Amazon Discover: Spring Insight Participant Review

Gained insights on the culture, responsibilities, and top interview tips for working at Amazon first-hand from Amazonian recruiters and an array of Software Developers. Split into more personalised workshops with a mentor, where we solved problems, discussed trade-offs between different computer science concepts and fundamentals, and got out hands dirty with some practical applications of the things we discussed.

I developed many of my existing skills, including confidence in walking through my solution in front of another person, including how to ask the right questions to better streamline me towards an optimal solution, how to use problem-solving paired with my computer science fundamentals to solve real-world problems such as implementing the cache-replacement policies in trade-off and problem-solving workshop 2, and last but not least collaborating with people I've just met effectively and enjoyably!

It was really eye-opening. It's easy to think joining Amazon you'll be working on the Amazon store or AWS. But there's a whole other world of subsidiary business functions within Amazon to choose from. It's really exciting and relieving to know that no matter what your interests or skills you wish to develop when you join Amazon as an engineer, the potential for exploration, breadth, and growth are essentially limitless.

I noticed a real dedication to learning and growth, as well as authenticity and genuine traits. Qualifying as an Amazonian engineer doesn't just require programming skills, but rather the traits of what make a good person overall. Passion, hunger, drive, leadership, empathy, teamwork, and initiative, are evidence of going that extra mile. These are all traits of the 'customer-obsessed', and hold true to Amazon's leadership principles and values.

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight program! It would have been nice to network with more of my fellow attendees. I enjoyed that I spent time with the same group of people throughout the workshops, but not being able to communicate with other attendees throughout the event was a bit of a shame. Overall, I learned so much, and will definitely be applying for the summer internship in future!

Yes

Be prepared, practise your programming and computer science fundamentals, but also don't underestimate the power of human interaction, the soft skills that make great leaders and team-workers, and the experiences that make you stand out from the crowd. Think about times you've exhibited these traits, and use them to your advantage by sharing these with your interviewer. Make sure to research the company's leadership principles, to ensure Amazon are a good fit!