I applied through an employee referral. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Mar 2015
Interview
I was referred to Recruiting by an employee whom I had been introduced to by a mutual industry contact. Recruiting contacted me via email to setup a 30 minute screening interview, to be conducted over the telephone by a current team member.
The screening interview was pretty basic, focusing on why I was interested in the position and how my experience was relevant. Afterwards, the company went completely dark. After 3 weeks I sent Recruiting an email asking about status. Another week went by before I finally got a response apologizing for the delays. A couple days later I was notified that I would indeed be asked to participate in a formal, onsite interview.
After the date for my onsite interview had been confirmed (one week out), I was sent a situational interview question in email and asked to submit a written response (2-4 pages) prior to my interview. I had heard that writing and white papers were a big part of how the company goes about its business. It wasn't difficult, I just wasn't expecting to have to submit anything.
The afternoon before my scheduled onsite interview I received my detailed itinerary for the day - seven 45min - 1hr long interviews!!! The interviewers consisted of the hiring manager, the hiring manager's manager, a recruiter, several x-org peers with whom you would be collaborating with, and an individual who had nothing to do with the specific role; who was really there to assess your potential to be successful in other parts of the company.
As for the interviews themselves - every question I was asked was situation-based and was rooted in one of the company's 14 management principles highlighted on their career site. Be sure to review these ahead of time and come prepared to provide an example from your work experience for each.
I was a bit surprised that I was not asked a single question about my knowledge of the subject matter area related to this position or my experience doing the exact same work at another company. It was really all about fit and culture. Which I apparently didn't align with, because, in spite my experience in the area, I was not offered the position. When I asked the recruiter for feedback, I just got a terse response stating the recruiter didn't get any feedback from the team. Done, end of process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
This was a Project Management position, so all the questions related to how I would go about planning, prioritizing, communicating ideas/status, managing trade-offs and influencing the business to act. They were not particularly difficult for me to answer given my experience. One vague, hypothetical question did catch me off guard, though. In a situation where your intuition tells you there is a potential business opportunity, how do you go about finding the data necessary to substantiate it? Where do you even start?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Mar 2014
Interview
The interview process was pretty hard. It started with three phone screens over three months followed by an onsite interview that lasted all day. I literally walked out of my last interview with a headache due to all the questions asked.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Several questions about scenarios using the leadership principles.
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Feb 2015
Interview
Contacted promptly by recruiting. Didn't initially like the proposed position but they worked with me to find one I was enthusiastic about it. Set up phone interview which went very well followed by interview day at Amazon. I was expecting the worst from their reputation including other Glassdoor reviews, but everyone was pleasant and professional if a little too scripted. I can't be critical though having experienced some really bad processes at other employers. Finished up actually having enjoyed my day there but ultimately no offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Most of it was questions about how my professional experience related to the 14 Amazon leadership principles.