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How To Prepare For SDE Interview at Amazon

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64 views7 pages

How To Prepare For SDE Interview at Amazon

Uploaded by

sapohiw697
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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How to prepare for your software

engineering interview at Amazon

Prepare for Amazon’s interview questions, learn more about the


process, and find out how amazon hires and develop the best.

Quick—how many sides does a circle have? How do you lift an elephant with
one hand? And what was the president's name in 1992? If you're gearing up
for an interview, you might think you need to prepare for trick questions like
these. At Amazon, that's not the case. Though tech companies have a
reputation for throwing out brain teasers during the interview process, we do
things a bit differently here.
"We want to help candidates put their best foot forward," said Stacy Milgate,
Senior Client Lead, Amazon Web Services. "Our interview process is geared
toward finding true examples of the work you've performed."

Our candidate-first approach to interviewing means we'll do our best to ask


fair questions and provide tools and resources to help you. However, it's still
important to do your research and prep work.

If you're ready to get started, here are 11 tips to prepare for your upcoming
interview with Amazon.

1 Prepare for behavioral-based interview questions


Amazon interview questions are behavioral-based. We'll ask about past
situations or challenges you've faced and how you handled them. Amazon's
Leadership Principles will help us guide the discussion. Cody Nelson, Senior
Manager of Recruiting, Worldwide Operations, recommends using the job
description to prepare the stories you use to answer these questions. "If you
can think of stories and examples related to the requirements in the job
description," said Nelson, "you will be better prepared to answer the
behavioral questions in your interview."
2 Format responses using the STAR method
The STAR method is a structured way to respond to behavioral-based
interview questions. Following the format, you answer questions by discussing
the specific situation, task, action, and result of the experience you're
describing. Milgate suggests laying your stories out in the STAR format ahead
of your interview. "Think about all of the details," she said. "Who was
involved? What did you do specifically? What were the results based off of
what you did? How did you make an impact?" Once you have your stories
ready, practice them in the mirror or with a partner to really nail the answer
format in your interview.

3 Provide details
"A big miss for many candidates is that they don't dive deep enough," said
Rasheeda Liberty, Senior Recruitment Manager, Finance and Global Business
Services. When answering questions in your interview, remember that
specifics are key. Give a detailed account of one situation for each question
you answer, and use data or metrics to support your example. "We want to
know the numbers," said Liberty. "We want to know who was working on the
project and how you delivered tangible results."
4 Focus on "I" not "we"
Use "I," when describing actions in your interview answers. "Interviewing is
not the time to minimize what you have done," said Michelle Jackson, Senior
Client Lead Recruiter, Global Specialty Fulfillment. "Of course, we understand
that you've worked with a team in a collaborative environment, but
interviewing is an opportunity for you to sell yourself." Be ready to describe
the specific steps you took and how you contributed. Let us know what you
actually did.

5 Don't shy away from failures


It's okay to talk about failure. Come prepared with examples that showcase
your expertise while describing how you've taken risks, succeeded, failed, and
grown in the process. Keep in mind, some of Amazon's most successful
programs have roots in failed projects. "You can't innovate without failure,"
said Nelson. "Failure isn't a bad thing as long as you improve from the lessons
you learned. Understand how you've taken risks in a positive way and be able
to communicate that to your interviewer."
6 Know why you want to work at Amazon
Asking "why Amazon?" is not just a formality for us. We want to understand
why you're exploring an opportunity with the company so we get a better
sense of who you are. "Many candidates say they're excited about the
opportunity to work for a large-scale, innovative company," said Liberty.
"What I really want to know is why Amazon fits into your specific career path.
We want to know that you're a person who's thinking about how to give back
to the organization with what you bring, but we're also looking at what you
want to learn while working here."

7 Ask for clarification when you need it


Don't be shy about following up if you need clarification. If an interviewer asks
you a question and does not give enough information for you to provide a solid
answer, ask for more context. "We ask a lot of questions at Amazon," said
Jackson. "We want our candidates to feel comfortable with this because that's
the environment and culture we actually have."
8 Brush up on your writing skills
We may ask you to provide a writing sample. This will depend on the role
you're interviewing for, but it isn't necessarily limited to traditional writing
roles. Why? One of the unique aspects of Amazon's culture is that we don't do
PowerPoint or any other slide-oriented presentations in meetings. We write
narratively structured memos and silently read them at the beginning of each
meeting. These papers include pertinent information like project goals, tactics,
outcomes, and next steps. Because these papers impact our decision making,
articulating your thoughts in written format is a necessary skill.

9 Prepare for a phone screen and multiple interviews


You will meet with between two to seven Amazon employees during your
interview process. They will likely be a mix of managers, team members, key
stakeholders from related teams, and a "Bar Raiser" (usually an objective third
party from another team). To keep track of your stories and key details during
multiple interviews, Dia Harris, Senior Diversity Recruiting Program
Manager, Student Programs, recommends bringing a pen and a notebook with
helpful notes to your interview. "Prep for the interview by writing down the
questions you want to ask each interviewer, scenarios you think they might hit
upon, and certain Leadership Principles that might apply to the role," said
Harris.
10 Study the Leadership Principles
We use our Leadership Principles to evaluate candidates during interviews.
Consider how you've applied them in your previous professional experience as
you practice your stories and responses. "We're not going to test you to see if
you've memorized the Leadership Principles, but we do want candidates to be
excited about them," said Milgate. "Questions about the Leadership Principles
are meant to help us understand why you want to work here and how our
values resonate with you." Take some time ahead of your interview to tie your
stories back to our Leadership Principles, and maybe even identify a few
principles that resonate with you most.

11 Research Amazon's culture


Amazon has a peculiar culture centered on customer obsession. As you
prepare for your interview, research the company to determine whether
Amazon is the right fit for you.

We hope these tips help you prepare for success in your upcoming interview
with Amazon.

Happy learning!

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