Real, anonymous reports from people who interviewed for Software Engineer at Amazon Services, newest first and distilled into what to expect across the loop.
After an online assessment, I ended up with two onsite interviews that were both structured around Amazon’s leadership style and technical coding. Each onsite interview ran about an hour, and they mixed behavioral questions tied to leadership principles with coding that required writing code from scratch, with hints provided along the way.
After the initial rounds, my interview journey landed in a mix of technical and behavioral questions, with technical leaning heavily toward real problem-solving rather than trivia. I was asked LeetCode-style coding questions, including things like Group Anagrams and a variant of Evaluate Division, and I also got a low-level design prompt involving a file system.
The interview process typically starts with an online assessment followed by a structured loop of multiple interviews, often spanning several weeks. Candidates noted that the timeline could feel lengthy, with some experiencing delays in scheduling after the initial assessment.
Candidates faced a mix of LeetCode-style coding problems that required live implementation, often focusing on data structures and algorithms. The technical interviews were generally medium to hard in difficulty, with an emphasis on writing clean, working code under time constraints.
Behavioral questions were heavily focused on Amazon's Leadership Principles, requiring candidates to provide structured responses using the STAR method. Interviewers sought detailed stories that demonstrated alignment with these principles, often pushing candidates to reflect on past experiences and decision-making processes.
Some interviews included system design or low-level design questions, where candidates were asked to explain their approach to designing systems or solving specific engineering problems. This aspect required a solid understanding of system-level thinking and practical application of technical knowledge.
Candidates reported varying levels of difficulty, with some feeling that the pressure to perform under time constraints was significant. The combination of technical and behavioral questioning often created a challenging environment where candidates needed to balance coding proficiency with effective storytelling.
Many candidates reflected on the importance of preparation, particularly in aligning their technical answers with leadership principles and maintaining clarity under pressure. Some wished they had practiced more behavioral storytelling or had a clearer understanding of interview expectations ahead of time.