Table of Contents
Want to break into the fast-paced world of e-commerce? Or video production? Or innovative global technology? One mega-company manages to lead the charge in all avenues: Amazon.
This article will give you a comprehensive breakdown of the company benefits, the interview process, tips for success and so much more. By the end, you will have a solid understanding of everything required to land a highly valued role at the world’s largest e-tailer.
An Overview of Amazon
Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon is a multinational technological company based in Seattle, Washington. Initially starting as an online marketplace for books, Amazon has swiftly evolved into the world’s leading e-commerce platform and diversified its product offerings to include electronics, clothing, beauty supplies, and household items. Its solid infrastructure allows millions of customers to browse an extensive range of products easily and benefit from fast and reliable shipping services such as Amazon Prime.
In recent years, the company has expanded its business ventures into various other sectors. Services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide cloud computing services to individuals and businesses. And, having made the leap into entertainment in 2011, Amazon Prime Video is the latest streaming service offered by the company’s digital video production team.
Despite its controversial founder’s well-documented lavish lifestyle (Bezos is currently the third-richest person on the planet with a combined wealth of $180 billion), Amazon maintains a strong customer-focused business plan. With a dedicated commitment to innovation, Amazon continues to redefine shopping experiences globally while simultaneously pushing boundaries in technology and digital services.
Career Opportunities at Amazon
There are so many possible job opportunities available at Amazon at any given time. Here are just a few of the most popular positions within the organization.
| Position | Average Salary | Experience Required |
| Software Development Engineer | $159K – $221K per year | 1 to 3 years |
| Product Manager | $146K – $220K per year | 4 to 10 years |
| Data Engineer | $84K – $127K per year | 4-6 years |
| Business Analyst | $85K – $123K per year | 1-3 years |
| Area Manager | $72K – $101K per year | 1-3 years |
| Warehouse Associate | $35K – $41K per year | 1-3 years |
Software Developer
Software Development Engineer at Amazon plays a pivotal role in designing, developing, and maintaining high-quality software solutions that power the company’s various products and services. They tackle complex technical challenges and are responsible for writing code that is both efficient and scalable, meaning that a deep understanding of computer science principles, algorithms, and data structures is essential.
Product Manager
The role of a product manager at Amazon is multifaceted. Essentially, they are responsible for driving product development, coordination, and strategy from ideation to market launch and beyond.
The key responsibilities of these unique roles include conducting market research to identify customer needs and industry trends, defining and prioritizing product features based on data-driven analysis, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of objectives, and managing the product lifecycle.
Data Engineer
Data engineers possess a strong technical background and expertise in designing, developing, and maintaining large-scale data processing systems. At Amazon, having a deep understanding of data modeling techniques is essential for these engineers to build scalable and efficient data pipelines that transform raw information into actionable insights.
These roles will always involve collaborating closely with cross-functional teams within the organization, including data scientists and software developers, to facilitate the integration of diverse data sources into analytics platforms.
Business Analyst
A business analyst at Amazon is one of many highly skilled professionals within the organization––one who plays a crucial role in driving the company’s success through data-driven decision-making. They are responsible for thoroughly analyzing complex business problems and identifying opportunities for improvement, growth, and efficiency within various departments.
Area Manager
An area manager’s job involves overseeing the operations of multiple fulfillment centers within a designated area. It is a role that requires strategic thinking and leadership skills to ensure the smooth running of day-to-day operations, including managing a team of associates, establishing performance goals, and implementing measures to achieve operational excellence.
Area managers are also responsible for maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction by meeting delivery targets and ensuring product quality.
Warehouse Associate
As a part of the fulfillment center team, warehouse associates are responsible for various tasks to efficiently and accurately manage inventory. This includes receiving, storing, and organizing merchandise according to predetermined systems.
Associates will also pick customer orders using handheld scanners or other technologies while ensuring precise item selection for accurate shipment. What’s more, all associates are expected to participate in inventory counts, restock items as needed, and maintain cleanliness standards within the facility.
This involves demonstrating excellent communication skills, active listening, and empathy to understand customer concerns.
Where Can I Find Amazon Job Opportunities?
The most direct and reliable source for learning about job opportunities at Amazon can, conveniently, be found on the official Amazon Careers website. Here, interested candidates can explore and apply for a wide range of positions at the corporate or warehouse level.
Not only is it a direct line to the hiring team, but the platform also provides detailed information about job titles, descriptions, requirements, and locations of open positions across Amazon’s global operations. Job boards are also an ideal source for monitoring job openings at Amazon. GrabJobs makes it easy to keep tabs on the company.
The Amazon Job Application & Interview Process
Amazon has a very strenuous and grueling hiring process in place––and it’s to make sure that they are bringing aboard the very best of the best. These are the steps you should anticipate when applying for a full-time, in-person position:
Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the Amazon Leadership Principles. This is the holy grail at Amazon––these principles are applied every day at the company, and not just by those in leadership roles. Learn these before you meet with anybody from the company because they will come up.
Step 2. Apply. All Amazon jobs will need to be applied to on the company website. Upload a resume to the relevant role or link your LinkedIn account––be sure to use as many keywords from the application as possible so as not to get filtered out of the running.
Step 3. Test. Once your application is complete, you will likely need to take an online assessment (depending on the job). This is where those leadership principles first come in handy…
Step 4. Remote interviews. If you manage to impress with your application and online assessment, you’ll hear from an HR manager. This remote interview will deal with your work history and experience. If successful, a second remote interview will take place––this time with senior management––focused on personality and behavioral questions.
Step 5. In-person day of interviews. After all of the remote calls, if you are still attractive to the team, they will invite you to their nearest Amazon office for a few face-to-face meetings. And by a few, we mean a lot. This stage usually involves the entire day––six or seven-hour-long interviews. All of these interviews will be conducted by members of the team you applied for, and each interview will focus on two or three of the Amazon Leadership Principles. The final interview of the process will be conducted by a member of another team who has been trained specifically in Amazon’s hiring standards. Consider this person the final boss.
After about a week, you should hear––good news or bad news––from the original hiring manager.
Common Amazon Interview Questions:
> Why do you want to work for Amazon? Why do you think you’d be an ideal fit?
> Tell us about a time you experienced a crisis at work––and how you handled it.
> Describe an Amazon product to someone as though you were planning to sell it to them
> Which leadership principle of Amazon do you connect with most?
How Hard Is It to Land a Job at Amazon?
As mentioned, Amazon has many strict guidelines in place for hiring at the corporate level. However, Amazon is a business consistently on the grow––so, essentially, they are always hiring. So for that reason, it is easy to land an interview. How candidates perform during that interview process is the hard part.
If you’ve got the skills and experience necessary for the applied position, you are up against two major challenges: fitting within Amazon’s work culture and competing applicants, only the former of which you can control. Learn the Leadership Principles and brush up on Amazon’s in-person cultural environment and determine if you can (or want to) acclimate. If you are applying for a remote job, the same rules apply.
Always keep this in mind: Amazon is the biggest e-commerce company in the world, so they can afford to be selective when hiring. If you ultimately don’t get a job, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t capable––more likely, you were one of dozens if not hundreds of applicants for the same role and someone had a tiny amount more experience than you.
Resume and Cover Letter Tips for a Job at Amazon
One of the first things you will notice when applying for a job on Amazon’s website is that there isn’t really an option for uploading a cover letter. That’s because, unlike traditional companies, Amazon does not expect candidates to share a cover letter (so that’s one less thing for you to do). After all, hiring managers and recruiters are wading through thousands of resumes at any given time––one less document to review is understandable.
As for your resume, if you are aiming for senior-level corporate roles, you will want to include a highly detailed yet concise document in order to stand out from the rest. Mostly, Amazon’s Jobs page lets you apply directly once you’ve logged into your Amazon account. Include work samples or any supporting documents in a link on your resume rather than attaching them separately.
If you are applying for a warehouse role, you likely won’t need extensive experience or skills. But there will be a drug test and, in some states, a criminal background check.
What are the Employee Benefits and Perks at Amazon?
Amazon offers a mostly standard catalog of employee benefits, with some perks generously above those offered by competitors. If you are applying for a position, these are some of the advantages that you can expect as a full-time employee.
> Generous parental leave and Personal Time Off dates––including up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy time, and up to 6 weeks for parent(s) who have adopted a child.
> Health insurance coverage––this includes medical, dental, and vision plans (different depending on where you live/work) for all eligible employees regardless of position.
> Competitive starting wage for warehouse/retail staff––a minimum of $19 per hour for all employees, plus a comprehensive group RRSP plan.
How to Get a Job at Amazon: Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions that weren’t covered above? Here are some additional common FAQs about the ins and outs of working for Amazon.
What is Amazon looking for in an employee?
In addition to the guiding leadership principles already mentioned above, Amazon tends to look for candidates who possess a strong work ethic, have a relentless focus on customer satisfaction, and demonstrate a capacity for innovation. The company values individuals who can thrive in a fast-paced and constantly evolving environment. Plus, solid communication and leadership skills are essential, as Amazon encourages teamwork and collaboration among its employees.
What kind of work culture can I expect at Amazon?
Candidates can expect a fast-paced and highly demanding work culture at Amazon. The company tends to emphasize a results-oriented approach, leaning on innovation and operational efficiency.
Therefore, collaboration across teams is a key aspect of the culture, as employees are expected to work collectively toward achieving the organization’s goals. Amazon values ownership in its employees’ work, encouraging every member to take initiative and make decisions independently.
Additionally, the company embraces a constant learning environment, where employees are encouraged to embrace new challenges and continuously develop their skills.
