Interview Process And Timeline
What’s the Amazon software development engineer interview process and timeline? It takes four to eight weeks on average and follows these steps:
Amazon Software Development Engineer Interview Rounds
The Amazon software development engineer interview process is lengthy and exhaustive. Hereâs what you can expect:
1. HR Interview
The preliminary step of the Amazon HR interview is focused on understanding your interests and why you would be a good fit for the company. Once the recruiter is satisfied with your answers, you would be given an online assessment to solve, or a technical screening would be scheduled based on the profile you have applied for.
2. Amazon Online Assessments
This online assessment is usually a part of the Amazon hiring process for interns and fresher candidates. Sometimes, it is also included for experienced candidates. The assessment has three sections:
Sample questionsVideo lectures
How I Prepared For Amazon Interview Software Engineer
Technology is on the rise and software engineering has been becoming more popular and competitive. Big tech companies such as Amazon are always the ideal workplace environment to chart career path for many people. I am no exception and I took my shot with Amazon and succeeded in landing an offer.
It took me two weeks to prepare for the interview process, so I would recommend you to spend a lot of time to prepare carefully as well. I divided this preparation process into two phases, starting phase and running phase.
Starting Phase
During this phase, I focused mainly on reviewing the fundamentals of data structures, some of the popular algorithms and familiarizing myself with the .
For algorithms, knowing some of the well-known ones are quite important. It could help you to solve the interview problems faster, and help you stand out as a bright and knowledgeable candidate. Again, I used GeeksforGeeks website to review algorithms
In this phase, I also spent a day to read through and try to understand what the are, as they are the core of the Amazons culture and what contribute to Amazon success.
Running Phase
This is the phase that mostly focuses on preparing and practicing for interview questions, and starts solving as many coding problems as possible.
Situation: What was the problem and why it happened.
Task: What was the tasked that had been assigned to you to solve the problem.
Result: The final result of your action.
Some tips for you during the interview:
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Good Versus Great Technical Candidates
In order to make the cut when interviewing at a company like Google, Facebook, or Amazon, you have to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Giving a good answer wont be enough to get an offer. Youll need to give a great answer if you want to make an impact.
So here are some details that make the difference between an interview that is just ok, and one that will impress your interviewer:
A good or “just ok” technical candidate:
- Completely answers the coding questions, but doesnt interact with the interviewer
- Interacts with their interviewer, but struggles to take hints or change direction when prompted to do so
- Is able to finish the coding problem, but stumbled through their behavioral questions at the start of the interview
- Gets stuck once or twice during the interview and struggles quietly until they are able to move past it
- Offers a complete solution that is difficult to follow
- Comes up with a workable solution after coming to quick conclusions that they haven’t verified with the interviewer
- Follows one approach that works, but neglects to examine its tradeoffs or other possible approaches
- Tests the code after being prompted by the interviewer to do so
- Finishes and tests the code by the end of the session, but does not leave time to consider space and time complexity
A great technical candidate:
What Happens Behind The Scenes
Your recruiter is leading the process and taking you from one stage to the next. Here’s what happens at each of the stages described above:
- After the phone screens, your recruiter decides to move you to the onsite or not, depending on how well you’ve done up to that point
- After the onsite, each interviewer files their notes into the internal system, grades you and makes a hiring recommendation
- The “Debrief” brings all your interviewers together and is led by the Bar Raiser, who is usually the most experienced interviewer and is also not part of the hiring team. The Bar Raiser will try to guide the group towards a hiring decision. It’s rare, but they can also veto hiring even if all other interviewers want to hire you.
- You get an offer. If everything goes well, the recruiter will then give you an offer, usually within a week of the onsite but it can sometimes take longer
It’s also important to note that recruiters and people who refer you have little influence on the overall process. They can help you get an interview at the beginning, but that’s about it.
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Do you know that Amazon launched a new program called âBest Fitâ that allows software engineers to apply once and get considered for thousands of jobs across the company? This makes it easier to find a job that best fits your working styles and interests. Currently, Amazon has over 10,000 open positions for software engineers in the US. In 2021, they had a total of 1,608,000 full and part-time employees. The engineering roles at Amazon are challenging and competitive to land. In fact, itâs very common for it to take multiple attempts to secure a role at Amazon and other FAANG companies. So, it should go without saying that getting hired into one of these sought-after roles requires a great deal of dedication. Youâll need to focus both on improving the skills you can offer and perfecting your interview technique, but itâll all be worth it.â
A software engineer working at Amazon explained why he loves working for this customer centric tech giant:
âAt former companies, I didnât have a choice on what I worked on. Amazon offered me multiple job opportunities, and I chose to work directly with customers. I can now point out something to my kids and say, âI am working on thatâ, with pride.â
Easy Graph Interview Questions
You might be tempted to try to read all of the possible questions and memorize the solutions, but this is not feasible. Interviewers will always try to find new questions, or ones that are not available online. Instead, you should use these questions to practice the fundamental concepts of graphs.
As you consider each question, try to replicate the conditions youll encounter in your interview. Begin by writing your own solution without external resources in a fixed amount of time.
If you get stuck, go ahead and look at the solutions, but then try the next one alone again. Dont get stuck in a loop of reading as many solutions as possible! Weve analysed dozens of questions and selected ones that are commonly asked and have clear and high quality answers.
Here are some of the easiest questions you might get asked in a coding interview. These questions are often asked during the “phone screen” stage, so you should be comfortable answering them without being able to write code or use a whiteboard.
1.1 Find the town judge
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Dynamic Programming Related Interview Questions Asked At Amazon
About 12% of all the questions asked at Amazon interviews require software engineers to use their skills in stacks and queues. Some of these questions are:
Levels Of Software Development Engineers At Amazon
There are six main job designations available for Software Development Engineers at Amazon. These designations are allotted under different levels within the companyâs compensation hierarchy. The job titles and their levels are:
- L4 – Software Development Engineer
- L8 – Senior Software Engineer
- L9 – Distinguished SDE
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Any Questions About Amazon Software Development Engineer Interviews
If you have any questions about Amazon coding interviews, do not hesitate to ask them below and we will be more than happy to answer them. All questions are good questions, so go ahead!
Applying for other companies? Check out our other guides for , , Microsoft, , and Airbnb software engineer interviews.
Technical Phone Screen + Example Questions
If you’ve cleared the online assessments, the next step in the hiring process is the technical phone screen, which will last for about 45-60 minutes. This phone screen will be with one of your team members and consist of technical and behavioral questions based on the leadership principles. The technical phone screen takes place on Amazon Chime over a video call.
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Amazon Software Engineer Interview Guide
Breaking into FAANG companies for tech roles is all about preparation and practice. From getting a resume review for landing an interview call to preparing for the interview to land the offer, it can be a lengthy but rewarding process if you accept the offer. Joining Amazon as a Software Engineer is a dream for many tech candidates, and this FAANG interview guide is to help you realize that dream! In this guide to cracking Amazon Software Engineer interviews, we’ve covered the following:
- About The Role
- Amazon Interview Process and Timeline
- HR Interview + Example Questions
- Technical Phone Screen + Example Questions
- Onsite Interviews + Example Questions
Mock Interviews For Software Engineers
Before you start practicing interviews, youll want to make sure you have a strong understanding of not only graphs but also the rest of the relevant data structures. Check out our guides for questions, explanations and helpful cheat sheets.
Once youre confident in all of the data structures, youll want to start practicing answering coding questions in an interview situation. One way of doing this is by practicing out loud, which is a very underrated way of preparing. However, sooner or later youre probably going to want some expert interventions and feedback to really improve your interview skills.
Thats why we recommend practicing with ex-interviewers from top tech companies. If you know a software engineer who has experience running interviews at a big tech company, then that’s fantastic. But for most of us, it’s tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.
Here’s the good news. We’ve already made the connections for you. Weve created a coaching service where you can practice 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from leading tech companies. Learn more and start scheduling sessions today.
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Faqs On Amazon Software Development Interview
Q1. What coding topics are part of Amazon SDE interview questions?
Amazon SDE interview questions on coding are based on arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, strings, greedy algorithms, recursion, and dynamic programming.
Q2. What is the best way to answer coding Amazon SDE interview questions?
The best way to answer Amazon software engineer interview questions is by improving your problem-solving and analytical capabilities. This is best done by classifying problems based on inherent patterns and applying existing patterns to solve new problems at the interview.
Q3. How many Amazon SDE interview questions are asked on systems design?
Systems design questions are an important part of the On-site interview at Amazon. Recruiters usually ask you 2-3 questions on systems design. Questions can be theoretical and practical-based involving designing an arbitrary system.
Q4.How many Systems design rounds are conducted in the Amazon On-site SDE interview?
The On-site interview usually has one or two rounds in distributed systems design. The number of rounds typically increases if you apply to senior SDE positions.
Q5. What are some tips to ideally answer Amazon SDE interview questions?
Some noteworthy tips to ace the Microsoft SDE interview include: i) practicing mocks ii) practicing responses to behavioral questions, iii) improving your problem-solving skills to power patterns, iv) spending at least 8 weeks prepping for your interview, and v) learning from industry experts.
Analyzing Over 1300 Personal Experiences Of Those Whove Gone Through The Process
In a previous article, I analyzed over 300 personal interviews from those who completed the . Now Im back with part 2 to discuss one of the most sought-after positions in all of tech: software engineer at Amazon. This time, I was able to look over 1,300 experiences.
Youre probably wondering how was I able to find 1,300 people who did the Amazon software engineer interview in person.
Well, it was all thanks to Glassdoor.
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Practice Interviewing Without The Pressure
As I mentioned earlier, interviews are tough and can be hard to prepare for. However, I am a firm believer that the best way to ensure a higher chance of success is to practice, practice, practice.
Have you ever practiced a big presentation for school in front of friends or family? You might have still been nervous but, it sure does help you feel more comfortable speaking about your topic.
Interviewing is also a presentation, and the concept of practice runs are just as important. In the 2020 world, most interviews are completed remotely, which makes performing mock interviews feel more real.
If you know someone who is currently in the software industry, I would ask them if they would be willing to set aside an hour or so a week to perform these mock interviews with you. If they currently work in a similar role that you are interviewing for, even better!
A few other options are Pramp and CodeInterview. These sites allow you to schedule an interview, and pick a primary focus , language, and area of expertise .
These platforms also give you more flexibility so you do not have to worry about scheduling time with someone you personally know.
Interviews are nerve-racking, but I am confident as you complete more of them your confidence and comfort level will increase.
What Technical Topics Should You Be Prepared To Address
Before you dig into the technical topics you may be asked about during your interview, connect with your recruiting point of contact to understand the subjects/skills youll most likely be discussing and demonstrating. In general, our technical interviews typically require you to perform coding and system design white boarding exercises. Also keep in mind that invention is in our DNA, and technology is the fundamental tool we wield to evolve and improve every aspect of the experience we provide our customers. When reviewing the below topics, keep the customer top of mind.
An important part of Amazons Software Development Engineer hiring process is the completion of an online assessment which includes a coding test. We invite you to prepare for the experience by taking this sample coding challenge. You can become comfortable with the environment and experience practice questions which are similar to the actual assessment. You can click through this as many times as youd like!
Interviewing for a software engineer role that requires at least 2 years of experience? Learn how to successfully demonstrate your skills in interviews.
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Which Programming Language Should I Use
Before you start preparing for the other steps of the interview process, it would be prudent to have a good idea of which programming language you will use during the interview.
When it comes to this question, I have some pretty simple advice: embrace what you are comfortable with, and stick to what you know.
It is fairly common to want to use multiple languages in our field. But, when preparing for an interview, it is best to stick with just one.
This will help shift your focus from worrying about which language you will use, to thinking of problems you have solved with the language you are most comfortable with.
Once you know which programming language you will use, you are ready to take on the challenge of the technical phone interview.
Amazon Coding Interview Questions
Coding forms an integral part of any technical interview, be it for a software developer, software engineer, or technical lead role. One of the frequently asked Amazon software development engineer interview questions is based on coding. The examples of such questions asked are:
Prep Tips: The best way to clear the Amazon coding questions asked during the online assessment or in an on-site interview is to at least dedicate three months of self-study. During this period, you should review your basics study the concepts of algorithms, system designs, OS, and concurrency.
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