The Apple Experience: Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty by Carmine Gallo Read Free Book Online Page A

applicants there. Once we had all arrived, store management performed introductions and told us they were going to be hiring some of us to fill various positions. We were asked to go around the room, introduce ourselves, tell why we wanted to work for Apple, and something unique or interesting about ourselves. Next, they surprised us by giving us five minutes to create an “About Me” page in Pages that included a picture of ourselves. At this point I was feeling pretty good because I have quite a bit of experience with Pages and most of the people there, even though they had called themselves Mac fanatics not ten minutes ago, barely even knew what Pages was. 5
    Now think about what had just happened. Ten minutes earlier some people in the room were bragging about how much technical knowledge they had about Macs and the programs. But recruiters were not looking for technical know-how; they were looking for confident team players who were also humble enough to acknowledge what they didn’t know. Fearlessness is not arrogance. Arrogance covers up insecurities. Fearless applicants speak up in a group without trying to impress the group with how much they know.

Step Two
     
    Step two involves candidates sitting in front of a five-member panel made up of managers, trainers, and employees who work in the “red zone,” the front part of the store where the sales take place. Again, the panel will ask some technical questions, but it’s perfectly fine if the candidate doesn’t know all the answers. Apple customers are demanding. It’s nearly impossible to predict all of their questions and concerns. An arrogant candidate stands little chance of getting through the next round. The panel is looking for some technical knowledge, the confidence to ask for help, and the commitment to make sure the customer walks out of the store with a smile on his or her face. Managers are judging whether the candidate can go toe-to-toe with Steve Jobs, but they also want to determine that the potential employee can offer a Ritz-Carlton level of customer service.

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’sopinion 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, his inner circle tended to