48700

It's no surprise I took the offer and went to work for Apple. I know it was a rollercoaster ride of a story, an edge of your seat kinda thing but really if I didn't, this blog would be DUMB. Maybe it felt like a cliffhanger but not really, right? It was a good couple of weeks to get to this point but once I accepted it became fast and furious. Flights were booked, classes scheduled and even things mailed to me. A nice box with a t-shirt that said, "the journey is the reward" or "I got hired at Apple and all I got was this t-shirt". I don't remember, maybe someone remembers. What I know is everyone gets an employee number, mine 48700. Why is this significant? A couple of reasons first is I never, ever, met anyone with the lower employee number than mine. Not a single person, not my market leader, my store manager or any manager. Not an employee who worked in any store the same vintage as mine. First, it was a running joke but then it came to be an obsession of mine. I would constantly ask what was your employee number from the market director on down, people in Cupertino I have met, etc. Nobody had a lower number. 48000 people worked before me and I could not find a single one, especially at the retail level, that had and employee number that was lower them mine. Now I could be the most gullible person on the planet or I could be one of the Crazy Ones, the Misfits, the, well you know the rest. This never really mattered until later in the years to come when I started to connect with a variety of folks inside and outside of retail when it hit me, I got in early, really early. Maybe by a few weeks, but it was early enough.

So let's remember, The first two stores open in late May 2001, the next is August 3rd, The next is Aug 11, 2001. I accept Aug 13, 2001. In theory, If every store hired 4 genius per store, I would be the 13th hired genius, ever! Why so fast? Why so soon?

T

hat's a great question, as I was contacting my friend, who also applied at that time, maybe via ICQ our favorite communication method, at the time. To find out I accepted and he didn't even get a call yet. So apparently, the head hunter that found me, fast tracked me to being hired before anyone in the store, including any manager, the store manager and even the Market leader! She got badged with me!

Later I find out that that store was going to be opened sometime in September but was pushed back, which is common, to October. October 13th to be exact. Most folks hired for the store were hired in early September and apparently a full month after me. My fellow genius a week or so after me. So here we are hired and ready to roll off to genius training.