What should someone know who is trying to get a job at an Apple retail store but knows next to nothing about Apple products?

I once interviewed for a position at the Apple Store in Vancouver. I passed all 3 interviews, yes they are three or used to be when I applied, but then I rejected their offer because life happened. tl;dr : You don't really need to know about their products' detail. Just general stuff, what is an iPhone, what is an iPad, what is a Mac. And do not say this a part-time job, pretend this is your dream career and if you could you would work there for free. There are number of things they look for in any candidate. First of all, the first interview is a group interview where they show videos ask questions and get you to do presentations as a group. The key here, they don't care at all about the stuff you say or the things you have done in the past. What they are really doing is here is filtering the candidates for the second one-on-one interview. Your success is truly in your own hands and not your resume or your knowledge of products. You have to stand out. Do not be shy, act out, ask questions, answer questions, take any chance you get to be in the spotlight, and you will get a chance because when it comes to the presentation only 3 of you will be doing the presenting from your group of possibly 8 or more. So make sure you are one of those 3, preferably go first and be strong. Speak up and do not be shy. Of course it doesn't help to know a little bit at this point about their products not to screw yourself up, but don't need details. One suggestion I can make here, know about Apple Care, what the guarantee covers and what is not covered (water and physical damage is not covered). Why do I say you do not need to know about the products? Because in your group everyone else will know about the products, and collectively you will plan out a situation where either a first-time customer comes in, who never owned an Apple product and asks you a question or a long-time customer walks in and is unhappy about something. So you plan the proper response to either situation and at the end present it. Another key point: you are being watched and graded twice as much when preparing your presentations in a group compared to when you are actually doing the presenting. So while in groups preparing your materials, act out, be loud, be firm, be strong, and take charge, because you are being graded. STAND OUT. Never fail to say how much you LOVE Apple and their products, they love hearing that shit and it is never frowned upon. Working at Apple is like belonging to a cult, they want you to be a Apple fanatic and "one of them". And if you did stand out, and you should because it is freaking APPLE and you say you love their products. They will call in 30-60min after you leave and tell you about your second interview, if you didn't hear from them in 24 hours that is it, you are done. The second interview is where it gets tougher, here you do a one-to-one interview with a supervisor at your future store. Fuck these guys are annoying, you have to play it cool and be hippie like. You have to pretend nothing matters to you expect spreading the joy of Apple to all customers. Money, promotion, commission, discounts, NOTHING MATTERS TO YOU. If they ask you where do you see your self in 5 years, don't try to sound ambition and motivated and say become a manager or supervisor or stuff like that, that shit gets you cut. They want you to be a all about customers and apple products nothing else. Just say "In 5 years I will be at Apple Retail Store, of course." with a huge grin on your face. And for the love of god, don't say I don't know or this is just a part-time job while I am at college, pretend it is your dream career and you will be there till you drop dead. Love Apple. The more of an Apple fan you are and the more you would like to spread the joy of Apple the higher your chances. The third interview is just for a show I guess, you meet with region manager to asses you. But at this point they have already done all the paperwork and your hired on paper, you can't really mess things up, unless you open your mouth and say more than you should. To summary: Stand OUT Be firm and strong Speak UP LOVE APPLE CUSTOMERS BE ONE OF THEM LOVE APPLE (period). Also if at some point they ask the group what is significant about 2007 or what changes happened at Apple. The answer is: Apple company changed its name from Apple Computers to just Apple in 2007. Oddly enough nobody knew this besides me at our first group interviews.

A lot depends upon the position you are applying to at the store. Even if you are looking to be a simply a customer service person who greets the customers at the door, I think that it's safe to say you should probably purchase at least one Apple product and get very comfortable with it. You don't need to be an Apple fanboy but being able to speak to a particular product line and or product mix instills trust in a customer who is potentially going to spend a decent amount of money for a high-end electronic device or computer. The more you know about using iOS and/or OS-X the better. You won't need to have Genius level knowledge, but you should be confident enough to answer basic questions about basic user operations. And as important as understanding Apple's product ecosystem, you will need to have a lot of patience for the onslaught of customers. Your retail experience alone probably won't guarantee that you get hired let alone enjoy the experience of working there.