(*reviewed as a contractor*) Smart workmates, intense jobs, walled off from employees
Pros
-Seemed like I was surrounded by a lot of top grads and MBAs, even in the unsexy Vendor Management area. -Floors I worked on pretty well cleared out by 5:30-6pm, so employees not encouraged to stay late (though some were definitely having to remote in from home after they left, I'm sure). -Folks were encouraged to jump around to various departments and job titles to continue their growth. -Get to add 'eCommerce' with the world's biggest online retailer to your resume. -Lots of room to maneuver and responsibility in your job title -Very respectful attitude toward employees. You could 'question authority' for real. Actually saw VPs show up to team meetings regularly in one dept., and you were expected to ask them difficult questions. And Amazon's famous cheapness (yes, they do really use hollow core doors with 4x4s bolted on for desks) extended to VP offices - smack in the middle of the cubicles. (Worked at a small company before this and we never, ever saw the VPs.)
Cons
-They came up with some pretty nutty work campaigns. I was told that in one dept. employees had to take turns doing four hour shifts 24 hrs./day throughout one December to monitor competitor website prices. The way it was told to me, they'd sometimes have to get up at 2am, work till 6am from home, then come in and do their normal shift. (To their credit, some of the worst shifts were apparently reserved for the managers involved.) -The above story reminds me that in giving employees such autonomy, you're probably going to have a few more half-baked ideas get executed. ;) -I was under the impression that employees were paid pretty well, but contractor work can start at $15/hr for even somewhat technical work. -Like probably any other company nowadays, a contractor here can find a wide range of attitudes within Amazon about how they should be treated. The key seems to be your manager. Your workmates will likely , so be leery of the unfriendly job interview where your new boss-to-be has no time for pleasantries. .
