The interview was scheduled after three weeks of exhausting email exchanges with a foreign HR representative, despite my full availability and countless time slots offered. Only after I finally sent a visibly annoyed e-mail, a time slot to speak with the hiring manager “magically” became available. The meeting turned out to be frustrating. The hiring manager, clearly uninterested in me (likely because, as is always the case with this company, an internal referral had already been chosen), started with: 'We should do this in English, but I don’t feel like it.' From there, it was the usual Amazon-style interview, focused not on experiences or motivations but on the candidate’s ability to answer exactly as they wanted. He repeated the same question three times until he got the answer that matched his script. As expected, a few days later, I received an automated email informing me that I had not been selected, along with the note that I should not ask for explanations because none would be provided. This experience only confirmed how I don’t want to be part of a company with such a toxic culture and such a rigid, empathy-lacking approach.

Got contacted via LinkedIn by the recruiter about an open position to run PR for Amazon Prime Video platform and original content in Mexico as the hiring manager had shown interest in my profile. Then a 4-round interview process began over the course of 4-5 weeks. Round 1: A 45 min phone interview with the recruiter was swiftly arranged, she was very kind, open and knowledgable about the team and role she was recruiting for. That went very well. Round 2: (a week later) A 50 min phone interview with someone from the International team (a manager) to pre-screen me before talking to the hiring manager. That went really well, he was professional and very friendly, interested in knowing more about my technical skills in the field. Lots of case-type questions at previous companies to know success stories and show proof of my PR accomplishments and how I would take the role on. Round 3 Over 1-2 weeks later came a 45 min phone interview with the hiring manager for the role. That went ok, the usual questions, a lot of "describe a situation when you had to..." type of questions again, lots of questions about situations where I had shown exceptional comms and PR skills and had stepped up, etc. Left feeling that one went very well. Round 4 About a week later, heard from my recruiter that the team was impressed and decided to invite me for a full afternoon in-person interview session at the Mexico City office the next week. I was asked to prepare and submit a very detailed writing sample (essay style) and was given 2 options for the topic based on my experience and some of Amazon's 14 core principles, was given 1 week to complete and return my sample before my next interview. Arrived at 1pm and left past 5:30pm, interviewed with 5 "Amazonians" from different teams, all managers (at same level or slightly above the role I was interviwing for), 3 interviews were in person and 2 were via video conference. This time around most questions were focused on culture fit and Amazon's principles and how my exp. and personality matched those. Very long and exhausting session... but met some pretty smart and tallented people. After that (the whole process took a bit over 4 weeks) and about a week and half later got a phone call from the recruiter to let me know the team had decided to go with another candidate. She was very professional and kind, giving very positive feedback, albeit not very informative/specific per Amazon's strict recruiting policy.