Currently learning: Sustainable Architecture
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But this post is really about a work phenomena.
I am the only one of all my closest friends that has never worked for Apple. Somehow Apple tapped into my network of people from LA and hired them….all. My best friend in highschool, my college dorm roomate, my tennis partner, all of them.
At one point I could name 15 people who worked at the Grove Apple store, just off the top of my head. I can still name a few, and I can also spout off the names of friends who work at Apple stores in Century City, The Beverly Center, SoHo and the store on 5th avenue in New York.
Yesterday I had problems with my computer charger and being in LA, I went to the Century City store where I was greeted by three good friends from high school. We were able to shoot the shit and I was able to get good service. Believe me, this post isn’t complaining that all my friends work at the Apple store, I find it rather cool to walk into the store to get big smiles, hugs etc. But there is something about the whole ‘all of my friends work this one corporation,’ that leaves me puzzled.
Apple seems to hire in clusters. Obviously there are recommendations flying around, which happens in any business, but I wonder if their hiring clusters is statistically significant? How is it that all of my friends got hired?
How does Apple decide what hipster group they are going to attach themselves too? Why did my group of friends get labeled as a perfect group of Apple employees and how did Apple slowly convince all my friends to work there? Isn’t it odd not only that Apple wanted to hire all my friends and but that in turn all my friends were happy to work for Apple? They have all been brainswashed. It’s as if Apple is a cult that demands you to give it money in return for false beliefs that they are the sole proprietor of some futuristic product….oh, right. My point, however, stands — it seems strange that one corporation would hire so many people that I know to work retail for them.
I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I would like to. Unfortunately, Apple has serious gag rules they put on their employees. Everyone is afraid to talk about their experience working for Apple, because they might get sued. I even talked with a certain actor (the Mac guy) that is employed by Apple for a set of commercials and he wasn’t allowed to talk about stuff because of Apple’s gag orders.
What’s the deal with that? I don’t know, they can’t even tell me why Apple is so scared about people talking. On a regular basis I threaten my roomate (an Apple employe) that if he tells me how is day went, I’m going to blog about it. Of course I wouldn’t, but it’s nice to be able to threaten him with something.
In truth, this is probably the only blog post I’ll ever do about Apple — because I don’t want to get anybody in trouble, so I will again express my frustration in not understanding how Apple retail works from the inside. My guess — they train you to sling computers the way a used car salesman trains his apprentice.
I do invite a comment from a frequent comment contributor on this blog, since he might have more insight than myself.
I worked at the Grove, and I can tell you a few things. For a retail job, Apple is a pretty good gig. The pay and benefits are decent, even for part-timers. The environment is pretty laid back.
And it’s not that hard to get a job there. It also helps to have friends working there put in a good word. But basically you just tell them what they want to hear in the interview.
Sure, they’ve definitely got an image in mind, but then most retail companies do. A lot of our friends worked at American Apparel too, and I think that’s a similar situation.
Regarding secrets, Apple does love them. Or maybe I should say Steve Jobs loves them. Part of this probably has to do with Apple being a company that’s all about innovation, hence secrecy, copying, etc. are all a big deal to them. That said, I think it’s easier for them to operate on a need-to-know basis. They’re like the governmentâ??if they don’t have to tell you something, they’re probably not going to.