Amazon.com Area Manager Interview

Interview Details – The overall experience was outstanding. Everyone involved in the interview processes are extremely professional. I heard about the position at a career fair and applied online. After applying online, I contacted recruiters on LinkedIn who set me up with a phone interview. Phone interview was pretty standard and stress-free. Answer questions with STAR format and be ready to answer follow-on questions for each question.

After the phone interview, I was contacted via email and invited for an on-site interview. Flight, hotel, and rental car expenses were paid for, as well as up to $65 a day in food expenses. The onsite interview began at 7 am at the fulfillment center. All interviewees were excorted past security into a briefing room and given a math flow problem and about 10 minutes to complete it before starting the fulfillment center tour. Tour of the facility was very informative, given by the on-site ICQA Area Manager.

After the tour, we were cycled through 4 interviewers, the on-site GM, on-site HR manager, and 2 Senior Ops Managers from other locations. All were pretty stress-free, most stressful being the math flow and case study interview. The math flow problem is fairly easy, but the follow-on questions and scenarios put you on the spot to do quick math and make quick decisions. You are made to write the problem on a white board and present your answer and argue your case for each decision you make.

After the interviews, I was escorted out of the building and that was the conclusion of the interview. The interview was on a Friday and I was contacted on Tuesday with an offer. Offer is pretty standard and non-negotiable: $70k/year, $20k lump sum sign on bonus (taxed), and $15k sign on bonus after completing 1 year (paid in 12 increments, 310 stock units.

Reason for Declining – I declined due to another offer by another company. When paired side-by-side, they were virtually the same, but Amazon salary was much lower.

Even with the $20k bonus (12-14 after tax), it was not appealing. After learning of the work/life balance and reading deeper into the bonuses, I realized that they are, for lack of a better word, a trap. If you, or Amazon, terminate the terms of your employment before 1 year (or from year 1 to end of year 2), you must repay all bonuses.

In the end, I had to choose the other offer.