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Amazon recruitment process - anyone here been through it?

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    #11
    Tech companies like Google, Amazon, FB have tried to make their perm interviews as tough as possible so that they get the cream of the talent. They do offer above market rates and deserve to up the game while interviewing.

    However, the tough interviews and white board coding in these companies have made all the other crappy medium sized companies think that they also need to follow similar practices. Couple of decades ago I had applied for a perm position offering 35k and was amused when they gave me a sheet of paper with requirements for a shopping cart and given a laptop with Visual studio and no internet and told to write the code in one hour. I did make a start, but the senior developer sat next to me and started peering over my shoulder ( trying to make sure I dont copy/paste code ? )
    Vote Corbyn ! Save this country !

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      #12
      Originally posted by eek View Post
      I think it's hard to compare a permanent recruitment process with a contractor one. We are very much used to quickly hire and quickly fire (although the latter rarely actually happens).

      I need to recruit sales staff which is something way out of my comfort zone and that will be a multiple step process - step 1 is a prospecting call to a mobile's voicemail
      I think I was hinting at the same thing. Unfortunately if you are a contractor looking to move to a perm role then you just have to get used to it.

      In the grand scheme of things, if I was hiring for a perm role and a candidate really found the process of doing 3-4 interviews that difficult, then I would question their level of resilience and suitability to do a perm job.

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        #13
        Originally posted by fullyautomatix View Post
        Tech companies like Google, Amazon, FB have tried to make their perm interviews as tough as possible so that they get the cream of the talent. They do offer above market rates and deserve to up the game while interviewing.

        However, the tough interviews and white board coding in these companies have made all the other crappy medium sized companies think that they also need to follow similar practices. Couple of decades ago I had applied for a perm position offering 35k and was amused when they gave me a sheet of paper with requirements for a shopping cart and given a laptop with Visual studio and no internet and told to write the code in one hour. I did make a start, but the senior developer sat next to me and started peering over my shoulder ( trying to make sure I dont copy/paste code ? )
        Exactly this.

        I can't remember exactly which tech company it was (may have been Amazon or Uber) but a few years ago they approached the Computer Science faculty at one of the world's best universities for tech (think it was Cornell) and basically said to the entire AI specialist faculty, name your price and come and work for us. They took around 50 people in one go. There is a massive global war for specialised talent amongst the tech giants. Not long ago, if you had were a newly graduated PhD student in a suitable AI orientated field from somewhere like Harvard, MIT or Stanford, you could be looking at a starting salary of $300-400k at some of those firms. I bet those people went through 4 x 45 minute interviews ok!

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          #14
          It's for a perm position.

          I probably wouldn't mind three stages if they were meaningful ie. some tech chat, experience chat etc. to see if you are a good fit, but it seems that Amazon is obsessed with something they call leadership principles which just sounds like a lot of waffle. It feels more like joining a cult than a tech company.

          The 4 x 45min in a single day, one after the other, is fecking intense to be honest, but then again, it's probably better than waiting 6 months for them to set up each session on a different day.

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            #15
            Originally posted by dsc View Post
            It's for a perm position.

            I probably wouldn't mind three stages if they were meaningful ie. some tech chat, experience chat etc. to see if you are a good fit, but it seems that Amazon is obsessed with something they call leadership principles which just sounds like a lot of waffle. It feels more like joining a cult than a tech company.

            The 4 x 45min in a single day, one after the other, is fecking intense to be honest, but then again, it's probably better than waiting 6 months for them to set up each session on a different day.
            4 x 45 mins interviews I'm sure is a bit tiring. But at least you're not doing a whole assessment day with group exercises, pyschometrics etc.

            If you think leadership is 'waffle' then maybe a perm role or at least an Amazon one isn't really for you. It's one of the most critical competencies that is in short supply in many organisations. Also they are looking closely at cultural fit. Whilst that can be highly subjective, it is still considered very important and in a some US companies, culture can be interpreted as a cult in a fashion.

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              #16
              Originally posted by edison View Post
              4 x 45 mins interviews I'm sure is a bit tiring. But at least you're not doing a whole assessment day with group exercises, pyschometrics etc.

              If you think leadership is 'waffle' then maybe a perm role or at least an Amazon one isn't really for you. It's one of the most critical competencies that is in short supply in many organisations. Also they are looking closely at cultural fit. Whilst that can be highly subjective, it is still considered very important and in a some US companies, culture can be interpreted as a cult in a fashion.
              Their leadership principles are actually pretty sound if you read them. Normally this fluffy stuff is quite bulltulip but for a list of soft skills they are really solid and on point, one of the best lists I have seen.

              Customer Obsession
              Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

              Ownership
              Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job."

              Invent and Simplify
              Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here." As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

              Are Right, A Lot
              Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

              Learn and Be Curious
              Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

              Hire and Develop the Best
              Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

              Insist on the Highest Standards
              Leaders have relentlessly high standards — many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

              Think Big
              Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.

              Bias for Action
              Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.

              Frugality
              Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.

              Earn Trust
              Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

              Dive Deep
              Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

              Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
              Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

              Deliver Results
              Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

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                #17
                Originally posted by edison View Post
                4 x 45 mins interviews I'm sure is a bit tiring. But at least you're not doing a whole assessment day with group exercises, pyschometrics etc.

                If you think leadership is 'waffle' then maybe a perm role or at least an Amazon one isn't really for you. It's one of the most critical competencies that is in short supply in many organisations. Also they are looking closely at cultural fit. Whilst that can be highly subjective, it is still considered very important and in a some US companies, culture can be interpreted as a cult in a fashion.
                I've started contracting because I hate all this corp / leadership bollocks, but as there's no contracts available, it's back to this.

                I actually like the tech they use and it would be good to experience what it's like there, so I'll prep accordingly.

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                  #18
                  Originally posted by jayn200 View Post
                  Their leadership principles are actually pretty sound if you read them. Normally this fluffy stuff is quite bulltulip but for a list of soft skills they are really solid and on point, one of the best lists I have seen.
                  Still sounds bulltulip to me, but I've studied it thoroughly to prep for the first stage phone call. Turned out to be just a generic chat with a techy bloke and a run through my CV. I reckon those four 45min session are going to be revolving around those principles rather heavily.

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                    #19
                    Originally posted by dsc View Post
                    Still sounds bulltulip to me, but I've studied it thoroughly to prep for the first stage phone call. Turned out to be just a generic chat with a techy bloke and a run through my CV. I reckon those four 45min session are going to be revolving around those principles rather heavily.
                    Dive Deep
                    Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them
                    Just a quick example. Metrics usually confirm and quantity what we can infer through other means. Being from a data background I constantly am fixing other people's messes and see lots of broken metrics. You'd be surprised how many people will blindly follow these broken metrics even when they don't match their or others' experiences.

                    Lots of people in executive positions relying on metrics built by junior staff who don't always understand what they are doing or how their mistakes can impact very significant business decisions.

                    I haven't seen a company actually pick up on this before I read this from Amazon. Ive met individuals who carry this level of skepticism and they've always been very successful but I haven't seen a company pick up on it and expect that trait/skill/whatever from their employees.

                    I feel the same way about 4-5 of the others on that list. It's very solid.

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                      #20
                      Turns out the numerical reasoning test needs to be completed in 5 days from the initial email, 18 questions in 25min, so less than 1.5min per question. I did one of these only once for a large corp and back then it wiped 95% of the entire group of candidates and you had to wait a year to re take it (in the end they just gave up with that test as they were loosing loads of people due to this and couldn't hire anyone). Surprised to see companies still using it as I've read numerous times it's a waste of time.

                      No idea what the pass levels are, so I might not get to participate in those 4 x 45min sessions

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