Page 51 - The Apple Experience

Step Three

Candidates who make it to round three have a good chance of being

hired. Managers might bring a candidate to the third round simply to

reassure themselves and their staff that the new employee has passion and the

right attitude. If you’re knowledgeable but lacking in passion, you might not

make it to the Apple sales floor. In this stage a candidate might be asked

questions about her success in a previous job. Again, the answer is not as

important as the way the question is answered. A candidate who takes all the
credit for his success will not be as impressive as the person who credits the

team. “More than anything, this personal interview attempts to judge your

suitability to the team, not your technical or sales skills,” says Allen.

Apple CEO Tim Cook shined under Jobs because, according to Walter

Isaacson, he was “calm and decisive when in command, but he didn’t seek

any notice or acclaim for himself.”
6
Apple employees have confidence in themselves and are self-assured

enough to ask for help when they don’t know the answer to a question.
Going toe-to-toe with Steve Jobs simply means that an employee believes in

something and is willing to fight for it. Some hiring managers at Apple will

purposely disagree with a candidate’s opinion even if the hiring manager

involved completely agrees. They are looking for fearlessness. Does the

candidate get rattled? Does he or she fold? Again, they are not looking for

people who have all the answers, but people who will defend their point and

not be shy to ask for help when they need it.
In 1981 the original Macintosh team gave out awards to people who best

stood up to Steve Jobs. According to Isaacson, “If you were calmly confident,

if Jobs sized you up and decided that you knew what you were doing, he

would respect you. In both his personal and professional life over the years,