I usually don't write reviews but since I used glass door a lot, I wanted to give back some. So I interviewed for an Australian position. I first went through 2 phone screens which included coding and behaviour and technical behavioural questions (eg. what is clean code?). The emphasis was on getting the coding correct and less on the behavioural stuff but be prepared for those type of questions like: when was a challenging time you had at work, how do you deal with tight deadlines etc... The second phone interview coding question is a bit harder than the first phone interview.
I then got scheduled in for an on-site interview at the Australian office but predominantly it was done through VC link to Seattle HQ. Due to the time zone difference, initially my interview would start at 8am, 5 interviews then lunch break then final interview. A total of 6 interviews, 5 of them are 45mins, 1 of them only 30 mins. This interview was setup 3 weeks in advance but 36 hours before the interview, I get an email from Amazon HR that the schedule has changed and that it will be 6 interviews in a row. So do the maths, that's 4 hours and 15 mins STRAIGHT. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out 6 interviews in a row is going to mentally drain you...to death. I was set up. They knew this was going to happen as the change was due to an Australian manager being in the US. I'm sure they knew this well in advance. Even other Australians didn't get this treatment. This severely tested my mental endurance.
Ok - I had a bathroom break in the middle and got some water but that was it. I was doing really well until the last 10 minutes of the 4th interview where I couldn't fix a bug in my program. I was brain dead and stressed. Overall the people I interviewed with were nice, but some came across as unbelievably arrogant.
To you young ones out there, I am 30 years old and have worked for 8 years as a professional software engineer at major companies. These are very much red flags of how the company treats people, at a system level and also at a personal level. I've been around long enough to see and smell poison when it comes. Nice on the surface, but fundamentally don't care about you. Just do some research on Amazon's poor attrition rates and work culture. Money only means so much. Do some research in how many job advertisements there are for Amazon SDEs over the last 3-4 years, there's a zillion. You're going to be a cog in a machine. The Amazon formal PROCESSED hiring bar is quite high but it is selectively applied to certain positions. But not everyone gets in this way. I personally know people who got in by references at Amazon, Google and Facebook. My point here is that they're all still human, just like you and me. Don't let the high bar intimidate you.
I'm writing this review not necessarily to get you in but to help you see companies for what they are. If you want in - ok great, but your choice. If it's your first tech job, then go for it.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, ask yourself this question: do really want to work for eCommerce websites/<insert job here> or are you interested in Amazon because of their brand name/high salary? Do you know Amazon has both boring and interesting tech jobs? How important is this to you? How does this affect your future career path? What is your purpose in life? Is it related to your career? Consider work-life balance etc...
Long story, I couldn't start in the time they wanted me (I was at least 4/5 months delayed) to so they didn't offer me at the time and said will coordinate further down the track. Did I get rejected? Probably. In the mean time, I got a very good job offer with very very interesting work form another reputable company. After Amazon's interview, the hardest I've ever done, this other company's was relatively easier. Even if you don't succeed, the interview process will train you for the future but learn from your mistakes. Trust God and have confidence in yourself.
God bless