Apple Case Study

Acquiring Talent at Apple...

Recruiting Talent for Apple

John Alberton

HR Management

Feb 1, 2013

Apple has been one of the greatest turnaround stories of all time. Well known for its I-Phone and I-Pod music players today, the company almost ceased to exist decades ago. The company, which was started by Steve Jobs, almost went defunct in the early 90's due to heavy competition against then rival Microsoft. After years of struggling, the company , who originally fired its founder, hired Jobs back and went on to become one of the largest companies in the world. One of the key reasons for its success is the ability to attract and retain the best talent.

There are many approaches that could be successful for Apple in its approach to attract talent. The case study mentions one way the company attains its talent is to acquire whole companies, “One way to acquire a lot of talent fast is to acquire entire companies and make them part of Apple”.(p 153). By taking this approach, Apple can identify and target companies as a whole that will work in tandem with Apple's existing operations and create economies of scale for new and existing products. Employees of the existing operation will more than likely stay on board with the company for the lure and excitement of working with Apple. In the technology marketplace, Apple has a valuable reputation as being the leader and expert on cutting edge technologies. This reputation would more than likely entice potential employees to get the “foot in the door” in the company. Another approach that will work well for Apple will be the recruiting on college campuses. Colleges are a good resource for finding raw talent. Students who studied a field, such as computer science or IT, and have not been introduced to a full time career with an entry level position within a company are a huge benefit to future employers. These candidates can be taught the culture of the company more easily and can be trained to learn the ways and processes of that particular company.

When Apple uses a recruiter, there are many traits and behaviors of the recruiter that would benefit the company in the selection process. One of these traits is to act with professionalism and courtesy. Although Apple has a strong reputation in the marketplace, an individual can make or break this reputation with prospective employees based on the interaction. The recruiter should act with sincerity and promptness. If a future employee has a question for the recruiter, the question should be answered in a truthful and respectful way. If the recruiter acts with respect and common courtesy, because of Apple's reputation, it would create a win-win situation