I applied online. I interviewed at Amazon (Vancouver, BC) in Feb 2018
Interview
I applied online. Recruiter contacted me in about a week and then told me to wait till she can find someone to do phone screening.
After 2 weeks o waiting they scheduled screening interview.
Screening took about an hour on a phone in front of computer with shared white board like application in front of me.
One of their engineers called me on a phone and started asking questions. He was speaking with heavy accent and asked too many questions about my past experience which took about 30 minutes. After that he asked me to complete coding question on dynamic programming (longest repeated substring). I have chosen to use algorithm that was correct but required more coding than can be done in 15 minutes, so he asked me to stop and switch to pseudo-code and then he said that I am on right path, he stopped me and then asked OO design question.
In remaining 2-3 minutes interviewer asked me if I have any questions. I asked how did I do? - You failed, but I am not supposed to tell you that. They will email you in few days.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
1. Implement a function (you can choose language) that returns longest repeating substring. For example "asdfsaasdf" should return "asdf". I asked question if strings can overlap answer was "yes".
2. Provide OO design for a parking lot.
Tough interview.
The Process: Automated Online Assessment (OA) with 2 coding questions and a system simulation, followed by a 4-round virtual Loop. Every single round started with 20 minutes of intense, behavioral behavioral questions diving into Amazon's Leadership Principles, followed by 25 minutes of technical coding or system design.
Amazon interviews are a test of mental endurance because you have to switch from deep behavioral storytelling straight into complex coding which can be so difficult. I used Apex Interviewer to practice the cognitive context switch. Running through their live-coding workspace helped me ensure my technical communication and architectural structures remained sharp and automatic, even after spending the first half of the interview defending my past project metrics. I fed the practice AI questions I extracted from glassdoor and gothamloop.
In the end, the offer was way lower than I hoped.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design the backend inventory tracking and placement service for a global fulfillment network, ensuring strict transactional consistency across multiple regional warehouses during peak shopping events.
Initial screening call with recruiter followed by a 1 hr hacker rank question on DSA. The final round was a panel consisting of 4 interviews ranging from technical design, more DSA and behaviour questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a time when you disagreed with your team and how you resolved it
Online Application & Assessment: Candidates apply via amazon.jobs and may be asked to complete online assessments (work simulations or technical tests).
Recruiter Phone Screen: A 30-60 minute interview to discuss your background, interest in the role, and initial behavioral questions.
Technical Phone Screen (For Tech Roles): A 60-minute interview focused on data structures, algorithms, and coding in a shared editor.
Interview Loop (Virtual/Onsite): The final stage, usually 3-5, 45-60 minute interviews held on the same day or over a few days.
Behavioral Questions: These focus on past behavior (STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result) mapped to Leadership Principles.
Technical/Functional Questions: Problem-solving, system design, or domain-specific questions.
Bar Raiser Interview: One interviewer is a "Bar Raiser," a neutral employee from another team tasked with ensuring hiring standards remain high.
Hiring Committee/Debrief: Interviewers meet to discuss candidate feedback and make a hiring decision.
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