What happens at the first Amazon interview?

The first Amazon interview is typically a phone screen or online assessment, depending on the role you're applying for. This initial stage is designed to assess your basic qualifications, coding skills, and alignment with Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Here's what usually happens during the first interview:

1. Phone Screen (Technical or Behavioral)

For most technical roles, the first interview will likely be a technical phone screen. If you’re applying for non-technical roles, it might focus more on behavioral questions related to Amazon’s culture.

What to Expect:

• Duration: Typically 30-60 minutes.
• Coding Problems (for technical roles): You’ll be asked to solve one or two coding challenges using a shared, online collaborative environment (like an online code editor). These problems are typically related to data structures and algorithms (e.g., arrays, strings, trees, hashmaps).
  • Example: "Find the longest substring without repeating characters."
  • Example: "Merge two sorted linked lists."
• Behavioral Questions: Along with coding, interviewers may ask 2-3 behavioral questions based on Amazon’s Leadership Principles. These questions assess how well you align with the company’s values, such as ownership, customer obsession, and bias for action.
  • Example: “Tell me about a time you had to deal with a tight deadline.”
  • Example: “Describe a situation where you took ownership of a project.”

Preparation Tips:

• Coding: Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode or through the Grokking the Coding Interview course by DesignGurus.io, which focuses on common coding patterns.
• Behavioral: Prepare examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to answer questions about your past experiences, focusing on how they demonstrate Amazon’s leadership principles.

2. Online Assessment (for Some Roles)

For technical and entry-level roles, Amazon may use an online coding assessment as the first step instead of a phone screen. This is typically a timed, automated test to evaluate your coding skills.

What to Expect:

• Duration: Typically 60-90 minutes.
• Coding Challenges: You’ll be given 2-3 coding problems to solve within a specified time limit. These are similar to the types of problems you might encounter during a technical phone screen.
  • Example: "Find the median of two sorted arrays."
  • Example: "Check if a binary tree is a valid binary search tree."
• Multiple Choice Questions: Some assessments might also include conceptual questions about data structures, algorithms, or system design (for more experienced roles).

Preparation Tips:

• Practice: Focus on practicing coding problems under time constraints to get used to the format.
• Optimize: Make sure to not only solve the problem but also think about optimizing your solution in terms of time and space complexity.

3. Recruiter Call (Sometimes)

In some cases, especially for non-technical roles, your first interview might be with a recruiter. This interview is usually more of a general discussion about your background, experience, and interest in Amazon.

What to Expect:

• Duration: Typically 30 minutes.
• Focus Areas:
  • Your professional background and how it aligns with the role.
  • Why you want to work at Amazon.
  • General questions about your understanding of Amazon’s culture and Leadership Principles.

Preparation Tips:

• Be ready to discuss your resume and past work experience in detail.
• Practice explaining why you're interested in Amazon and how your values align with the company’s Leadership Principles.

4. Assessment of Leadership Principles

No matter the format of the first interview, expect a focus on Amazon’s Leadership Principles. These principles are core to Amazon’s culture, and interviewers will ask questions to evaluate how well you align with them. You may face behavioral questions even during a technical phone screen or online assessment.

Example Questions:

• Customer Obsession: “Tell me about a time when you made a decision that benefited the customer.”
• Ownership: “Describe a situation where you took full responsibility for a project and its outcomes.”

How to Prepare:

• Reflect on past experiences where you demonstrated qualities like ownership, bias for action, and customer focus.
• Use the STAR method to structure your answers.

What Happens Next:

• If you pass the first interview, you’ll typically be invited to additional rounds of interviews. This might include a second technical phone screen or an onsite (or virtual) interview, depending on the role and your performance in the first round.
• You’ll receive feedback from the recruiter or hiring manager within a few days to a week after the interview.

Summary:

• Phone Screen: 1-2 coding questions + behavioral questions (30-60 minutes).
• Online Assessment: 2-3 timed coding problems (60-90 minutes).
• Recruiter Call: Discussion about your background and interest in Amazon (30 minutes).
• Behavioral Focus: Expect questions based on Amazon’s Leadership Principles in all formats.

To succeed in the first Amazon interview, practice coding problems, prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method, and align your responses with Amazon’s leadership principles.