My interview experience starting with a visit to the career fair at my school. Amazon got right to business by asking me how to solve two coding questions on a high level and writing some pseudo-code on the back of my resume. After this, they told me they would get back to me in a couple of days on whether or not they were still interested in me.
Two days later, I got an email from the recruiter that they were interesting in moving forward with my application and would like to move forward with my application. I was invited to a HQ interview in Seattle. I was informed that I would be apart of a group-project interview where I would be randomly assigned to work with 2 other candidates on a day long project.
Fast forward to the interview day: upon arriving at Amazon at around 9am, I and all the other candidates were placed into a room where we listened to presentations from current employees and were given the opportunity to ask questions about the culture, their lives, etc...After this, we were split up into groups, the project was revealed to us, and we set off to work. I can not go into the details of the project or anything, but be prepared to do real coding if you are selected for this type of interview.
While working on the project, you and your team will have access to computers, whiteboards, employees to ask questions or clarify the problem, and food. Because you are working in a team, you can leverage each other's knowledge for the problem.
Throughout the day, the interviewers will pull people aside for individual interviews.
After the day was done and our team's code turned in at around 5pm, we were given the opportunity to ask more questions about Amazon and to share what we liked/disliked about the type of interview style and informed we would have a decision in at most a week.
Tips for Success:
-You will be doing real coding on a computer. You will have your choice of several languages, so make sure you are comfortable with at least one.
-You will be constantly evaluated throughout the day. Be sure to follow good coding practices as an individual and as a team.
-Dress comfortably. You will be working all day (9-5). I went in jeans and a polo-shirt and was in the middle of the formality spectrum relative to the other candidates there.
-Leverage the resources you are given (your team, the internet, the Amazon employees that are there). They are given to you for a reason.
-You will not only be evaluated based on your individual skills, but also your team skills. Do you have a teammate who is struggling for example?
If you get and accept an offer, there is a background check that comes closer to your start date.
