Hello all, just a little background about myself. I graduated as a MechE a few years back and have been working since then. Back in 2016, I got an email from a recruiter at Apple for an Engineering position in a special projects group. I thought things went well but did not end up getting the offer. They said they’d keep me in mind but I thought that was just their generic response. Surprisingly, I got an email from the same recruiter a few days back saying that another position has opened up in that group and the hiring manager is interested in skipping the phone interview and meeting me directly. However, this time around, according to her, this is for a technician level job and the title is also something Technician-related. I’m in a dilemma. Apple has been my dream company to work for but I recently got promoted at my current job so I’m not sure if I should go become a Technician there. I’m worried about the impact on my career trajectory and how it would look on my resume. Please help me! I agreed to have an interview again to learn more about the position but also suggested a phone interview so that I can see if it’s a good fit for MY needs. What should I do? EDIT: I forgot to mention that this might be in the same neighborhood of my current salary but she said I'd be hourly, so there could be overtime pay as well. Seems like a good and a bad thing. I get more if I work more, but then I'd have to work more than 40 hours for it to be any meaningful pay increase. Also, this is for the swing shift, so not sure how I feel about that.
I think you should wait to make a decision after your phone interview or Onsite interview. During the interview make sure you get all your questions answered as well. Hopefully you will get enough data at that point to make a decision
Go and talk with the manager and teams to understand better. And then make a decision later.
Yea, that seems to be the general consensus. Do you know if it's easier to move around and whether the manager has the authority to change titles?
Depending on your situation — if you’re already happy at your current role, go find out more/interview but don’t be afraid to turn them down. If you do turn them down, let them know what you’re more interested in (engineering role), and they’ll certainly keep you in mind for a engineering role on their team in the future as they open up.
I'm not very happy at my current position because I don't think I do meaningful work. The pay and hours/work flexibility isn't bad here though but yeah I think I'll interview again and see what it's like. If they can change the title and if it's in the same ballpark in terms of the pay, I may take it. Thanks!
You have a mech degree and have an engineer job, don't go for a technician job. Wait for the opportunity of an engineer job there if you insist, if you go in as a technician you might end up not able to transfer into engineering.
The recruiter said that a lot of their technicians are degree'd engineers though but I'm not sure if she was just saying that to entice me. But I see what you're saying, which is what I'm afraid of in the first place.
Don’t be afraid, as long as it’s a full time position and not a contract gig, you’ll be fine. I work here as a MechE, Apple is the best place in the valley for MEs IMO. In Europe it’s actually pretty normal to have Engineers doing what is considered “technician” work out here.
Don't go for something underqualified, it will be hard to prove you can do a higher skilled job later. If the job is high skilled and this is just the title issue then it is ok. You can move after one year and you have to tell your manager that you want to start interviewing for other roles. Few of my friends successfully made the transition and having internal references and domain experience definitely helps to compete with external candidates.
I see. I hope that it’s not looked down upon if I try to move from this role in a year. Let’s see what they say though. I asked to speak with the manager via phone but haven’t heard back yet from the recruiter.
Go for the interview. But keep in mind what your goals are. My first job was as a tester at Microsoft, which I took because wow it's a job at Microsoft! Even though going in I knew I had no interest in testing and wanted to actually developer things (no offense to qa or sdet anywhere, but it just wasn't for me). Long story short, I didn't stay so long there. I don't regret it because you learn something everywhere, but if you're going to go in knowing you don't want to be a technician you should seriously think about would you rather *do* what you want or be at Apple
Do you know which SPG? Amazing opportunities in some; dead ends in others.
Yes, I’ll message you privately.
OP here. I had another call with the recruiter and ended up rejecting it, unfortunately. She said there’s no room for growth into an Engineering position and the only career advancement is at the Technician level. I’m the type that likes to grow into bigger and better roles, so I don’t think this would’ve been it. Thanks to everyone for the responses and help! I really appreciate every comment ☺
Came here to tell you, as a hiring manager for SPG, not to take a Technician role if you’re a MechE. Work hard at your current role and reapply for a MechE spot at Apple instead.
Thanks a lot for the response. As hard as it was, I did decline it before the thanksgiving break. Hopefully they’ll reach out again and not take me off their list. I didn’t apply for this role or for the engineering role I interviewed for before since there are no published postings for this SPG; the recruiter reached out without me applying for it since she found my resume in their pool I guess.
If that is your dream go for it. You would not have regerets when you would grow older. All the best for your interview.
Thanks for your response! My dream was to be an engineer. I’m afraid it’ll look like a step down if I go from my current title to a Technician. Worried about growth opportunities if I’m merely a Technician. What do you think?
Ask about potential career trajectory with the recruiter, if there's not a path for you get back to non technician role like you're in now, then don't bother. Be aware that they might embellish the truth/possibilities. Hopefully someone on here knows if getting back to engineer level is possible and what it takes.