I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Jun 2010
Interview
I did 2 phone interviews with Amazon. The first interview was about OOP and pretty simple stuff. Then I got a second phone interview, which was harder and involved a lot of data structures. I received a rejection email about 1 hr after the second interview (which was still nice considering some companies don't even let you know).
Overall, the interviews were great, but I was looking for a more Jr. position and this was a Sr. position. I blame it on the recruiter.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
A lot of questions on OOP ("what is the basic structure of a text editor") and data structures (hashes, linked lists, etc.). You needed to know Java for that position.
Initial screening call with recruiter followed by a 1 hr hacker rank question on DSA. The final round was a panel consisting of 4 interviews ranging from technical design, more DSA and behaviour questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a time when you disagreed with your team and how you resolved it
Online Application & Assessment: Candidates apply via amazon.jobs and may be asked to complete online assessments (work simulations or technical tests).
Recruiter Phone Screen: A 30-60 minute interview to discuss your background, interest in the role, and initial behavioral questions.
Technical Phone Screen (For Tech Roles): A 60-minute interview focused on data structures, algorithms, and coding in a shared editor.
Interview Loop (Virtual/Onsite): The final stage, usually 3-5, 45-60 minute interviews held on the same day or over a few days.
Behavioral Questions: These focus on past behavior (STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result) mapped to Leadership Principles.
Technical/Functional Questions: Problem-solving, system design, or domain-specific questions.
Bar Raiser Interview: One interviewer is a "Bar Raiser," a neutral employee from another team tasked with ensuring hiring standards remain high.
Hiring Committee/Debrief: Interviewers meet to discuss candidate feedback and make a hiring decision.
Recruiter screen. Then 2 coding interviews then onsite rounds (another coding question, then a system design question, then HM behavioral interview). System design was simpler than other companies. Coding was leetcode ish