I interviewed for multiple positions over a span of an year before we settled on a position. The "process took" timeframe below is for the latest interview cycle which resulted in an offer being made. Without identifying the group / team by name, all I can say is that this division deals within a specific domain and as such, the talent pool is limited to recruit from.
Mid-'12. The first interview (on phone), as always with Apple, was with the Hiring Manager. The interviewer was very pleasant and the questioning mainly revolved around my background and skills. Even though the interview as scheduled for 30 minutes, the Manager cut it short and told me he will follow up with me within a day. The second interview (on site) ran for about five hours and consisted 1:1 interview sessions with various Managers, Senior Analysts & Engineers and the Recruiter. The Managers, Analysts and Engineers who interviewed me were pretty professional and represented different departments. The questioning, like the phone interview, focused on problem solving abilities and approach rather than the solution itself. The Hiring Manager hosted a Lunch Interview. The last session for the day was with the Recruiter who asked me about my salary expectations and the usual HR stuff.
The following day the Recruiter reached out to me and let me know that they were not interested in considering me further at that point of time. The whole process took about three weeks.
Late-'12. The Recruiter reached out to me about a new position that would be a good fit to my skill sets. The first interview (on phone) was the customary Hiring Manager interview. The second interview (on site) was slightly shorter (four hours) than my last visit to Apple Campus. The interview consisted 1:1 interview sessions with various Managers and Analysts & Engineers. The questions were domain specific and revolved around problems and challenges that are typically encountered by someone working in these areas of expertise. The next day, I was told that the feedback was extremely positive and I was scheduled to speak with the Director. Since this was around the Holidays, my 1:1 with the Group Director got delayed. The third and last interview (on phone) was with the Director and mainly revolved around why I wanted to work for Apple and how do I think that I am good position. The Director had considerable domain knowledge. Unlike most Director-level interviews, this interview was fairly technical.
Within couple of days, the Recruiter reached back to me to let me know that, as of then, they would not be able to make an offer and they would have to hold off on hiring me. While no specific reason was attributed, I was let known that the group was impressed with my skills and the process would resume soon. This time around the whole process took about six weeks.
Early-'13. After waiting for couple of months, I reached back to Apple about resuming the previous process. I also let them know my keen interest in couple of positions that had opened up recently. The Recruiter followed up with a Coding Homework to regauge my technical skills. Once I was done solving, the Recruiter promptly scheduled an 1:1 interview with the Hiring Manager. The first interview (on phone) was soon followed second and last interview (on site). The on site Lunch Interview was just with the Hiring Manager. They skipped over technical rounds based on the homework solutions and my past interview feedbacks. By the time the final interview was scheduled, the group had, more or less, made up their minds about hiring me. The final session was basically about what they envisioned for the position they were hiring and if I am truly interested in joining them.
The Recruiter emailed me the following business day and let me know that they were ready to make an offer. This was followed couple of email and phone calls to finalize the offer & package.
Here are couple of tips based on my experience and from what I have heard from folks who have undergone the same process.
* Never "wing" it. I realized it the hard way. Engineers questioning you know their stuff and can easily make out if you know things or if you are just guessing.
* The on site interviews are exhausting. Make sure you are hydrated and well rested. Interviewers, as a matter of process, will not offer you a water / restroom break unless you ask for it.
* For a technology giant, some of the processes are still "old-style". No t-shirts or jeans for the interviews. Candidates are expected to show up in business casuals.
* Like most things Apple, the Managers, Analysts and Engineers are very secretive. They'll never tell you what they are working on and the expectation is for you to illustrate solutions based on your current job.
* On a lighter note, the food available in Caffe Macs are gourmet, personalized and highly economical. Apple will provide you with a "Food Coupon" which will be more than sufficient to cover your lunch, twice over.