the Apple store at my home town and no one is making near that much, most are in $12-13 range.

12-13 are the ranges for the specialists...

Geniuses make more

 

[ThirteenXIII]

FYI, if you think you are going to be at the Genius bar all the time helping people with their crap, you are going to be very dissappointed. Most of the time the Geniuses are in the back fixing up the computers that are coming in.

As for becoming one, its pretty competitive....


I really fail to see why so many people who just graduated college (and burned through 60k to go through it) would go work for retail. You couldve been a genius without even going to college.....

its work...like others have stated.
Just because you get handed some degree and you have that doesnt really make a whole lot of difference to anyone.
You have to earn your way through life, just like you would in school, your good grades arent handed to you, and noone owes you anything (like one poster said above).
its just a damn job. most kids who go through 60k colleges have assistance in one form or another, and most if any ever paid that much upfront thats pretty ridiculous really.
unless you start your own company it doesnt matter where you work your salary isnt going to be what you want.
i

If its something people enjoy thats great.

and most of the time working as a genius your most likely to be up front than in back actually.
Its a 50-50 thing half your days are spent at the Bar other half are back tech.

and the pay is pretty comfortable, but again its retail so who knows and especially in customer service/tech work, its pretty flux in its pay anyway.

 

[StuBeck]

12-13 are the ranges for the specialists...

Geniuses make more

My friend makes that now as a genius. Might be because they haven't brought him out to the training yet that he hasn't gotten the raise yet.

 

[liptonlover]

My genius experiences have been decent... they were pleasant and knew everything my parents needed to know, because they refused to believe me. The one setback was that one genius thought the touch has parental controls, then asked another and they decided that it doesn't, then, after my parents gave in and checked online because I was telling them they could lock it, they found that it was lockable, which the genius's hadn't known. But that's one instance out of many.