Mission: Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle ... Read more
Amazon is ranked in the Top Five Most Attractive Employers for Computer Science by Universum!
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Amazon Women in Engineering (AWE) is a group dedicated to making Amazon a great place to work for technical women. To learn more about AWE, visit: http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vI846. AWE now has a presence on LinkedIn and is calling all AWE in the past, present and future to join the community: http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vI84W
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From the very beginning, Remya's time at Amazon has been all about seeking chances to learn. "Right away I got involved in a bunch of different tasks and activities," she says. "So even though my official title was business analyst, I got to do a lot of product management, program management, everything. It was a perfect role for me to get started in the company."
After three years with the Kindle content team, Remya was craving what she describes as "ambiguity": the sense of heading into brand new territory with lots of unknowns. She moved to the team that invented Dash, a handheld scanner and voice-recognition device you keep in your kitchen and use to add items to your AmazonFresh grocery cart. "When I joined, they had begun trialing Dash with a small group of customers, and I was tasked with helping the team define how the device was working," she says. "We started getting feedback that customers loved it. So we were like, 'Okay, what's working? We need to understand that. What's not working? We need to understand that.' That's what I started doing as soon as I came in."
One big reason Remya's current role on the Dash project offered a chance to learn is that she'd never worked on a hardware team. She says she thrived "by admitting to not knowing anything. That's the first step. I was very open with my manager and the entire team. I said, 'I've never worked on hardware before. I'd love to learn.' And then I kind of had to prove to them that I can learn quickly."
Remya says her most potent learning experiences at Amazon have come in meetings with top executives. "What makes them really good leaders is that they know what question to ask. That's a skill that I'm looking to develop. And then their line of thought after they ask that question: they have follow-ups, they have feedback, they get excited, they brainstorm with us as a team."
She continues, "If learning is the most important thing for you in developing your career, you should come to Amazon. I don't think there is any other company where you will learn so much in the same timeframe. I've heard this from a lot of people. And this might sound a little cocky, but I think I would feel comfortable going and running an entire business in a different company based on my experience at Amazon. I don't know if I would be able to say the same thing if I'd spent five years somewhere else."
Remya, who recently returned from maternity leave, says she's happy to be back. "I'm sleep deprived, like most new moms, but I am actually loving being back," she says with a laugh. "There are lots of important decisions being made regarding the project and the product and the teams, and I'm glad I'm able to be part of those discussions. I'm doing it because I love it."
To find meet more pioneers like Remya and hear their stories, please visit: www.amazon.jobs/pioneer
Our Leadership Principles aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. These Principles work hard, just like we do. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. It’s just one of the things that makes Amazon peculiar.
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 business 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 driving 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.
Amazon has hundreds of millions of customers who can benefit from diversity of thought. We are a company of builders who bring varying backgrounds, ideas, and points of view to inventing on behalf of our customers. Our diverse perspectives come from many sources including gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, culture, education, as well as professional and life experience. We are working to develop leaders and shape future talent pools to help us meet the needs of our customers around the world. As we invest in global programs to accelerate our progress, we want to share some of our actions.
To learn more, visit:www.amazon.com/diversity
At Amazon, we contribute to the communities where our employees and customers live. Our contributions can be seen in many ways and these are just some of our efforts to give back.
One way we give back is with AmazonSmile. Whether it's pets at your local shelter, your area PTA or a national cancer research institute, AmazonSmile enables you to support your favorite charitable organizations when you buy products at smile.amazon.com. Because nearly a million charitable organizations are eligible for AmazonSmile, the odds are pretty good that you'll be able to find your favorite cause.
This is a great way to get all the benefits of Amazon.com—low prices, vast selection, convenient shopping experience—and when you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. Since launching in October 2013, millions of customers have signed up for AmazonSmile—supporting tens of thousands of charitable organizations.
To find out more information about AmazonSmile and other ways Amazon contributes to our community, please visit: www.amazon.com/about
For the second straight year, Amazon ranked #1 in the annual Harris Corporate Reputation Poll. Amazon has now ranked in the top 10 for nine straight years, #1 two years running, and this year earned a record-high score of 86.27 for the 18-year survey. Amazon received an “excellent” rating across all six dimensions of corporate reputation: Emotional Appeal, Workplace Environment, Products & Services, Financial Performance, Vision & Leadership, and Social Responsibility
LinkedIn named Amazon #2 on the “Top Companies Where the World Wants to Work Now” list
Named #2 on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list in 2016
Listed on Forbes “World’s Most Valuable Brands” for 2016
Named one of Universum’s 2016 Most Attractive Employers ranking based Universum’s student and MBA student surveys
Helpful (1180)
I have been working at Amazon full-time
Pros
Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.
Cons
You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.
Advice to Management
More on-boarding training before new employees are thrown in the fire. The first couple of weeks can be very confusing on where to find the information you need that pertains to your job.
Helpful (1144)
Application
I applied through other source. The process took 4+ months. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in May 2013.
Interview
Called out of the blue, asked if I'd be interested in interviewing. Still not entirely sure how they got my name. Had first phone interview the next week, asked no personal questions, all technical in nature. Total of 3 phone interviews and an in-person trip out to Seattle.
Took about 4 months start to finish. The people in the in person interview were wonderful. Very smart, laid back, and understanding. Got lunch, small tour of campus, and learned what I'd be doing. Got the offer 2 business days after the in person interview.
Sadly, I signed a NDA and I respect the terms of that. As such, I can't give you any specific questions, but I'll gladly give you the best advice I have.
Phone Interviews :
Phone interviews are sucky by nature. Coordinating a call from west to east coast alone is painful, add the fact that phones just take away the benefits of body language, and just make it harder to hear, and you've got a recipe for disaster. But fear not! Here are some helpful hints, some of which are obvious, some of which are not.
1. Get ready ahead of time. I just mean, get to the area you'll be doing the interview beforehand. I'd recommend an hour or more, just to get your nerves ready. Breathe, get used to the surroundings, and get everything laid out ahead of time. Which brings me to...
2. I know it's a "programming" interview, but for the love of all things good, have a pen and paper ready and at your disposal. Bring a backup pen. Much like a printer, the pen will fail at the worst possible time. You may also need a laptop, as I was asked to do "on the fly" programming. But close anything and everything distracting. Speaking of...
3. Pick a spot where there are no distractions. You'll want your undivided attention on this interview. Don't have BookTweet or FaceSpace or MyGram or that crap open if you have a laptop. And I personally wouldn't pick a public space, you never know when an annoying parent will put their screaming child right beside you.
4. Breathe. Just breathe. Take a moment, stretch, and remember you got this. If you have trouble hearing, don't be afraid to ask again. Don't be afraid to say you don't know. Do as for clarifications, and state assumptions up front. Always re-state the problem as you understand it.
As for the content : For the love of God, know what a time complexity is, and how to determine it for any and all code you write. Know the time complexities of all sorts. Know all data structures, how to use them, and properties of each. (Insertion time, deletion, etc) Generally know what heck you're talking about. But don't talk too much. You don't want silence at any point really, but you certainly don't want to let the interviewer not get a word in. Know graph theory, tree theory, and all the fun stuff associated with more "complex" structures. Understand what your language does behind the scenes, as far as GC and compiling go. Know how your language use internal structures to manage the code/objects you write.
**Continued below**
Negotiation
As a recent grad, there wasn't much room for negotiation.
