I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in May 2010
Interview
I was contacted by the recruiter because my friend who is at a decently senior position referred me. After identifying the right position and couple of phone screening by the hiring manager and couple of their team members, I was called in for in-person interviews.
I had 7 interviews and I thought they all went really well. Every individual grilled on a seperate subject and I did not agree with some of their strategy and ideology which I made very clear through my answers. Looks like while most of them really enjoyed the fresh perspective the hiring manager wanted someone who will fit their mold and after 2 weeks the recuirter got back saying that I was not the best fit for the job.
Furthermore, I also had a in-person interview with HR at the end where she discussed about how flexbile I was with my salary expectations as they had made me fill form the form with my current salary and my expected salary. When I mentioned that my flexiblity is not a lot, I think that also might have played a part in their decision as they were reluctant to give me a 15% more than what I currently make.
The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Apr 2010
Interview
Overall questions are on par for a tech company. Applied online, did not use any network contacts. Contacted by HR recruiter who set up interview with hiring manager. Phone interview with hiring manager for Kindle marketing role.
I've worked at several large tech companies in Redmond and in Silicon Valley, and he was definitely one of the most self-absorbed individuals I've met. He wouldn't give me enough time to explain things, and the moment I tried, he would interrupt and try to drive the conversation. Even if the hiring process had continued, I would not have wanted him for a manager.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
It says in your resume that you 'created effective marketing plans'. What is that supposed to mean? How do you really know it was effective? Making positive revenue isn't enough.