Interview at Amazon

Hi all,

So apparently a month after my job search concluded (and precisely at the point where I realized I got a cat in a bag with an MSP "network administrator" position setting up printers and fixing Outlook), I got an email back from Amazon for their Support Engineer II position.

Anyone have experience with either the job, or with Amazon specifically? Or better yet, anyone have a good idea of what type of skills/experience a successful candidate has for this job. I've already looked up everything I could find in a 2-hour Google session (including a short list of interview questions that seem suspiciously basic, like "what's the difference between a CNAME and an A record).

Freaking out right now, because the job itself seems just a tad beyond my current skills/experience (I initially applied for the lower level Support Specialist II position, and applied for this one while thinking, "oh, what the hell.").

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Comments

jdancer

Have you checked glassdoor.com reviews? From what I've read online about it, it seems to be a very tough environment with very high expectations. A definite high pressure environment. Just hope the salary they give you overcomes the high pressure of the environment.

MTciscoguy

A buddy of mine worked for them in Seattle and hated it, boiler plate environment is what he told me, he had to quit to save his sanity and his marriage, he ended up moving out of Washington and I helped him in his ATV shop for a few months, man he was a mess when he first got here. So if you take a position with them, be well aware, it is not easy and you will never make enough money for what they ask you to do.

GreaterNinja

I've heard the same about a non stop environment. My gf has interviewed as well. They wanted AWC, cloud experience, scripting and programming skills too.

DoubleNNs

Sounds like a great environment to learn tho. I'm interested..

JohnnyUtah41

i had a couple phone interviews with them last year. i remember one question he asked me, it was like what task do you do first: your boss told you he needed something from you asap or do something just as important for one of your customers that you support. something like that, where it seemed like you would get in trouble picking either answer..i think i said the customer first.

LeBroke

DoubleNNs wrote: »

Sounds like a great environment to learn tho. I'm interested..

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Even if I can't stick it out very long there, they still pay a lot better than similar jobs in my area, but they do offer an opportunity to run your own projects, a ton of breadth with the ability to specialize, and some damn nice experience at a 90 billion revenue company that's transferrable to any other company.

aspiringsoul

I interviewed with Amazon not too long ago. I had two phone interviews (both of which lasted over an hour and were very technical. Plenty of Microsoft, Cisco, Ubuntu, and scenario based questions.

I made it through both phone interviews, and was scheduled for an on-site interview......and I backed out.

Here is why...

1. Lack of career mobility, unless you're open to relocation. You might have trouble advancing unless you apply for a position elsewhere. This was stated to me repeatedly through both phone interviews.
2. Amazon is notorious for overworking their employees. Their customers are their number one priority, often at the expense of their employees. Look here for additional info (Careers at Amazon: Why It's So Hard to Climb Jeff Bezos's Corporate Ladder - Businessweek)
3. They were desperate to interview with me. I was sent an e-mail invitation for an on-site interview after two phone interviews. I decided to decline and I was immediately contacted by an HR recruiter who tried to convince me to come in for an on-site interview, and told me that others would appreciate it because they could block the hours for the interview off on their calendar, and asked me to send an e-mail informing her if I would not be attending the day before instead. (I sent the e-mail a couple of weeks in advance).
4. I wanted to transition into a "Specialist" role, not a generalist role, and I did not feel that the position aligned with my career objectives.
5. This is probably the same as number 2 on this list, but based on what I've read, and my general impression, there is a very strong possibility that even if you exceed their expectations for the position, you will not really stand out among the crowd, as they have very high expectations and frugal pay.

For their technical support engineer positions, you are pretty much required to be a jack of all trades, master of none. Your support team may be very small (of course this varies depending on location, and the function of the site, whether it is a fulfillment center or call center, etc.) You will probably be the owner of any technical issues regardless of whatever it is.

Not trying to talk you out of it, but I've read a lot of employee reviews online that suggests you may find better employment opportunities with other fortune 500 companies. It might be a good first step for you, but I doubt that you would be content to make a career there based on what I have read.

Good luck to you.