Data Engineer Interview @ Amazon 2022
Lately, I have been getting a lot of requests to share my recent interview experience at Amazon. So, I have decided to detail information on topics and rounds that I personally went through and the preparations I did for the DE interview in this post. Hope you find this helpful!
Quick Context:
For this particular DE role, I was reached out by a recruiter from Amazon and the hiring manager was looking for someone with 1–3 years of relevant experience. I had interviewed with Amazon in the past but couldn’t make it past the behaviour/LP rounds. When I was reached out, I was already in the process of preparations since I had been interviewing with other tech companies as well for a few months. I spent about 2–3 months preparing for Amazon exclusively.
Total interviews I went through:
Phone Screening 1:-
I was tested on basic SQL fundamentals around joins, CTEs, query optimization and my previous work experience in Data Engineering.
Phone Screening 2:-
This was technically a bit more intense in SQL and Python. The best way to prep for this would be going through #leetcode #database medium + hard questions and #python medium.
After the first one/two screenings I heard back within 2 weeks for the #onsite.
Virtual Onsite:-
This is a series of back-to-back 5–6 interviews, roughly between 45 mins — 1 hr each. This is where you’ll be tested on your technical skills, behaviour and most importantly LPs which if you think about it are amazing guidelines to be a great leader and are highly encouraged at Amazon. I have personally seen people applying these leadership principles on a day-to-day basis within Amazon. Out of the 5 interviews for me, 2 consisted of rigorous DW/DB concepts, building cloud ETL solutions and SQL/Python testing, 1 round was with the hiring manager focused on LPs and past experience, 1 round was with a Bar Raisor and is heavily focused on LPs, and lastly a tech/LP with a Sr. Software Engineer from the org.
Key Takeaways:-
- Focus heavily on your responses to behavioural questions in the light of Amazon LPs. It’ll be great for interviewing and succeeding at most Big Tech firms.
- Design your responses in a #STAR methodology.
- Begin preparing for LPs weeks in advance. Make notes on your examples (using the STAR method) and outline your anticipated responses on paper. I found that very valuable.
- For tech rounds, make sure you explain your logic and approach before jumping right into trying the code. Talk about why you think your code is optimized and discuss the pros/cons of alternatives.
- Try to incorporate 1–2 hrs of SQL/Python coding regularly every day. There is no way you can be well prepared for a #FAANG tech round overnight.
- Focus on the fundamentals of DB, DW and Data Modeling Concepts. The difficulty level of these test areas varies by team and job level.
- Most importantly just be HONEST and CONFIDENT.
I know this process is quite overwhelming. I was so nervous and didn’t feel prepared even though I had been prepping for so long, but I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who believed in me more than I could ever believe in myself at the time. Seek advice and encouragement from your peers, mentors, and your loved ones.
Amazon is a massive organization. I can’t speak for everyone but Amazon was one of the best interview experiences I had in the 6 months of interviewing for 20+ companies. Every single person I spoke to was genuinely nice, helpful, supportive, and made sure I was comfortable. It often felt more like a casual conversation instead of an interview.
Lastly, here are the links to a few resources that I went through for the interview.
- https://youtu.be/dV6DHzP380I
- https://igotanoffer.com/blogs/tech/amazon-data-engineer-interview
- https://prepfully.com/interview-guides/amazon-data-engineer
- I would highly recommend getting this book by Nick Singh 📕 for DE/DS interviews. (https://www.amazon.com/Ace-Data-Science-Interview-Questions/dp/0578973839)
- https://towardsdatascience.com/the-amazon-business-intelligence-engineer-interview-6da61aedb27e
- https://leetcode.com/
Again, I hope you find this useful and feel free to DM me if you have any further questions.
#amazon #dataengineering #interviewpreparation #faang #sql #pythoncode #leadershipprinciples #onsite #bie #businessintelligence
