AWS Skilled-Based HIRING PROGRAM w. Director of Recruiting (AWS)

Summary

In this insightful video, Holly Lee, founder of Holly Le, and Matt, a senior director at Amazon, discuss Amazon's rigorous hiring process and the company's innovative approach to talent acquisition. They delve into the STAR method for answering interview questions, the importance of Amazon's leadership principles, and the recent skill-based hiring initiative that opens opportunities to candidates without a four-year degree. Matt shares his 13-year journey at Amazon, from a contract recruiter to his current role, emphasizing the value of continuous learning and adaptability in the fast-paced tech industry.

Takeaways

• 😀 Holly Lee is the founder of Holly Le, dieo and a VIP coach, known for her expertise in Amazon's hiring process.
• 🏆 Matt has been with Amazon for over 13 years, starting as a contract recruiter and moving through various roles, including Director of AWS early career.
• 🤖 Matt's early roles at Amazon involved supporting the fraud prevention business and being part of one of the first teams to delve into machine learning.
• 📚 Matt helped create and scale the 'Amazon Future Engineer' program, which provided computer science education to millions of students globally.
• 🌐 The 'Amazon Future Engineer' program expanded beyond the US and Canada to the UK, France, Germany, and India, impacting international education systems.
• 🛠️ Matt discussed the 'bar raiser' program at Amazon, emphasizing the importance of leadership principles and the STAR method in interviews.
• 🎓 Amazon has been focusing on skill-based hiring, targeting individuals without four-year degrees and engaging with community colleges for talent development.
• 💼 Holly emphasized the importance of concise communication, advocating for a '16-second Spiel' to effectively convey one's points in a快节奏 environment.
• 🔑 Matt shared insights on interviewing for higher-level positions at AWS, noting the importance of demonstrating impact and understanding business scale.
• 🔄 Holly addressed concerns about career gaps, advising job seekers to focus on storytelling and not to let gaps affect their confidence during interviews.
• 🔑 Matt confirmed that AWS is open to hiring those with career gaps, highlighting the importance of how candidates present their experiences and reasons for the gap.

Q & A

Who is Holly Lee and what is her role?

Holly Lee is the founder of Holly Le, dieo, and she runs a VIP coach and cohort. She is known for her expertise in coaching for Amazon interviews, although she clarifies that she is not an Amazon coach herself.

What is Matt's background at Amazon?

Matt joined Amazon 13 years ago as a contract recruiter, supporting the fraud prevention business. He moved to various roles including a full-time role, recruiting manager, and later led recruiting teams for events and software engineers. He also helped hire economists and machine learning scientists for Amazon's Consumer division.

What is the STAR method mentioned in the script?

The STAR method is a structured way of answering behavioral interview questions. It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Holly Lee emphasizes its importance in Amazon's high hiring bar for critical thinking and answering interview questions effectively.

Can you explain the Amazon Future Engineer program that Matt worked on?

The Amazon Future Engineer program was an initiative aimed at providing high-quality Computer Science Education to all students, with a focus on underrepresented and underserved students. Matt helped scale the program globally, reaching about 10 million students, including offering full computer science courses and professional development for teachers.

What is Matt's current role at Amazon?

Matt is currently the Director of AWS Early Career, a role he has been in for about 3 years. His responsibilities include hiring on a large scale for AWS, particularly focusing on early career opportunities.

What is the 'bar raiser' program at Amazon?

The 'bar raiser' program at Amazon is a training program for employees who are involved in the hiring process. It helps them to maintain high hiring standards across the company. Matt has participated in and facilitated this program.

What does Holly Lee mean by the '16-second spiel' in the context of Amazon interviews?

Holly Lee refers to the concept of condensing one's responses to interview questions into a concise format that can be delivered within 16 seconds. This is based on her experience that Amazon executives expect quick, clear, and impactful answers.

How does Matt approach interviewing candidates for technical roles when he is not technically inclined?

Matt focuses on the leadership principles and competencies, as well as the candidate's ability to articulate their impact and results. He leaves the technical evaluation to those with the relevant expertise.

What advice does Matt give for candidates interviewing for level seven and level eight positions at AWS?

Matt suggests that candidates should clearly articulate the scope and scale of their past experiences and accomplishments. He also emphasizes the importance of understanding the leadership principles and being able to quantify the impact of their work.

What is the skill-based program at Amazon and who is the target audience?

The skill-based program at Amazon is aimed at hiring individuals who may not have a four-year degree but possess valuable skills and potential. It targets various roles, including those in AWS and data centers, and is also focused on providing professional readiness to students from community colleges.

How does Amazon handle career gaps on resumes?

According to Holly Lee, Amazon does not necessarily view career gaps negatively. It's more about the story behind the gap and how candidates explain their time off and its relevance to the role they are applying for.