Apple's Make vs. Buy Recruiting and HR Planning Strategy

Evaluating Recruiting Approaches for Apple's Talent Acquisition

Of the many approaches and techniques Apple could use for recruiting and talent acquisition, by far the most effective center on three key success factors. First, determining the level of cultural congruence new potential employees have with the organizational climate is critical. Second is the depth of a prospect's experience in specific technical areas where Apple needs expertise to continually create new products. Third is the extent to which a potential new employee can quickly contribute to Apple's unique new product development process (Tariq, Ishrat, & Khan, 2011). These three areas are the most important predictors of success for a new employee.

Finding potential employees who meet all three criteria is exceptionally difficult, as their combination of cultural agility and technical skill makes them highly sought after in new product development teams (Lynn, 1998). This type of employee is not specifically motivated to join one company over another based on traditional recruiting advertising, public relations, and promotional strategies used by the majority of Apple's competitors globally. Instead, this is the type of employee who is motivated by autonomy, mastery, and purpose in their work, as well as by the opportunity to accomplish a visionary product or idea.

That shared vision or mission is also what makes Apple's new product development process so effective, quick to respond to the market, and exceptionally high in product quality (Tariq, Ishrat, & Khan, 2011). Through their non-standard recruiting strategy, Apple is able to attract the specific type of employee who can contribute to complex projects quickly and excel in a corporate culture known for valuing independent thinking over excessive conformity (Lynn, 1998). The company does use social media sites including LinkedIn to attract new potential employees, often receiving tens of thousands of résumés a week for open positions. The continual screening process separates those who possess the unique skill sets required to succeed at Apple.

Recruiter Traits and Behaviors That Lead to Successful Recruiting

The Apple culture is highly individualistic and, by some accounts, non-conformist in its approach to new product development and creativity (Faust, 2011). It is a culture that celebrates intelligence and initiative over conformity and following the crowd — a point made abundantly clear in the user interfaces of Apple's products (Stephani, 2011) and in the core values of Steve Jobs, which continue to influence the company heavily today (Faust, 2011). Due to all of these factors, recruiter traits and behaviors must be congruent and well-aligned with the idiosyncrasies of the Apple culture. Recruiters need to thoroughly and passionately understand the legacy of that culture, what it means to the many customers who have loyally bought Apple products for years, and what role Apple employees play in delighting customers with innovative new products and services. In short, recruiter traits and behaviors need to revolve around a genuine passion for Apple that clearly sets expectations of exceptional performance and commitment to delivering outstanding products over time (Tariq, Ishrat, & Khan, 2011).

Because Apple is one of the most demanding workplaces from an engineering and new product development standpoint, recruiters also need traits and behaviors that convey confidence and assurance in the company's direction, while also having the ability to articulate the more challenging aspects of working there. In many respects, Apple's culture resembles that of a highly regarded college or university — it values intelligence, independence of thought, and the ability to move quickly from the conceptual to the concrete (Faust, 2011). Recruiter traits and behaviors must therefore also encompass an appreciation of the specific engineering disciplines relevant to the candidates being interviewed. To cultivate this understanding from the outset, it is highly recommended that interviewers spend time embedded in product groups in order to understand their unique culture and the needs associated with newly opening positions. The best recruiters will develop a strong sense of the unspoken and innate needs of product teams by spending time with them and better appreciating their specific requirements. All of these elements taken together will make a recruiter ideally suited for hiring the best possible employees for each specific team within Apple.

Three Strategies Apple Can Use to Plan HR Resources

The first and most significant approach Apple can take to plan HR resources is to concentrate on the new product development timeline and the pipeline of new products and technologies the company is creating. Apple is considered one of the best companies globally at using a product lifecycle management (PLM)-based approach to planning and executing new products, often generating new patents in the process (Tariq, Ishrat, & Khan, 2011). This first strategy focuses on understanding precisely what is required from new product teams in terms of support and services, then aligning hiring plans accordingly to ensure the highest possible level of performance against recruiting and hiring goals.

A second strategy that the company can rely on to effectively plan HR resources is to develop a series of checkpoints throughout the hiring process to ensure that the needs being evaluated in potential employees accurately align with the broader needs of the company. This continual, recursive approach to developing a very clear picture of what is needed from a recruiting standpoint will be critical to the program's overall success. Apple's HR needs can change rapidly depending on the new technologies being worked on, and as a result it is important for HR to continually check back and assess whether — and to what degree — requirements from product development teams have changed (Lynn, 1998).

A third approach is to create a series of 360-degree reviews involving HR recruitment and management staff alongside the teams doing the majority of recruiting at any given time, in order to ensure that total hiring needs are fully understood. In addition, a focus on how best to manage expectations within the hiring department is also essential. Using the 360-degree review process and candid feedback, HR and hiring departments can stay better connected and maintain open communication throughout the interview and recruitment process.

References

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