Can you guys tell me how reviews happen at Apple? Recruiter made a big deal about revealing the level and said not to discuss? How would performance reviews happen when people don't know each other's level? How do managers ensure that people get promoted at the right time? Or Do people know each other's level? Is it common to discuss?
Other similar companies don’t reveal level. Performance reviews ask for examples of things good & bad, or “continue, do more, stop”. Managers know your level and expectations and use those examples to compare to expectations. Overall, it works quite well. I got fired because I had glowing reviews by peers who were all two levels below me, and all the examples they gave where positive at their level, but far below expectations for mine — they didn’t mention that I delegated well, for instance.
Which is just silly, because people who aren’t operating at that level are usually doing so because they don’t understand the important factors for other levels. They’ll talk in terms of their own level and perhaps some pieces of a level above them, but they often lack the ability to frame higher level contributions outside of their own context. To be fair, the same problem happens down the pipe as well as up. Which is why everyone is always bitching that no one outside their level is every doing anything worthwhile.
Fired from what company?