Before anything, the reason why I'm posting this message now is because: first I was not a member of this website back then and also, I just realized what's happened.
I year ago, I was approached by an Amazon recruiter and this was not the first time. I'm a seasoned software engineer (over 18 years of experience) and when I asked the recruiter what level the opportunity is, they told me that's not how Amazon interviews work! They said that I have to be interviewed first and my level will be determined as part of the process.
Long story short, I prepared for the (remote-onsite) interview (or I thought I did) but the questions were underwhelming. Two of the interviewers only asked very premitive questions. Like how to write a class and polymorphism. I was so shocked that I miss took the context and didn't get the meaning of the questions. So my anwers were completely off target.
One other interviewer, asked me a descent algorithmic question which I answered with a small help. The last interviewer also asked an algorithmic question which I didn't know the answer. But I tried and failed. So the interviewer stepped in to help me but their suggestions were completely misleading. I can say that since I do know the answer now and remembering the suggestions, I can say for certain that they were no help. As if the interviewer didn't know the answer.
Anways, my complaint about that interview process is that I was interviewed by much younger and much less-experienced interviewers who were not qualified to evaluate me. After I was rejected, I got a link to a survey in which I addressed my complaint.
But the story does not end there. Six months passed and yet again I was approached by another Amazon's recruiter. This time, I told them that I've had bad expriences with Amazon before and I'm not sure if I want to go through the process once more. So, I asked them to explicitly mention what position/level they are offering. And in response they told me:
"I just looked into your situation and it looks like you are in a waiting period after your last interview. Unfortunately, we cannot move forward with Amazon for the moment. I wish you all the best in your search for your next role!"
And in response, I complained some more that if they know that I cannot apply (which I had no idea I couldn't), why they approached me in the first place. Of course, I didn't get any reponse on that.
Now, we get to the fun part. I was approached by this other Amazon's recruiter just a couple of days ago. This time, one year has passed since my failed last onsite interview and I thought I must be off the list by now. After a couple of emails, they sent me a link to an SDEIII opportunity which I blieve was a good fit. So I applied and the next day while I was chatting with the recruiter (literally I was typing an email to them to schedule a phone call) I recieved an email from the Amazon's website that I was rejected. I forwarded that email to the recruiter and then I was told that I'm on a two year cooling period! And I cannot apply for anything with Amazon before the next year.
Moral of the story:
- Make sure you are applying for an opportunity matching your level. This is up to you and the recruiter knows jack what level you are.
- No matter how much you are offended by the interview process, interviewers, or the recruiter, keep it to yourself. If you complain, it will be your word against theirs and the house always wins!