Apple reviews

- Decisions are made by C-level executives. If you come to Apple, don't expect to be able to make the types of decisions, no matter how small, you made at other companies. Additional downsides to this are the amount of time that it takes to be able to get decisions made, then act on them. Jobs are generally more focused on execution so depending on the type of environment you come from, you may not feel that you are having any impact. Great jobs for people right out of school or those intending to stop at Apple for just a year or two to get the company on their resume. - Opportunity for advancement is minimal. If you are looking to be promoted, you will probably need to leave the company and then return later. Same goes for salary increases. - Outside of product development, people don't feel the need for change (there are lots of individuals who have been at the company 10-15 years+). People are very content with processes as they are. Get used to hearing "well, this is the way we have always done it..." No sense of urgency.

Much like sausage making....you enjoy the end product but don't want to know how it was made. There often times can be a lot of thrash, or lack of communication that leads to more stress than is needed. And being part of a large company (even Apple) can leave you feeling like your just a cog in the machine somedays. Apple does not do a good job of reviews, or communicating to employees real feedback on their performance and what is needed to get to the next level. Promotions are often based more on working tons of hours or having completed a major task (much easier for developers to show than someone in QA). So often developers are promoted to be a manager not because they'd make a great manager but because they worked really hard, and did some great thing.