Ah Amazon... 14 interviews, an additional 5 hour technical test, spanning a total of 3+ months. Only to be informed at the end that I was too technical for the role they had in mind but they were offering me a Senior Principal SDE role instead.
By the time we got to the end of the process I'd already concluded that the hiring process was a reflection of their internal decision making and that this was not a company (or department) I wanted to work for.
Then I was hired elsewhere and I saw something similar happen to a candidate and realised that this was truly an indication of the indecision. We had lots of roles, just none shaped in a way that fitted the person, and what we should've done is reject the person but on that occasion we hired and it was a terrible decision. They were a good person and very capable, but not a fit for the role finally offered. I had the sense that if I had accepted the Amazon role that would've been true for me too.
An interview process of more than 3-4 defined steps that takes longer than a month to schedule, is a bad sign.
Top tip for candidates: Ask what the process is, if they cannot conclusively tell you then double down on interviewing at a company that can.
By the time we got to the end of the process I'd already concluded that the hiring process was a reflection of their internal decision making and that this was not a company (or department) I wanted to work for.
Then I was hired elsewhere and I saw something similar happen to a candidate and realised that this was truly an indication of the indecision. We had lots of roles, just none shaped in a way that fitted the person, and what we should've done is reject the person but on that occasion we hired and it was a terrible decision. They were a good person and very capable, but not a fit for the role finally offered. I had the sense that if I had accepted the Amazon role that would've been true for me too.
An interview process of more than 3-4 defined steps that takes longer than a month to schedule, is a bad sign.
Top tip for candidates: Ask what the process is, if they cannot conclusively tell you then double down on interviewing at a company that can.