I’m an internal referral, so I meet the HM for coffee to chat about the job. We talk for 1hr+ and it becomes an interview in which he asks several behavioral Qs. He seems keen. Then I get an e-mail from a recruiter; but it isn't really a recruiter, it’s a contractor who just schedules stuff and can't answer any questions. This is different from other companies, where the recruiter wants candidates to do well and provides some guidance. She schedules a 1 hr phone screen with someone who would be my peer. Most of the interviewer’s Q’s are around solving the team’s real problems. She is rather nervous and I have no idea how I've done. A few days recruiter-who-is-not-really-a-recruiter mails me to schedule a second screen. I’m a little miffed that the initial HM interview didn’t count as 1 of the 2 screens. At the appointed time, the interviewer doesn't call: the recruiter/scheduler gave her the wrong number, but I have to call her to find this out. A week later the second screen goes ahead; lots of ‘how would you solve this problem’ Qs, and it seems to go well. The recruiter/assistant sends me a list of Qs, including current & expected salary. I ask her what range they have in mind; she doesn't respond. A loop is scheduled for the following week: 15 mins with the recruiter, then 4x 45-min interviews, with 75 mins for lunch with HM sandwiched between. On loop-day I arrive early as advised, and check-in only takes a minute. This is the first time I’ve met a blue-badge recruiter (and as it turns out the last). She has a meek, intern-like demeanor that surprises me. She tells me about the benefits package. I ask if there is a salary range (since I’ve already shared my current salary); she doesn't know because they haven't settled on a grade. She doesn't ask me about travel expenses, and I forget to mention I paid $25 to park and have brought the multiple forms her assistant e-mailed me. Then it's into the loop. 45 mins with each interviewer goes by quickly, and they look up at the clock often to make sure they don't overrun. The first is with a scientist, who mentions in passing that I am being considered for two roles, which is news to me. He asks me to design an algorithm to re-stock inventory. It's a fun exercise, but a hard way to start the day and I’m clearly out of my depth. I muddle through, and at the end he explains that this was a deliberate curve ball and I won't be expected to do this if I'm hired. The second interview is with a peer, and we have a more practical conversation about my experience and the job. Then it's into lunch with HM. I eat light, as advised by everybody, but drink too much Diet Coke and find it hard to focus by the end. HM really, really wants me to describe a problem I solved where I went way beyond what was asked. We discuss it for over 20 mins and all the way back to the office, but I don't think I satisfy him. I am about to wet myself, however. Back at the office, a 1 min bathroom break is my only downtime in the whole loop. The next interviewer is clearly the bar-raiser and we chat about supply chain systems, of which is a director. By now I am starting to get similar Qs about solving real problems. He grills me pretty well, although not in a mean way; still it's hard to know how I've done as he gives nothing away. The final interview is with another team member, who asks more Qs about real-life problems. They're not too hard, and it seems to go well, but I have been answering Qs for over 4 hrs without a break. I don't know how it's going, I don't even know if I want the job - I just want this to end. At the end of the loop (just under 5 hrs in total) the last interviewer walks me out to reception. This is anticlimactic but I'm relieved to be out. Three days later, the recruiter (the real one, not the assistant) leaves me a VM to say I hadn’t got the job. I'm pretty unhappy: I really wanted it, and despite a mixed performance in the loop I hoped they'd seen enough in me. I call to ask for feedback, but never hear from her again. The experience left a bad taste in my mouth, and although I would still love to work for Amazon I’d hesitate to apply again. HR's involvement was minimal, and they added little to the process. I met 5 members of the team (plus the HM twice) and all the interviews were grueling, so they had the chance to see me from many angles. But I'm not sure that 5 hrs of Qs without a break allows the best candidates to shine, just those with a stamina that may not be required for the job. I’ve heard that the only opinions that really matter are those of the HM and the bar-raiser; if true then why bother with the others? I know it's a macho culture, but the poker-faced zero-feedback approach was deeply unattractive. And I understand that, in the end, many candidates aren't the right fit for a job or a team, or even a company - but after a total of 8 hrs of interviews I had hoped for more than a voicemail that said “no thanks."