Monday, July 30, 2018

If Apple Comes To RTP: What Job Could You Land?

There is a lot of talk that Apple may come to the RTP area. The reasons are numerous but the biggest ones include:

  1. Apple Has Created Support Infrastructure In NC - An Apple Data Center already exist in Maiden, NC since 2010. It is about 2.5 hours from Durham and located near Hickory, NC. This data center is providing Apple with a major East Coast infrastructure hub to support its iTune music store and iPhone app store. Apple has already invested close to $4 billion to Catawba county and provided state level tax breaks to set up shop in Catawba county. They have also built 3 large solar farms in Maiden, Conover and Claremount to power the data center. The 200-acres photovoltaic solar panels supplement power from Duke Energy and Bloom Energy. In summary, Apple has already made significant financial and construction investments in the State of North Carolina.
  2. Apple Leadership Has Roots In NC - Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple and prior COO. He has an MBA from Duke University and recently spoke at the Commencement Address for the Duke Class of 2018. Eddy Cue is Apple’s senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services and has a Bachelors in Computer Science and Economics from Duke University. Jeff Williams, COO holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University.
  3. Raleigh-Durham Has the Business, Research, and Academic Environment to Support Apple's Growth Goal - Our community is rich in Environment Technology and had 5+ surrounding IT/High Tech colleges to provide people and strategies for success. In addition, our RTP community houses more than 250 companies where Apple can leverage ideas, workers and resources.

Should Apple decide to launch in NC, this would be their 2nd Headquarters with their main headquarters located on the West Coast. Their growth goals include a national pledge to create 5k - 20,000 jobs within the next 5 years somewhere within the US.

Top Positions that could come to RTP are:

  1. Research Positions (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Robotics, Big Data Tools)
  2. Technical Support Staff
  3. Operations (Program Mgmt, PMI, PMP, Agile Tech, Business & IT/CS degrees)
  4. Software Developers/Engineers (PHP, Javascript, HTML, CSS, SQL, SCRUM, Objective-C, or C++)
  5. Customer Support/HelpLine (CCENT, CCNA, Python, Go, Pearl, HR)

If these positions come to RTP, those with required certifications and relevant experience should have a strong chance of landing one. Visit the Apple job listing page and research the requirements for jobs occupations posted in other regions to prepare and understand Apple's requirements.

In addition, CEO Cook, also alluded to his "top-down" requirements in a 60 Minutes Overtime interview in 2015 when seeking ideal candidates. In essence they are NOT looking for "YES" men and women. They are looking for individuals that are able to defend their point of view and still possess a "passion" to change the world. Apple seeks individuals that are "Wicked smart people who have a point of view, and want to debate that point of view, and people that want to change something," Cook said. Expect to be interviewed by many people before landing the job and the ability to show your work.

Additionally, Machine Learning and AI experts are currently of deep value to Apple.

Need help preparing for interviewing or recognizing your strengths through an Employer's eyes? Smart Moms can help! Submit a career coach interest form and we will be in touch.


The content in my blog post was compiled from the following articles and websites.

https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/06/29/apple-idatacenter-set-for-maiden-nc
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/data-center-faqs/apple-data-center-faq-part-2
https://www.wral.com/north-carolina-apple-negotiating-deal-on-triangle-campus-second-site-in-cary/17558985/
https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-to-get-a-job-at-apple-according-to-ceo-tim-cook-2015-12
https://www.rtp.org/