HOW TO GET A
JOB AT AMAZON
Careers, Hiring Process, and Salaries
Some people say that anything and everything can be found on Amazon. To meet the high demand for its services, the tech giant relies on a huge workforce made up of personnel from various fields and backgrounds. Since the company receives thousands of applications for most new jobs, you should read this guide to learn how to get a job at Amazon.
The following guide provides insight into Amazon’s history, working environment, and culture. With that information in hand, we’ll look at a few current tech openings and their respective salaries. You’ll also learn how to get an edge in Amazon’s competitive hiring process.
Amazon Background
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994. While it began as an online bookstore, it has since grown to become the world’s largest online retailer, according to Statista. Over the space of 27 years, Amazon has branched out into a wide range of products, from consumer electronics to kitchen items to beauty supplies.
Furthermore, Amazon has established itself as a technology and media powerhouse. Products like Amazon Web Services, Kindle, Echo, and Amazon Studios are all part of the company’s customer-centric mission. The goal of these services is to improve the quality of life and the efficiency of commerce in the digital age for businesses and consumers alike.
What’s It Like to Work at Amazon?
Employees report that working at Amazon comes with huge responsibilities. The staff is tasked with coming up with innovative ideas and practical solutions in response to the tech industry’s biggest challenges. In addition, the casual working environment of the company tends to boost productivity and morale.
What Employees Say About Working at Amazon
According to Amazon reviews on PayScale, the company pays fair salaries, works hard to build a community of creative thinkers, and provides opportunities for education and personal development. Most former and current employees are also satisfied with Amazon’s paid leave and vacation policies.
On a less positive note, some employees have complained that Amazon shuffles employees between departments too often, which can impede the learning process and limit chances for teams to build rapport. Others have commented that the working hours can be overly long, and some of the projects are repetitive and boring.
Amazon Work Environment and Culture
A typical day at Amazon is about eight hours, starting with meetings to understand the goals and targets for the day. The workers are given breaks throughout the day, including one for lunch. Most of the rest of the day is broken up into project-based programming or analytical tasks and further meetings. The exact nature of the work depends on the department.
Amazon’s office culture tends to be laid back. In general, employees are allowed to wear shorts and sneakers to the office, and they can even bring their dogs to work. Even though it can sometimes be stressful, employees report that Amazon is overall a positive workplace.
How to Get
a Job at Amazon
Most jobs at Amazon are very competitive. This is especially true for tech openings, which often draw thousands of applications. To be successful, you will need to learn everything you can about the company’s work culture and values, research positions that interest you, and read up on possible behavioral interview questions and the overall hiring process.
It is also advisable to familiarize yourself with Amazon recruitment programs and to network with Amazon workers, who may be able to get you hired on an employee referral. In addition, you could try doing an internship with the company since many Amazon interns eventually become full-time Amazon employees.
Before we proceed, it should be noted that the information below applies most accurately to tech jobs such as software engineer and data scientist. The hiring process and requirements are very different for jobs at Amazon warehouses.
Is It Hard to Get a Job at Amazon?
Yes, it is hard to get a job at Amazon. Many applicants undergo an intense hiring process that screens candidates based on their educational qualifications, experience in the field, skills, and ability to provide innovative solutions. With the right approach, however, you can ace the application process and beat out your competition.
Requirements to Work at Amazon
- A Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.
- Demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or C++, along with experience with relevant tools and technologies commonly used in the field.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex technical challenges and contribute to innovative solutions within the Amazon ecosystem.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, and adapting to changing priorities and technologies.
- Familiarity with industry best practices, data analysis methodologies, software development processes, and an understanding of Amazon’s leadership principles and customer-centric approach.
How to Apply for a Job at Amazon: Amazon Hiring Process
You can apply for a job at Amazon on the company’s website. There, you will be able to explore available positions and review the necessary qualifications before submitting your application. The website also offers a few job application tips to help potential applicants navigate the hiring process.
You can also try third-party websites like LinkedIn. You are advised to update your profile and ensure that your resume is well-formatted and typo-free. This will also make you more visible to recruiters, who may have already noticed you by the time you apply. Make sure you have a valid phone number and email so they can contact you.
Generally, the hiring process at Amazon consists of an online application, a couple of assessments, a phone interview, and an in-person interview. To unpack this a bit further, let’s break it down into six small steps.
1
Online Application
The first step in the hiring process is to visit Amazon’s job portal or the AWS careers page if you are interested in a job with this subsidiary. When you find a position that interests you, click on “Apply”. You will then be asked to create a profile and follow the ensuing instructions to complete the rest of the application.
2
Assessment
Candidates will then have to sit through an online assessment designed to measure key characteristics that determine their success in the role. Depending on the role, you may have to take more than one assessment. Sometimes, you will be given a set amount of time to complete the test.
There are two types of assessments during Amazon’s hiring process:
- Work style assessment: You’ll be asked questions centered around company culture and leadership principles. For example, you may be asked about your preferred work style. This assessment takes about 20 minutes.
- Work sample simulation: Here, you’ll have to complete actual tasks from the position that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a data analyst position, you may be given a set of data and be asked to provide recommendations.
In most cases, you will be notified via email if your application is moving forward but you can also check its status in the application portal. Later in the article, we provide some tips on how to pass these assessments.
3
Phone Interview
If you pass the assessments, a recruiter will call you to get to know you and ask you about your professional experience. You are advised to prepare ahead of time and remain calm and collected during the interview. These will mostly be behavioral questions.
4
In-Person Interview
Some roles require applicants to write essays in preparation for their in-person interviews. You could, for example, be asked to write about a customer-oriented project you have worked on. As you’re writing, keep in mind Amazon’s leadership principles.
5
Offer Meeting
If you make it this far, the job is yours. Human resources will invite you to discuss salaries and give you a formal offer. Unfortunately, there’s little room for negotiating at Amazon since it’s such a giant company.
8
Reference Check
If you are applying for a management role or a senior position, Amazon will conduct a background check using the references you provided. The company takes this extra step to ensure that it made the right decision in hiring you.
Tips to Nail Your Assessment During the Hiring Process
- If you are applying for a Software Development Engineer I or II position, Amazon recommends reviewing these software development topics.
- If you are applying for a role other than software engineering, you don’t need to prepare in advance. In fact, Amazon advises to just “be yourself and do your best.”
- Be honest and authentic in your responses and try not to overthink. Amazon is composed of thousands of individuals, each with their own idiosyncrasies. During this assessment, Amazon wants to get to know you so just be yourself.
- Carefully read the instructions provided before starting your assessment, paying attention to timing, deadlines, and the type of assessment.
Tips to Ace Amazon’s Phone and In-Person Interviews
- Focus on providing well-structured answers, referencing recent situations, and incorporating metrics or data where applicable.
- Familiarize yourself with the STAR format, emphasizing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result during your responses.
- Think in advance of specific situations that highlight your unique skills, experiences of risk-taking, success, failure, and growth.
- Be transparent in your answers and avoid embellishments or omissions.
- If you’ve experienced failure during your career, explain how you used this experience to fuel the innovation process.
- If you are applying for a software engineering position, review these software development interview questions.
Amazon Careers: Job Requirements,
Salaries, and Descriptions
With a huge workforce and a wide scope of operation, Amazon has plenty of high-paying tech jobs available. To help you get the best job for your current career path, we have listed a few technical roles that were open at the time of writing.
Applied Scientist
Salary: $231,000
Level: Mid-Level
Minimum Experience Required: 2 or more years in machine learning, object oriented design, data structures, algorithm design, problem-solving, complexity analysis, and at least one model programming language
Education required:
Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Natural Language Processing, or a related discipline
As an applied scientist at Amazon, you are primarily responsible for developing machine learning models. Also, you will conduct A/B tests, collect data, perform statistical analysis, and provide solutions to business challenges.
Machine Learning Engineer
Salary: $198,000
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 3 or more years in building large-scale enterprise IT systems; 2 or more years in data engineering, ETL, and data wrangling; 1 year or more in cloud computing with AWS
Education required: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field, Master’s Degree or PhD preferred
A machine learning engineer works with large datasets, data models, and data architecture to develop machine learning solutions. You will interpret old datasets and work with data scientists to help enterprises use machine learning to grow and evolve.
Technical Program Manager
Salary: $142,000
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 3 or more years in distributed systems and algorithms, object-oriented design, and coding
Education required: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field
As part of the roles of a technical program manager, you will design new software features and integrate them into the business. You will contribute to the various stages of the software development lifecycle, from design all the way to deployment.
Data Scientist
Salary: $191,000
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 2 or more years in data extraction, analysis, statistical modeling, and communication, as well as with data query languages
Education required: Master’s Degree or PhD in a quantitative field such as machine learning, data science, statistics, applied mathematics, physics, computer science, or economics
A data scientist at Amazon analyzes large datasets sourced from various parts of the supply chain and associated business functions. You will be responsible for improving machine learning methodologies by uncovering new data sources and running experiments to determine the efficiency of your models.
Software Development Engineer
Salary: $129,000
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 4 or more years in software development
Education required: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent professional experience
As a Software Development Engineer at Amazon, you will play an integral role in developing high-quality software designs and solving complex problems. Also, you will attend to the networking needs of customers. Basic qualifications for this job include programming experience and sometimes leadership experience.
Solutions Architect
Salary: $234,000
Level: Senior or mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 5 or more years in cloud architecture, systems design, software development, infrastructure architecture, data engineering, or DevOps
Education required: Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline
Your role as a solutions architect is to manage the technical relationship between AWS and the customers by making recommendations regarding security, performance, cost, and reliability issues. You will keep track of the needs of customers and use them to design new AWS features.
Data Engineer
Salary: $117,000
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: 5 or more years in data engineering and SQL, 2 or more years in Python or Java
Education required: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field
As an Amazon data engineer, you will work with other professionals like software engineers, data engineers, and business analysts. Your work entails building and delivering important data initiatives, including using Python and other programming languages to develop automated data processes.
UX Designer
Salary: $117,000
Level: Mid-level or entry-level
Minimum Experience Required: 2 or more years in design and motion tools such as Photoshop, Sketch, After Effects, and InVision
Education required: No minimum degree requirement
This UX designer role will be filled by someone who can create beautiful user-centered designs to enhance how users experience advertisements. You will work with data sourced from customer feedback and site metrics to develop designs, mockups, and prototypes. Tech bootcamps are great places to learn website design for jobs like this.
Support Engineer
Salary: $90,000
Level: Mid-level or entry-level
Minimum Experience Required: 3 or more years in scripting with Shell, Perl, or Python
Education required: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field
As an Amazon support engineer, you will be in charge of improving the customer’s experience of the transaction process. This mainly involves developing systems that process payments at high speeds and with accuracy, but you will also provide customer support for things like currency options, installment plans, and gift cards.
Business Intelligence Analyst
Salary: $128,000
Level: Mid-Level
Minimum Experience Required: 5 or more years in business analysis, data analysis, or statistical analysis
Education required: Advanced technical or business degree, either a Master of Science or a Master of Business Administration
This is one of the best business intelligence careers in the tech industry. You are responsible for collecting and maintaining metrics, reports, and business analyses. In partnership with business teams, you will develop key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor data integration, and cater to business needs by processing technical reports.
What Should I Study to Get a Job at Amazon?
Since Amazon relies heavily on technology and digitization for its operations, you should study popular tech subjects. Depending on the role, this may include software development, DevOps, machine learning, cloud computing, programming languages, data science, object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD), or several of the above.
Can a Coding Bootcamp Get Me a Job at Amazon?
While coding bootcamps are usually a great option for starting a career in software engineering, it depends on your educational needs, learning style, and flexibility. Bootcamps follow a structured curriculum, focusing on skills for specific jobs. The typical bootcamp program takes less than six months to complete.
A bootcamp gives you immediate access to resources, peers, mentors, and employer partners. With these networking opportunities at your disposal, you should be able to compete for jobs at Amazon after graduating from a coding bootcamp. The career services and career development programs at bootcamps will also help you get desirable positions.
How to Get a Job at Amazon FAQ
How do you get a warehouse job at Amazon?
To secure a position at an Amazon warehouse, start by completing the online application and selecting your preferred shift. Keep in mind that you don’t need to upload a resume. Next, attend a 30-minute in-person New Hire Event with proper identification.
Where do you go to apply for Amazon jobs?
The best way to apply for an Amazon job is to go to the company’s official job portal. If you are interested in a job with the subsidiary Amazon Web Services (AWS), then visit its respective careers page. Amazon jobs can often be found on popular job platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor.
What are the odds of being hired at Amazon?
The odds of being hired at Amazon can vary depending on the specific job role, qualifications, and the competitiveness of the applicant pool. However, you should keep in mind that, according to PathMatch, less than 2 percent of applicants get hired at Amazon.
Can I apply for a job at Amazon if I need a work permit?
While such applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, they are usually accepted. Amazon is proud to offer assistance to eligible workers seeking work permits.
