Photo courtesy of David Markley
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with David Markley, a 58-year-old former Amazon employee, based in Seattle. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
During my seven years at Amazon, I conducted over 500 interviews and earned my title as a bar raiser, an objective, third-party interviewer tasked with finding applicants who would “raise the bar” at the company.
I’d give one, or sometimes more than one, applicant an “inclined to hire” status, following a series of in-person interviews. This meant the person was a fit for the role and likely to be hired.
If I were deciding between two candidates, I was often more likely to choose the one who ranked higher in the behavioral aspects over the person with more experience. However, getting an “inclined to hire” status didn’t automatically mean they’d receive an offer.
There are a few ways that I recommend candidates turn an inclined to hire status into a full-time offer at Amazon.
Demonstrate Amazon’s leadership principles during the interview
I’ve found that behavioral aspects and a strong exhibition of Amazon’s leadership principles — have backbone, disagree, and commit — are of greater importance than hard skills.
To demonstrate behavioral skills, read through all of the leadership principles and think about how they apply to your own life. Those are the stories that an interviewer is going to want to discuss with you and learn more about.
Don’t make any stories up, because a good interviewer will be asking deep questions to understand how you handled a situation.
Look for other roles at Amazon and pursue them on your own
If you’re “inclined to hire” for an engineer L2 role, look for other engineer L2 job openings within the company and point them out to your recruiter. Express your interest and ask if there’s a hiring manager who can look at your résumé.
Recruiters want to get people hired, so even though they’ll primarily focus on hiring for the team they support, they should be motivated to help you look into other opportunities.
You can also pursue other roles on your own. If you see an adjacent role open in another department and there is a recruiter contact, you can contact that recruiter to tell them about your status and your interest in the role. You can also direct them to the recruiter you’ve been working with so they can speak internally about where to place you.
Your goal should be to spread the knowledge of what roles you are eligible for within Amazon.
Don’t nag the hiring team after the interview
Nagging a manager, recruiter, or bar raiser after your interview is an instant turnoff.
A simple thank you message or even a short note like, “If you think of me for any other roles, please forward my information along. I really appreciate talking to you,” should be well-received.
I’ve had candidates email me every day or every week about getting hired, and it’s not a good look. But going silent is just as bad. If the recruiter is trying to reach you, answer as soon as possible. If a few days pass, the recruiter might assume you’ve lost interest.
Use your “inclined to hire” status to your advantage
Even if you don’t get hired, your “inclined to hire” status sticks around for six more months. So, if you apply to any other Amazon jobs in that window, it might boost your chances of getting hired.
I want to emphasize that if you received an “inclined to hire” status, you should be proud of yourself. Don’t dwell on the fact that you haven’t gotten the role right away. Be proactive.
Amazon loves proactive people, so be driven in your pursuit to get hired.
If you work in Big Tech and would like to share advice on how to get hired, please email this editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].
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