Amazon Software Developer interview questions

The big thing wasn't exact coding skills; it was ALL problem solving and worthing with a client. IE, you are the engineer, the interviewer is the client, how do you design and lay out what they need their software to do etc. The big thing was how do you build a system; I focused on making cheap, easily maintainable systems, and that was impressive to them. I also point out some flaws with the assumptions of the questions (this isn't how all users act, etc) and that helped out a lot as well. Even when I didn't fully understand the problem, I kept asking and figuring, trying to learn what it is that they wanted, and how I could build it. You should always talk out your thought processes, to show them they are happening, and to get them to talk as well! TALK TO GET THEM TO TALK!!

3 Phone Screens + 1 in-house interview day First phone screen: Development Manager position. I felt like I did good enough to warrant further consideration, but I knew I wasn't likely the best software manager candidate they ever interviewed. Interviewer was professional and friendly. He indicated there would be more screening. Second phone screen: Senior Development Manager position. Interviewer was a very senior director level manager of a large organization within Amazon. When answering questions about about project scheduling and live site issues, I failed to realize that Amazon's highest priority is keeping their existing services working perfectly and that trumps any new development. If I had recognized that part of their business before the call, I may have given more impressive answers. Third phone screen: Software engineering (individual contributor position). This was a very comfortable interview for me. Mostly all technical and programming questions. I knew I had done well when I got off the phone. Between each phone screen, a few weeks would go by without hearing anything. I would wait at least a week and then politely email the recruiter about next steps. Each time, the recruiter would apologize for the delay and setup the next phase (which would usually be for the subsequent week). Treat those Amazon recruiters nicely - Amazon is going through a huge growth spurt right now and their recruiters have way too many positions to fill to give anyone individual attention. So if you get anxious, wait at least a week, and send very short and professional mails to the recruiters asking about next steps. They are good about following up to any email you send within a few days. In person interview: 6 hours of interviews. This included 4 separate hour-long interviews of coding and design problems on the white board. I felt like I did very well.