I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Amazon (Herndon, VA) in May 2017
Interview
I initially approached an Amazon recruiter within LinkedIn. From there, he introduced me to another Amazon recruiter that handles the job opportunities within Amazon Web Services located at Herndon, VA. The recruiter reached out to me through email and introduced the position available. We set a time for him to call me. The first call was about 30 minutes, he did most of the talking about the job opening. He also emailed me a lot of information about the job description and responsibilities. After a week, I had my first phone interview. It lasted for 1.5 hours. Two people were in it; a systems engineer and a developer. I was asked about a combination of systems administration and scripting/developer questions. I honestly stated that I don't have developer experience so I was asked basic programming questions. The morning after the interview, I got an email from the recruiter that I got positive reviews and the team wanted to move forward with another technical phone interview. After a week, the second phone interview was set. This time it was with the Hiring Manager. He was the manager/team lead of the team I would be working with. The interview took another 1.5 hours to complete. It was very technical so it was really draining on the brain. After the interview, he mentioned that it might take a longer time for the result since it was a Friday and a long weekend. The following week, I received an email from the hiring coordinator that the team has decided to pursue other candidates at this time. They will, however, keep my resume on file for 12 months and will contact me if ever there are other positions that fit my qualifications and experience. They also asked me to apply for other open positions.
Overall, it was a good experience. The interviewers were all polite and professional.
Be prepared. Read a lot of online articles and explanation on how things work. They do ask practical questions but there were a lot of things that if you didn't read it, you wouldn't have an idea on how to explain it as some questions are really based on a lot of readings and understanding on how things work.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Explain the Linux boot process.
Explain the permissions on files and directories.
Explain the OSI layers, be prepared to provide examples.
How to set a list?
What is the difference between an integer and a string?
What is the difference between a for and a while loop?
What happens when you enter amazon.com on a browser? Explain what goes through the OSI layer. How does routing and ARP work? What would be the most difficult thing that you have encountered at work and how did you resolve that issue? Tell me about a time where you recommended something that was entirely different from what the customer wanted.
- Had an assessment round with 2 DSA medium questions
- Had a debugging round based on the technical skills mentioned in the job description
- Had a DSA round which I was asked to explain my approach clearly
Initial call with recruiter, to talk about interest in role and background. Then technical interview with hiring manager to go over coding comeptancy and then technical depth in area. Finally, some time at the end for questions to the manager
Application & Recruiter Screen
After you apply (or are referred):
A recruiter phone call (20–30 min)
Covers:
Your background and experience
Role fit and location
Basic behavioral questions
Compensation expectations (sometimes)
✅ Tip: Be ready to explain your resume clearly and concisely.
2. Phone / Virtual Screen
This is usually 1–2 interviews:
45–60 minutes each
Mix of:
Behavioral (Leadership Principles)
Role-specific questions (technical, ops, analytics, etc.)
For tech roles, this may include:
Coding or system design
SQL / data questions
Case-style problems
✅ Tip: Use the STAR method and include metrics.
3. Onsite / Virtual Loop Interview
This is the main interview stage (often virtual now):
4–6 back-to-back interviews
Each interviewer focuses on:
1–2 Leadership Principles
Deep dives into your past experiences
Includes a Bar Raiser interviewer
Possible formats:
Behavioral interviews
Technical or case interviews
Written exercise (for some roles)
✅ Tip: Expect follow-up questions and challenges to your answers.
4. Bar Raiser Interview
Conducted by a trained interviewer outside the hiring team
Focuses on:
Long-term potential
Leadership Principles alignment
Hiring bar consistency
They may push harder and probe deeper than others.
5. Hiring Decision (Debrief)
Interviewers meet to discuss feedback
Decision is based on:
Leadership Principles
Role competency
Overall hire bar
You typically hear back within a few days to two we
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Ownership / Deliver Results
Tell me about a time you took ownership of a problem that wasn’t yours.
Tell me about a time you delivered results under a tight deadline.
Describe a time you had to make a decision without all the information.