Every employee who leaves Apple becomes an 'associate'

[Demovictory9]

In widely used databases that companies refer to for verification of job information, Apple changes the job title for every employee, whether they're a PhD in computer science or a product manager, to "associate," the company confirms.

Apple's approach is bizarre if not unique, experts in employment practices say, but until now has gone largely unnoticed by anybody but a handful of job applicants whose résumé conflict with official databases maintained by job verification services run by companies such as Equifax and Lexis-Nexis.

The title "associate" is generally used to connote more junior roles. Entry-level retail workers, for instance, are often called associates. Law firms refer to recent law school hires in the same way, and in universities, associate professors are ranked below those with the title "professor."

The practice recently came to light when Cher Scarlett, a former Apple software engineer who raised concerns about alleged discrimination and misconduct at the company, filed a complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that when Apple changed her job title to "associate," it delayed the hiring process at a prospective employer by nearly a week, during which time the company rescinded the offer. Scarlett said the job verification service hired to vet her résumé was unable to resolve the discrepancy with Apple.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Every-employee-who-leaves-Apple-becomes-an-16847217.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight

[ItsjustMe]

1. .

[jimfields33]

2. Of all the problems of the world, this seems very minor.

Yes I’m sure the ego takes a hit and maybe the next job may not understand associate at Apple, but they’ve been around a long time with zero issues on this.

[Sanity Claws]

5. I don't understand your position

1. Compared to problems of the world, everyone's individual issue seems very minor. That doesn't mean it isn't significant. I think you would feel very different about it if you personally were affected by a large corporation screwing with you.
2. What is the basis of your claim that Apple has had zero issues with this? This is the first time I've heard about it but that doesn't mean that this is the first time it has happened.
3. There is a lot more than "ego" involved. It concerns the person's ability to find a new position commensurate with their skills. That affects the economy as a whole. It is a way for Apple to screw with competitors.

[jimfields33]

7. Sounds to me like they treat their employees the same.

They all are associate workers without having the antiquated hierarchy that other corporations do. It’s refreshing to think they care enough to treat the receptionist the same as a VP. I’m surprised your against that to be honest.

[Sanity Claws]

8. You didn't understand the problem

The problem was that employee had a high level title while employed. When the person left, Apple changed the person's title to associate. This made the person look as though he/she had falsified their resume and hurt his/her ability to find a new position outside of Apple.

I also don't understand why you assume that title necessarily refers to hierarchy. It refers to function. Apparently you had to create something to find fault with me, even if you had to make it up.

[treestar]

14. But now it is out there

so won't future employers know Apple does this and thus ignore it?

[Sanity Claws]

15. Getting this out there is important to the former employees

However, it will still have repercussions. Future employers will still not be able to determine the actual background/experience of applicants.

[Throck]

3. I've never worked for a company that cared about what prior titles you had.

Early in my career a person's resume and word were taken as is. You presented a portfolio of your work. It was reviewed and discussed.

This last 10 years I've found a lot of people pad and outright lie on their resumes and on line profiles. People put work in their portfolios that is not theirs.

[brooklynite]

10. Agreed; my Government agency would only confirm that I was employed there......

Nothing about job titles or responsibilities.

[Throck]

12. HR here.

HR indicated that it made the company liable for slander. Yes or No were their options.

[North Shore Chicago]

4. Doesn't Walmart do that? n/t

[lostnfound]

6. That's shocking.

[Earth-shine]

9. I worked for Nortel Networks, which had a similar policy.

If you left the company, in the future they would only verify that you worked there, and perhaps for how long. That's it.

It may be a policy they adopted after 9-11. Nortel fell apart after 9-11, largely to the corporate greed it practiced before 9-11.

[demosincebirth]

11. It makes them feel important so they can screw over them

[brooklynite]

13. Your "of course they're evil" sleight would appear to be inconsistent with...

...their willingness to pay top dollar for the talent of their staff when they were first hired.

We're not talking about file clerks. We're talking about programmers and engineers who's skill set can be easily proven through their CV and description of their work projects.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. At The Company From Which I Retired...

...it was corporate policy to give ZERO information about a former employee, other than to acknowledge whether they worked there in the past or not.
Nothing about position, reasons for separation, prior work. Nothing.
"Yes, they used to work here.". Even if they were fired for stealing, all our people would say was Yes or No to that one question.
Sounds like the problem might also be tied to some other companies' hiring practice.
Those companies expect too much information & Apple's title just confounds their unreasonable expectations.