Pros
You learn every critical retail function, from site merchandising and marketing to instock management and forecasting. Given Amazon fast paced work culture, you learn a ton, quickly. I've learned more in my almost 2 years at the company than 3-4 years elsewhere. This is a great place to be if you value learning and want to optimize for learning in your career: the career progression opportunities abound if you perform well. Competitive name on resume, intelligent coworkers, fast paced culture where you are consistently challenged, flexible work hours
Cons
The salary is quite low when compared to hours worked. Amazon's compensation is awarded over time (4 years), where compensation comes with a lower base pay, stock and signing bonus. The average Amazon employee lasts 2 years, so you may not realize all these benefits. Stocks don’t vest completely until you have completed 4 years with the company. 401k match is not earned until 3 years of service. Sign on bonus isn't earned until you complete 1 full year with the company. If you leave or are forced out prior, it must be repaid on a pro-rated, annualized basis. Relocation bonus and expenses also have to be paid back if you leave within 2 years (pro-rated). Amazon espouses frugality and uses these deceptive tactics to lock talent into a contract where employees are promised fake money, awarded over a very long period of time, during which many employees either quit, or are forced out of the company. In regard to compensation, I would push to come in as an L5 Brand Manager instead of L4 Brand Specialist. L5s typically come in at an $84K annual salary + stock, whereas L4s are usually $65K + $20K signing bonus + stock. Total compensation between the roles is almost the same – with one key difference. Within 2 years as a brand specialist, you have to get a promotion to an L5 to have it make financial sense to continue (unless you want to take a $20K pay cut as the signing bonus is only valid for 2 years). Promotions at Amazon can be very challenging, so negotiating to an L5 upfront can be beneficial if you want to stay at Amazon long term. Also, annual increases are very minimal, on average 1-2% per year, if that each year. As an L4, you almost feel expendable, where the 1st 2 years are a test to see if you qualify to stay and the company and move up to a more steady pay grade as an L5. I would use prior work experience and top tier education to push to come in as an L5, one thing I wish I knew prior to joining Amazon. Lack of Appreciation: One of the primary drivers of attrition within this role. There is NO positive reinforcement at Amazon. On the occasional blue moon someone will pat you on the back and congratulate you for a great win (it is rare- believe me). If something goes wrong, it can be blown out of proportion and magnified. Can be demoralizing over time. Constant stress/anxiety: The bar at Amazon is constantly rising and you have to go above and beyond and constantly push yourself to make a name for yourself. Leadership and management have to know who you are, and the value you bring to the table. Stack ranking does occur during the annual review process, often times based on favoritism and can be political, at times. The work environment is competitive, cut throat, Darwinian (the strong survive, weak perish). I’ve seen people disappear, cry at their desk, get yelled at, and just walk out and leave the company. Amazon has a culture that embraces conflict, and disagreement amongst people – it’s very much and a love or hate place to work (little grey area between love or hate). If you embrace conflict, Amazon may be a great fit. High turnover: You have very limited time for family, social life, etc. due to work commitments. The expectation is that you are available 24/7, though no one will tell you this directly. Workload varies by team and time of year. I would not recommend Amazon as a place for someone who has a family, looking to start a family or enjoys having a social life. Even if you are sick, there is constant pressure to work (from home) and get stuff done. Incompetent management: Some managers do not know or have no experience managing teams, making it difficult to grow, develop and feel challenged. Constantly dealing with ambiguity. The company has a very self-reliant culture, so make sure you are comfortable managing ambiguous situations and can drive results. You teach yourself everything at Amazon, no one will hold your hand and walk you through things. There are a lot of type A personalities that when leading projects across leadership, you can be told 5 different things from 5 different people across teams. Gaining alignment across leadership and buying groups is a HUGE ISSUE and causes inefficiency when leading and executing projects. I would think hard about signing for this role or use it as a short term learning opportunity. Biggest challenge is as an L4 you feel like a workhorse or object and completely expendable, churning out work for leadership with almost no credit for it. Also, one IMPORTANT note: Amazon does not pay for the brand specialist role. It is paid for by the vendor through vendor funding (about $300K annually). So, to put simply, Amazon is MAKING money on this position (one of Amazon's core tenets is frugality). They will not tell you this upfront, but people usually find out after joining. In conversations with vendors, the typically re-evaluate whether they need the brand specialist role in annual negotiations, which can make you feel completely expendable. Respect in the workplace is vitally important, and unfortunately, Amazon doesn't have any of it.
