Here is a list I’ve started to compile of frequently asked questions on working at and getting a job at Amazon.
If you’ve gotten anything you’d like to see don’t hesitate to reach out: charlie@charleskunken.com
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What are some helpful desktop resources I can use for research in interview?
Communication Tips: my eBook, totally free.
Interviewing With Swag - 5 Keys To Getting A Job In Tech https://www.charleskunken.com/swag
Amazon Culture:
Jeff Bezos’ 1997 original letter to shareholders: https://ir.aboutamazon.com/static-files/589ab7fe-9362-4823-a8e5-901f6d3a0f00
Most recent Letter To Shareholders: https://ir.aboutamazon.com/annual-reports
Every other Letter To Shareholders
BOOKS (none of these are affiliate links)
Invent & Wander (2020) by Jeff Bezos:: https://www.amazon.com/Invent-Wander-Collected-Writings-Introduction-ebook/dp/B08BCCT6MW
Working Backwards (2021) by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595
The Everything Store (2013) book, by Brad Stone: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Store-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon-ebook/dp/B00BWQW73E
Tactical Prep:
Amazon has a bunch of intel on its’ blog: https://blog.aboutamazon.com/working-at-amazon/whats-it-like-to-interview-at-amazon
Google search for stuff. There are a bunch of external things that will pop up specifically about Amazon interviews. I didn’t want to link here because many of the sites are for coaches and I didn’t want anybody to think I’m affiliated. But they are real easy to find and offer free stuff. I haven’t vetted the landscape enough to recommend.
For someone who wants to be a Senior Financial Analyst at Amazon what are some key things a manager would want to see?
Answer: I want to know how a candidate can deal with Ambiguity, meaning how good could they be at adding value without being told what to do.
This is done in 3 ways:
(1) Talking to your customers to find out what is important to them,
(2) being fully aware of what problems you can actually bring value to. If you are in a strategy role you probably won’t be the right person to try and fix problems with accounts payable. You don’t have the influence and the opportunity cost of trying is too great.
(3) Getting to know the economics of your business down cold so that you start to form your own opinion on where the best opportunities are to add value. This basically means knowing which inputs under control of the business team have the greatest impact on free cash flow.
What is the best way to deal with the automated rejection emails from bots on the website?
Ii don’t have any good advice on how to hack this. My quick answer is to point you towards humans. Use LinkedIn to try and connect with actual Amazon employees and recruiters at. See if you have and secondary connections you could get intro’d to. Optimize your LinkedIn profile to not just demonstrate your credentials
What job level should I look for?
For a benchmark, if you are just graduating from b-school with your MBA you should be looking for level 6 Senior Financial Analyst (SFA) job descriptions. That is the level the finance rotation hires come in as from the formal b-school recruiting program.
What is the culture really like, from your experience?
to come
How do I make sure I find the specific team with the right cultural fit?
to come