Apple Interview Process & Prep: 7 Steps To Getting An Offer

By Kannika Peña with input from the following coaches: Santosh K . January 21, 2025

person preparing for the Apple interview process

Apple’s interview process is long and difficult, and not knowing what steps to expect makes it even harder to prepare for.

We’re here to help. We work with 90+interviewers for Apple and other top companies on our platform and we’ve helped thousands of candidates navigate and prepare for the Apple interview process.

Here’s what you need to know: Apple’s interview process can take two months or more. There is no standardized interview process per role, and the candidate experience varies widely depending on which team you are applying for.

Generally, though, you can expect a variation of the following steps during your entire recruitment process: resume screen, recruiter screen, first-round interviews, take-home assignment, onsite interview, final interview, and salary negotiation. The steps that will require the most preparation are the initial interviews and interview loop.

Step 1: Resume screen
Step 2: Recruiter screen
Step 3: First-round interview
Step 4: Take-home assignment
Step 5: Onsite interview
Step 6: Final interview
Step 7: Salary negotiation

But before we get into each step, let's get to know Apple first.

About Apple

Apple, founded in 1976, produces consumer electronics, hardware, and software. It is primarily known for the iPhone, iPad, Macbook, AirPods, and other sleek and innovative tech gadgets. It also offers a range of services including music and video content streaming, fitness, games, and cashless payment. As of 2025, it is valued at $3,785 billion and employs more than 160,000 people worldwide.

Working at Apple↑

Organizational structure

Apple has a functional organizational structure, making its functional areas (e.g. design, engineering, etc.) more autonomous than most companies of its size. Within such a structure, leaders are expected to be experts immersed in their functions and to prioritize long-term goals over short-term profits.

In this structure, leaders are encouraged to engage in debate and collaboration with other cross-functional teams in order to come up with the most cutting-edge products. Apple Engineering Leader Santosh: “The culture is all about collaboration — you’re working with some of the most talented people, and everyone is driven by a shared passion for innovation and creating amazing products.”

Work-life balance

Santosh describes Apple’s work environment as fast-paced, where you’re constantly challenged to be at your best. The expectations are high, but so are the rewards. Despite this, Santosh says Apple does a good job of promoting work-life balance. “They offer a lot of flexibility and resources to help maintain it.”

Based on Glassdoor employee surveys, however, Apple’s work-life balance is rated at 3.6, slightly better than Meta and Amazon but worse than Netflix and Google. Work-life balance largely depends on the team you’re on, but generally employees complain about the stressful work environment, long hours, strict timelines, and the constant pressure to deliver.

Great salaries

Of course, the competitive salaries on offer are likely part of your reason for applying to work at Apple. How do Apple’s salaries compare to those of other top tech companies?

Here’s a comparison table featuring the average salaries and compensation for software engineer, product manager, and engineering manager roles (L5 level), based on data from Levels.fyi.

2025 Apple FAANG salary comparison

Now let’s get into the Apple recruitment process so that you know exactly what to expect and how to prepare.

Step 1: Resume screen↑

This is the most competitive part of your Apple application process. You’ll have to make sure your resume matches the position you’re applying for.

If you haven't yet got an interview at Apple, you'll want to get your resume up to scratch.

To help you put together a targeted resume that stands out from the crowd, follow the tips below.

Tips for crafting a resume

Simplify. Avoid using overly creative resume layouts. A simple resume layout accomplishes two things: it helps your resume pass through the applicant tracking system (ATS) and makes it easy to read for recruiters and hiring managers.
Verbalize. Start each bullet point under your previous roles with an action word.
Quantify. Add numbers to illustrate your impact in each role. If you were in a leadership role, how many people were in your team? If you’ve successfully launched a product, what metrics did you use to measure its success?
Summarize. Make your resume ATS-friendly by having a skills section. Insert keywords from the job requirements that are relevant to your professional experience.

The tips above include abbreviated information from our tech resume guides. For more detailed steps as well as examples to follow, take a look at one of our articles below:

The guides above are great starting points for you to make a competitive resume for free. If you’re looking for expert feedback, you can also get help on your resume from one of our tech recruiters, who will cover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine-tune your bullet points, and more.

Step 2: Recruiter screen↑

Once you’re invited to interview with Apple, you’ll first speak with a recruiter on a phone screen. This is universal across all teams.

During this call, you should expect the recruiter to ask you some typical resume and behavioral interview questions. So practice discussing your key experiences, especially those that you’ve included in your application, as well as your most impressive work accomplishments.

They'll be looking to evaluate your fit with Apple’s culture, your overall qualifications for the role, and whether you have a chance of succeeding in future interview rounds.

At this point, the recruiter will likely give you an idea of what interview steps are in store for you. It’s important to note that Apple’s interview process is less standardized than other FAANG companies. You can expect the same types of role-related questions, but the steps from here on out will vary largely depending on the team you’re applying to. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about the process ahead, especially if the recruiter doesn’t immediately provide you with the information you need to prepare.

Step 3: First-round interviews↑

After the initial recruiter phone screen, you'll have your first interviews. They will take the form of one or multiple video or phone calls that will last 30-60 minutes each.

These interviews will be with an Apple hiring manager or a peer on the team to which you’re applying. Be prepared to answer common role-related knowledge (RRK) questions, as well as more targeted questions about your past experience. Apple highly values relevant hands-on experience, so be prepared to talk about your past roles. Highlight proficiencies, specific achievements, and strengths that you think make you a great candidate for the role.

Step 4: Take-home assignment↑

In some cases, you will be asked to complete a written take-home assignment or challenge. This may occur after or between the initial interviews we’ve described above. Not all candidates will be assigned this exercise.

The intent of this assignment is to see how you approach the types of problems you might encounter on the job. Here are some examples of what you could get as a take-home assignment:

Product manager candidates. You might receive a product metric type of question. In other cases, you may be given materials for a presentation that you’ll be given a week to prepare. You’ll be expected to present this to a panel during one of the rounds in your onsite interview.
Software engineer candidates. You could receive a coding challenge. Some report doing Leetcode-style problems, while others were given problems directly related to the team’s function.
Data scientist candidates. You might be asked to solve a dataset challenge and present your findings to a panel during one of the rounds in your onsite interview.

It’s best to check with your recruiter if the take-home assignment will be a part of your interviewing process so that you can prepare for it. You’ll need to clear this round before you can get to the next stage, the onsite interview.

Step 5: Onsite interview↑

As we’ve mentioned, Apple’s interview process is team-dependent, so there’s no standard when it comes to how many rounds of interviews you may get during the onsite portion.

What you can expect is a loop of up to 10 separate interviews. These may occur in person or virtually. If you interview in person, one of the rounds may take the form of a lunch interview on the Apple campus.

5.1 Software engineer

If you’re applying for the software engineer role, you can expect up to 6 rounds of onsite interviews. They can either be virtual or in-person.

Most of the interviews will be technical rounds with coding and system design interview questions. There are instances where you’ll be asked to run the code you’ve written, so it’s good to be prepared for that. One candidate reports getting a project management interview question.

The hiring manager and senior manager sessions differ per candidate. There are some that report having the hiring manager session at the start of the onsite interview, while others have it towards the end. The session with senior managers are often reported at the end of the onsite interview loop. For both rounds, most candidates report getting resume and behavioral interview questions, but a few also get technical questions.

Here are some interview guides you may find useful for your prep:

5.2 Product manager

For the Apple product manager interview, you can expect 4 to 10 rounds of onsite interviews. Most of them will focus on product strategy, design, and analysis.

You’ll also have resume and behavioral interview rounds with the hiring manager and senior executives/team management. Be prepared to talk about your day-to-day in your latest or current role, and how this will help you fulfill the requirements laid out in the job description.

If you were given a take-home case study assignment, you might be asked to present it in a panel during your onsite.

Here are some interview guides you may find useful for your prep:

5.3 Engineering manager

Typically, engineering manager interviews at big tech companies focus more on leadership. At Apple, you can expect the same, but you should also be prepared for technical interviews.

Your onsite may start with up to 3 behavioral interviews, focused on your leadership experience and style. In the next rounds, expect a coding exercise and a system design interview.

You can use the interview guides in the software engineer section for your technical interview prep. For your EM-related interviews, here are some more articles:

Here are some general interview tips from one of our Apple coaches, Santosh.

Apple onsite interview tips

Prepare well for culture fit rounds. If you’re applying for a senior role, Santosh’s advice is to pay close attention to your culture fit rounds as they’re the trickiest. Interviewers will dive really deep into your answers, asking questions you might not expect. To prepare for this round, his advice is to recall the times you solved difficult or ambiguous problems. “Think about what you did in those situations and ask yourself, 'What would I do differently now?' Reflecting on these past experiences before the interview and warming up your mind with those scenarios can really help you perform better.”
Show off your critical thinking skills and innovativeness. For the rest of the interviews, Santosh’s advice is to show that you’re not just proficient at what you do, but that you can think on your feet, adapt, and bring fresh ideas to the table. Apple’s process is very much focused on critical thinking and innovation, so you have to show that you’ll be able to keep up with its high standards on those fronts.
Practice communicating your thought process clearly. Another thing interviewers will be on the lookout for is top-notch communication skills. “You’ll be expected to explain your thought process clearly, and they’ll be listening carefully to how you articulate your solutions. If you’re an engineer, It’s not just about coding proficiency but also about how you approach problems and whether you can communicate your ideas effectively,” Santosh says.

Once you've completed all of your interviews, the hiring manager will start gathering your interviewers’ feedback and recommendations to make a final choice. Or, you might be endorsed for one final interview.

Step 6: Final interview↑

In some cases, candidates who pass the onsite rounds are invited to one final interview with a senior member of the team.

This usually takes the form of a relatively short but in-depth interview that tests any areas the team felt were missing from the onsite rounds, as well as your overall culture fit at Apple. Prepare for this interview as you would for the onsite rounds.

If all goes well, this or the onsite round will be your last step as a candidate, and from there you just have to wait to (hopefully) receive your offer.

Because hiring is team-dependent, Apple doesn’t have a standard hiring committee like Amazon or Google. The decision to hire rests upon the hiring manager. They take into consideration the interviewers’ feedback, interview notes, and recommendations, but will ultimately make the final choice.

Step 7: Salary negotiation↑

Finally, once you’ve passed each of the six steps above, you’ll receive your offer package from Apple.

At this point, all that is left for you to do is negotiate your offer. Your recruiter will get in touch with you about the details, likely scheduling one final call to clarify and discuss the terms. If they have not scheduled a call, you can ask for one.

Of course, salary discussions can be difficult and a bit uncomfortable, especially if you are not used to them. Below are some tips to help you navigate your salary negotiations.

Salary negotiation tips

Be polite. Remember that the person you’re negotiating with is just doing their job, and that the two of you are not enemies. You’ll get much farther in your negotiations if you approach the conversation with grace.
Don’t give a number right away. Whenever possible, it’s better to wait until you receive an offer to start negotiating. This reduces the risk of giving a number that is lower than what the company otherwise would have paid, or giving a number that is so high that they are reluctant to interview you.
Do your research. Have a number in mind before the conversation begins, and back it up with data. Research your position and level on Levels.fyi, ask around on professional social networking sites like Blind, factor in the cost of living where you are, and, ideally, get some input from a current Uber employee.
Start high. To start the conversation, name a compensation number that is higher than your goal, and the Uber negotiator will likely end up negotiating it down to a number that is closer to your original goal.
Negotiate everything. Your offer will include more than a base salary and stock options—you also have bonuses, vacation days, location, work from home, and other aspects to consider. If the salary won’t budge, there may be some wiggle room around the other perks.

Check out our video on the 10 rules of salary negotiation for more tips.

Practice what you’ve learned before the actual negotiation. Book a salary negotiation coaching session with expert recruiters and negotiators to help you maximize your compensation.

Once you’ve completed this step and accepted your offer: congratulations! It’s time to start your career at Apple.

Are you prepared for your Apple interviews?↑

We've coached more than 15,000 people for interviews since 2018. In our experience, practicing real interviews with experts who can give you company-specific feedback makes a huge difference.

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