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STUDENT PROGRAMS APAC

Candidate FAQs HANDBOOK


India Tech

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Introduction 1
Application 2
Online Assessment 4
Interview 6
Amazon.Jobs Technical FAQs 10
Contact Us 11
Define
Tomorrow
Thanks for your interest in Amazon!
How often can you say that your work truly changes the world? You’ll say it often enough
with us.
At Amazon, what we do touches the world every day, and you will have the opportunity
to leave your imprint on our work. Here, you’ll be encouraged and rewarded to disrupt
the status quo, think big and redefine normal as you team with other curious and open-
minded innovators. Our people will help you grow into the visionary, high-impact person
you know you’re ready to be. Join us and define tomorrow.

Where can I learn about opportunities for students?


Please visit the Opportunities for Students page on amazon.jobs to learn more about
opportunities for students and new graduates. For questions about applying and
interviewing at Amazon outside of Student Programs, please refer to the Amazon.jobs
career site FAQs.
What roles does Amazon recruit students for?
We recruit and hire current undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent
graduates, for internship and full-time opportunities across all lines of business (e.g.,
Amazon Studios and Prime Video, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Consumer, Devices and
Services, Human Resources, Operations, etc.). Some roles include: software development
engineers, support engineers, product managers, operations managers, applied scientists,
vendor managers, and financial analysts.

In what countries does Amazon hire students for these roles?


We recruit for internships and full-time roles in more than 40 countries around the world
across the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa.

Student Programs Application Process

Apply Assessment Interview

Apply on Amazon uses online assessments as one Our recruiters will reach out
amazon.jobs. way to help us get to know you better, to selected candidates for a
and we design them to measure key phone interview and 3-5
rounds of onsite interviews.
characteristics required for success in a
role.

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Application
Can I apply to multiple roles?
Yes, please apply to the role(s) that align with both your interests and skillset. You will
be evaluated against the requirements for each role and may be interviewed for
different roles Please note, you will only be able to participate in one interview process
at a time.

Should I apply for an internship or wait to apply for a full-time role?


We recommend applying for an internship to gain valuable work experience and learn
first-hand what it’s like to work at Amazon, but we still welcome direct applications to
full-time roles.

Is there an application deadline for full-time or internship positions?


There are no application deadlines for internships and full-time positions; however, we
encourage students to apply in late summer or early autumn to increase the likelihood
of interviewing for an open role. To learn more and apply, visit the Opportunities for
Students page.

Where can I find the status of my application? When will I hear back from Amazon?
You can see the status of your application in the candidate portal. To check the status
of your application for all other roles, check the status of your application here. We
review applications throughout the year on a rolling basis and will contact you directly
if we are interested in moving forward with your candidacy.

I was referred for a specific role by a current Amazonian – what do I do now?


If you are referred to a specific open role, a recruiter from the Student Programs team
will reach out to have you complete your application via amazon.jobs. If your application
is selected for further review, recruiter/recruiting coordinator from Student Programs
will contact you directly.

What do I do if I suspect a fraudulent source is offering me a job at Amazon?


Please be cautious of common scams that offer unauthorized Amazon employment
opportunities. Our recruiters who contact candidates — whether it be via text, call, or
email—will never ask for banking information, or request an enrollment fee. We
encourage those who think they may have been contacted by a fraudulent source
offering a job on behalf of Amazon to report it
http://www.amazondelivers.jobs/contactus We actively investigate reported
employment scams, and as a result, dozens of fraudulent recruiting websites have 2
been taken down.
Application
Do I have to move to Seattle to work at Amazon?
No, we have Amazon offices all around the world. Learn more on our Seattle
headquarters and our other locations.

I work for an employment agency, temporary staffing firm, or consulting business.


How can I present applicants to you?
We do not have a general resume submittal process for agencies who are not on our
preferred list.

Does Amazon or its approved recruiting partners charge any fee for employment?
We do not charge any fee for employment and the same applies to the Recruitment
Partners who we work with. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer. Employment
decisions are based on merit. Additionally, we do not ask for any refundable security
deposit to be paid in bank accounts for employment purposes. We request candidates
to be cautious of misleading communications and not pay any fee/ deposit to
individuals/ agencies/ employment portals on the pretext of attending Amazon
interview process or seeking employment with us. These would be fraudulent in nature.
Anyone dealing with such individuals/ agencies / employment portals will be doing so
at his/her own risk and Amazon will not be held responsible for such loss or damage
suffered directly or indirectly. Such fake job offers and appointment letters shall not be
treated as any kind of offer or representation by Amazon. Please note, Amazon does not
send offer letters from Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or any other public email accounts or
demand a fee in lieu of an employment offer / interview. If you receive such e-mails,
please do not pay any fee or deposit. We request that you report such offers to
recruiting-feedback@amazon.com. If you have already made a payment, please log a
complaint with the local police for necessary legal action to be taken.

How do I determine if I am restricted from seeking employment or having


employment discussions with Amazon or its subsidiaries?
You may be restricted from having employment discussions with Amazon or its
subsidiaries if you are currently participating, or previously participated, in government
acquisition or other matters involving Amazon or its subsidiaries. To learn how the rules
apply to your specific situation, please consult your employer’s ethics officer.

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Online
Assessment
About Online Assessment
At Amazon, one of our highest priorities is hiring and developing the best, and we work
hard to raise the performance bar with every hire. Amazon uses online assessments as
one way to help us get to know you better, and we design them to measure key
characteristics required for success in a role. Assessments also allow us to assess
applicants consistently and equitably, as every individual is provided with the same
experience and information needed to complete the assessment. Depending on the
position, we may ask you to take an assessment during the application process or send
it to you separately after you’ve applied. The type and number of assessments will
depend on the role you apply for and in some cases, must be completed within a certain
timeframe. The two common types of assessments are work style assessments and work
sample simulations.

The Formalities
Most assessments are conducted virtually unless administered as part of a hiring event
or on-site interview day.
During your assessment, be in a quiet and comfortable place with no distractions.
Review provided instructions carefully, as some assessments must be completed by a
particular date. If an assessment deadline is missed, we’re unable to grant extensions.
Many assessments are also timed, so be sure to set aside an appropriate amount of time.
All assessments require the internet, have a computer with a reliable connection and
access to email. You will be notified of any additional technical requirements in advance.
If you have any special requirements, questions or concerns, please reach out to us as
we are committed to making reasonable provisions for all individuals.
Technical assistance is available for all assessments should you experience a disruption
that you cannot resolve (e.g., assessment freezes or crashes). If an issue occurs, use the
contact information provided in the assessment.
We take your data privacy very seriously. To learn about how we store your results review
our privacy policy.
All assessments must be completed solely by the applicant.

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Online
Assessment
Online Assessment Tips
For any Software Development Engineer I applicants we recommend reviewing our
Software Development Topics to help you prepare for technical evaluations and
interviews. Just do your best.
Some questions may ask about your work style. Try not to overthink them or spend too
much time on any one question. We want to get to know the authentic you, as there are
many types of successful people at Amazon.
Before starting your assessment, read all the information provided carefully like timing,
deadlines, and assessment types.

Work Style Assessment


These assessments are centered around Amazon’s peculiar culture and Leadership
Principles, and typically take 10-20 minutes to complete. In these assessments, we ask
you to choose the extent to which a statement represents your work style. For instance,
we may ask you which of the two statements "I like for things to be clearly structured,”
or “I look forward to the opportunity to learn new things," best describes you.

Work Sample Simulation


These assessments ask you to complete virtual tasks related to a specific position and
typically take 20 minutes - one hour to complete. They may ask you to make decisions
based on our Leadership Principles, complete activities critical to success at Amazon, and
demonstrate your problem-solving, prioritization, and interpersonal abilities. Depending
on the role you are applying for, the assessment may ask you to interpret data from a
chart, answer a customer question, choose how to resolve an issue, multitask, or find the
right information from multiple sources.

After Assessment
In most cases, you will be notified via email if we’re moving forward with your
application. You can also check your status any time in our application portal.
After you complete the assessment, you will be required to participate in a phone/virtual
interview, or come on-site for an in-person interview, which allows us to dive deeper into
your skills and experience to learn even more about you.

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Interview
What's Amazon's interview process and how do I get started?
Visit Interviewing at Amazon to learn about each step of the application and interview
process with us, from completing the online application to preparing for phone and in-
person interviews.

How do I best prepare for Amazon’s interview process?


To prepare for your interview, we suggest reviewing our Leadership Principles.
Amazonians use the Leadership Principles every day – whether we're discussing ideas for
new projects or deciding the best approach to solve a problem.
We also encourage you to visit Interviewing at Amazon to learn more about the interview
process and how to prepare.

Do you offer accommodations?


Depending on your current location, your recruiter/recruiting coordinator will get in
contact with you should you need to travel for Amazon interviews

Before and After the Interviews


Some teams at Amazon incorporate role-specific exercises or online assessments into
the interview process. You will be notified if the role you’re interviewing for requires one
of these.
After your interview, be on the lookout for a quick post-interview survey via email. It is
important for us to know how we did so we can continually improve our process and we
value your input.
Expect to hear back from recruiting within two business days following your phone
screen and five business days following your interview. If you don't, feel free to give us
a nudge.

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Interview
Virtual Interview Formalities

During your phone interview (phone screen), be in a quiet and comfortable place with
no distractions.

• Have a computer with a reliable connection and access to email. Do not use
phones
• Have a copy of your resume on hand.
• Have paper and pen readily available.
• Come prepared with questions that you would like to explore in more detail (e.g.
initiatives/projects, team culture, scope of role).
• If you need clarity on anything, or have any additional follow-up questions, reach
out to your recruiting point of contact.
• If you've been asked to do a virtual interview, you need to download Amazon
Chime, our tool for video conferencing (step-by-step guide can be found here). If
you're presenting, you will need to download Chime to your desktop. The
meeting ID# will be emailed to you by your recruiting point of contact. For
optimal sound quality, use a headset with a microphone.

Onsite Interview
Check in: Arrive 15 minutes early, and check in for your interview. Have your
government-issued photo ID ready (e.g. driver’s license, Aadhaar Card).
Location: Detailed instructions will be sent to you via email. Let us know if you need any
accommodations or have allergies.
Special assistance: Please let your recruiter/recruiting coordinator know a day in advance
if you need any special assistance on the day of the interview.
Dress code: Comfortable and casual; most of our offices are filled with people wearing
everyday clothes. We're interested in what you have to say, not what you are wearing.
What to expect: Interviews will be a mixture of questions and discussions regarding your
role related functional competencies and challenges you've encountered. Be ready with
detailed examples — concise, structured answers are ideal.
Interviewers: Depending on the role, you will meet with anywhere from two to five
Amazonians. They will likely be a mix of managers, team members, key stakeholders
from related teams, and a “Bar Raiser” (usually an objective third party from another
team). All interviewers will assess potential for growth beyond the position you’re
interviewing for, and focus on evaluating how well your background and skills meet core
competencies, along with how they relate to Amazon’s Leadership Principles. We
recommend approaching each of your interviews the same way, rather than trying to
tailor answers to the interviewer’s role.

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Interview
Interviewers will often be taking notes on their laptops. It’s important that they have
precise notes of their time with you to share with other interviewers.
• Resume or CV: Interviewers will have a copy, but feel free to bring one as well.
• Duration: Each interview session usually lasts from 45 minutes to an hour.
• Lunch: We will provide lunch if your interview is scheduled during the lunch hour.
• Technical roles: If you're interviewing for a technical role, be prepared to white
board.
• Virtual interviews: If you've been asked to do a virtual interview, you will likely
need to download Amazon Chime, our tool for video conferencing (step-by-step
guide here). If you're presenting, you will need to download Chime to your
desktop. The meeting ID# will be emailed to you by your recruiting point of
contact. For optimal sound quality, use headset with a microphone.

Prep for Technical Interviews


Before you dig into the technical topics you may be asked about during your interview,
connect with your recruiting point of contact to understand the subjects/skills you’ll
most likely be discussing and demonstrating. In general, our technical interviews
typically require you to perform coding and system design white boarding exercises. Also
keep in mind that invention is in our DNA, and technology is the fundamental tool we
wield to evolve and improve every aspect of the experience we provide our customers.
When reviewing the below topics, keep the customer top of mind. Interview preparation
for tech roles (e.g. software development, machine learning) can be found here.
Unsure if you're interviewing for a technical role? Reach out to your recruiting point of
contact.

Tips before you head in to the interviews


Be prepared to explain what interests you about the role you’re interviewing for and the
team (or teams) you’ll be meeting with.
When answering questions, be concise but detailed. We realize it’s hard to gauge how
much information is too much versus not enough. An effective test is pausing after your
succinct response to ask if you’ve provided enough detail, or if the interviewer would
like you to go into more depth.
Follow-up if you need clarification. If you are asked a question, but are not given enough
information to provide a solid answer, don’t be shy about asking for more information.

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Interview
If additional context is not available, focus on how you would attempt to solve the
problem given limited information.
For some roles, we may ask you to complete a writing sample. Why? At Amazon, we don’t
do PowerPoint or any other slide-oriented presentations. Instead, we write narratively
structured memos and silently read one at the beginning of each meeting in a kind of
“study hall.” These papers generally range from one to six pages and articulate the
project goal(s), approach to addressing it, outcome, and next steps.
Given this unique aspect of our culture, and the impact these papers have on what
decisions we make as a company, being able to articulate your thoughts in written
format is a necessary skill.
We aim to hire smart, thoughtful, and customer-obsessed people. Reflect on what
motivated you to pursue a career with Amazon, and be prepared to share your thought
process. Although “Why Amazon?” is a standard question, it’s not a formality for process.
We genuinely want to understand what inspired you to explore an opportunity with us
so we get a better sense of who you are.
We try to leave a few minutes at the end of each interview to answer questions you
might have, but if we don’t get to all of them, please don’t hesitate to ask your recruiting
point of contact.

Behavioral-based Interviewing
Our interviews are rooted in behavioral-based questions which ask about past situations
or challenges you’ve faced and how you handled them, using Leadership Principles to
guide the discussion. We avoid brain teasers (e.g., “How many windows are in
Manhattan?”) as part of the interview process. We’ve researched this approach and have
found that those types of questions are unreliable when it comes to predicting a
candidate’s success at Amazon.
Here are some examples of behavioral-based questions:
• Tell me about a time when you were faced with a problem that had a number of
possible solutions. What was the problem and how did you determine the course
of action? What was the outcome of that choice?
• When did you take a risk, make a mistake, or fail? How did you respond, and how
did you grow from that experience?
• Describe a time you took the lead on a project.
• What did you do when you needed to motivate a group of individuals or promote
collaboration on a particular project?
• How have you leveraged data to develop a strategy?

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Keep in mind, Amazon is a data-driven company. When you answer questions, your
focus should be on the question asked, ensure your answer is well-structured and
provide examples using metrics or data if applicable. Reference recent situations
whenever possible.

Tips for great answers


The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview
question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of what you're
describing. Practice using the STAR method to answer the behavioral-based interview
questions listed above, incorporating examples from the Amazon Leadership Principles.
Ensure each answer has a beginning, middle, and end. Describe the situation or problem,
the actions you took, and the outcome.
Prepare short descriptions of a handful of different situations and be ready to answer
follow-up questions with greater detail. Select examples that highlight your unique
skills.
Have specific examples that showcase your experience, and demonstrate that you’ve
taken risks, succeeded, failed and grown in the process.
Specifics are key; avoid generalizations. Give a detailed account of one situation for each
question you answer, and use data or metrics to support your example.
Be forthcoming and straightforward. Don't embellish or omit parts of the story.

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Amazon.Jobs
FAQ
I don't have an email address. Can I create an account on Amazon.jobs using my
phone number?
At this time, amazon.jobs only supports sign-in using a valid email address. In the near
future, however, you'll be able sign in to amazon.jobs using your phone number.

I already have an amazon.jobs account, so why do I need to reset my password?


We're working hard to provide the best candidate experience possible, so we've made
some improvements to the sign-in experience. We want to make sure you're able to
access all of our new features. Resetting your password will allow you to see the new
and ongoing changes coming to amazon.jobs to make your experience great!

I have multiple email addresses associated with my applications. Can I merge my


accounts?
Unfortunately, we are not able to merge applicant accounts. If you already have an
amazon.jobs account, please kindly use the same login information to access your
profile.

I forgot my amazon.jobs password. How do I recover it?


To recover your password, click ‘create new or reset existing’ on the sign-in screen and
enter your username.

What information or features can I access with my amazon.jobs account?


With an amazon.jobs account, you can access your applicant profile, view application
information, and check your application status. As amazon.jobs continues to improve
and grow, we'll inform you of any new features or changes.

Do I have to upload my resume using a cloud service?


In an effort to support a more mobile-friendly experience, we've added the ability to
upload your resume using cloud services. You still have the option to upload your resume
from your device.

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Can I upload a resume and use my LinkedIn profile?
Applicants can use LinkedIn as an alternative to uploading a traditional resume during
profile creation. Unfortunately, we only accept one resume per applicant at this time, so
please select the option that works best for you.
If an applicant withdraws their application, is hired for a role, or is no longer under
consideration, their application will be archived.

My application status hasn't changed. Who can I contact for an update?


Your dashboard is regularly being updated to display the most up-to-date status
information relating to each application. When an application status changes, your
dashboard is updated in almost real-time to reflect this new status.

When does my application move from Active to Archived?


An application is considered active as long as a final decision has not yet been made. If
an applicant withdraws their application, is hired for a role, or is no longer under
consideration, their application will be archived.

Online Resources

Opportunities for Students

Privacy Policy

Leadership Principles

Amazon Benefits

Contact information

For SDE roles: apac-ind-tech-queries@amazon.com

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