What Are the Requirements to Work for Apple?

To work for Apple you must be at least 18, be authorized to work in the country of the role, and meet the experience listed on the specific posting. A college degree is not required for Apple Retail or AppleCare support roles. Corporate and engineering postings list a degree as typical but accept equivalent experience.

Those are the only requirements Apple states for every role. Everything else depends on which of the four role families you apply to, and this page goes through each one.

The requirements that apply to every Apple job

Minimum age 18. Apple Retail postings in the United States require applicants to be 18 or older. Apple does not run a program for younger workers in its stores.

Work authorization. Apple hires in the country where the job is posted and asks about authorization on the application. Sponsorship is common for corporate engineering roles and rare for retail and support roles.

A background check after the offer. This is typical for companies of Apple's size and is stated on the offer, not on the posting.

Availability that matches the posting. Retail and support roles list required hours, including evenings, weekends and holiday periods. Applications that cannot meet the stated availability are usually screened out before an interview.

Requirements by role family

Apple Retail requirements

Retail is the largest entry point into Apple and has the shortest list. Postings ask for the ability to work a flexible schedule, comfort speaking to customers all day, and the willingness to learn Apple's products in training.

Sales roles are Specialist, Expert and Business Expert. Support roles are Technical Specialist, Genius and Creative. Genius roles usually ask for prior repair or technical support experience, and Apple trains hires on its own repair procedures after the offer.

You do not need to own Apple products or be a technical expert for a Specialist role. Apple states that it hires for the ability to explain and help, then teaches the product knowledge.

AppleCare and technical support requirements

AppleCare Advisor roles are the answer to searches for "Apple technical support jobs" and "Apple customer service careers". Many are remote. Postings ask for customer support experience, a typing speed suited to chat support, and availability across a set shift pattern.

At-home roles have location requirements because of employment law. Apple lists the states or countries it hires in for each posting, and you must live there when you apply. Apple supplies the computer and headset, and you supply a quiet room and a wired internet connection that meets the posted speed.

Corporate and engineering requirements

Corporate postings read like those of any large company. A bachelor's degree in a related field is listed as typical, and non-entry roles ask for two to five years in the same function.

Engineering postings list a degree in computer science, electrical engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Tim Cook has said publicly that about half of Apple's US hires in one year did not hold a four-year degree, so the equivalence clause is real. What replaces the degree is evidence of depth: shipped software, open source work, or research.

New graduates enter through internships and the new graduate postings, which ask for a degree completed within the past year. Apple's internship program runs in summer and during the academic year.

Location and international applicants

Apple hires retail staff in every country where it has stores, including Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan and much of Europe. Searches such as "Apple careers Canada" or "Apple jobs Vancouver" find both retail postings and the Vancouver engineering office.

Corporate and engineering roles are concentrated in California, Texas, Washington and a set of international sites. Remote work for engineering roles is limited and is stated per posting. If a posting does not say remote, assume it is on site.

What is not required

• A referral. Apple hires most retail and support staff from direct applications.
• Prior Apple product ownership or Apple certification.
• A resume for retail roles beyond the application form, although one helps.
• Perfect English outside customer-facing roles; engineering teams hire internationally and interview in English.

How to Prepare

• Retail and support candidates: prepare the behavioral round. Apple asks for examples of helping a difficult customer and learning something quickly. Grokking the Behavioral Interview shows how to structure each example with a result.
• Engineering candidates: prepare coding and design. Grokking the Coding Interview covers the patterns Apple's coding rounds use.
• Learn the STAR structure Apple interviewers expect. See what is the STAR method at Apple.
• Check the age question in detail. See what is the youngest age Apple hires.
• See the skills side of the question. The technical and soft skills Apple engineering roles test are in what skills you need to work at Apple.