I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Apple (Cupertino, CA) in Dec 2010
Interview
Took 3 months before had our first phone interview with the hiring manager. Prior to phone interview with manager, interviewed with a fellow Apple engineering project manager which I believe went very well. Rescheduled with the hiring manager 4+ times before our first / only phone interview.
Manager was 12 minutes late and stopped the interview after 10 minutes (said she had someone in her office that she had to talk to). Interview started with a pause. I offered to provide a summary of my background and experience but I was cut off almost immediately with a drill down question about what was said.
Manager was looking for strong technology knowledge base and experience. I suspect that the interviewer was focusing on what was not in the resume. It seemed more of an elimination process.
I agree that this was not a fit for the company or for me.
I applied through college or university. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Apple in Jun 2009
Interview
Applied through two avenues: online application and college fair. Had two phone interviews that consisted of general and technical questions. Interview process was well organized, and the recruiters are friendly and open to being contacted for questions. Was surprised to receive an offer after only two interviews. Definitely recommend the position to others, it gave me great insight into corporate life.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Referencing a certain electrical engineering class (i.e. logic circuits) "tell me what you learned in it", and once the topics I had learned were given, I was then asked to expand upon the topics.