Honestly, I was really satisfied with the process. I had read so many negative things on Glassdoor that I was very hesitant to pursue the process. However, my experience couldn't have been more opposite than the bad things I have read here. It was a strenuous process, but what kind of job like this isn't?
First received call from technical recruiter with some basic questions about my background and "why Amazon?" questions. About a week later I received a call from the same recruiter that they wanted to do a phone interview. She prepped me on who I would be talking to, specific parts of my resume she suggested I focus on and also that I should prep myself on the "Leadership Principles" and try to tie my examples into those, which was incredibly helpful. The day before the call, she called me again to see if I had any other questions and to ensure that that Amazon prides itself on not trying to trick you, this phone interview was just to feel out whether I may be a good fit for the position and with the team.
The call was actually pretty fun, we just discussed examples of projects I was involved with and what my roles were. Mainly situational questions and absolutely no "brain teasers" like you hear other companies doing. I then asked questions about the role, the team dynamic and the company culture which were all answered very honestly.
Two weeks later I received a call followed by an email saying they wanted me to fly up for an in-person interview. The email requested 6 time slots over the next month that worked for me so they could coordinate my flight, transportation, hotel room and interview schedule. Everything was very seamless and all accommodations were paid for, including an extra night stay before the interview to "check out the city of Seattle", which I thought was very reasonable considering I would be relocating.
The day before the interview I received a call from the recruiter again who went over the interview schedule, explained who each person I would be interviewing did and why I was meeting with them. She again ensured that I shouldn't be nervous and to just be myself. She also suggested that I check out each interviewer's LinkedIn profiles so I know a bit about them.
Interview day comes, first interview at 9am with the Director of the department who asked me mainly situational questions around my experience, how I handled difficult situations, projects I was most proud of, etc. I then met with two Software Dev Engineers, Sr. Manager of Product Management and finally the hiring manager who would be my Manager if hired.
Nothing was asked that caught me off guard and were all questions about my background to understand what I have done, why I chose the decisions I did and how I handled complex situations. I was very impressed with the process and would absolutely recommend interviewing and Amazon.
