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> weird or obscure tests. I'm a bit relieved to hear this: one of the weirdest professional experiences I have ever had was at an AWS interview. I've often wo
by jethkl 4y ago
> weird or obscure tests.
I'm a bit relieved to hear this: one of the weirdest professional experiences I have ever had was at an AWS interview. I've often wondered which parts of that day were a psych test or simply human error.
Timing of the interview was shortly before the HQ2 announcement (2017 I think), and the interview was in the outskirts of DC. I was told specifically not to bring a phone, which I thought was odd, but I didn't think I'd need one for the day since I'd be on site. So, per the instructions, I left it in the hotel, walked to the site, and checked in at the front desk. Unfortunately, they texted me 15 minutes before the start time that the schedule had shifted 2h later. The front desk did not get the message. So I sat in the lobby, repeatedly checked in every so often, had polite conversations with a random assortment of people, drank some coffee, and waited. That was the best part of the day. Each part of the remainder of the actual interview process had a similar "this seems a bit off" feature.
- angarg12 4y agoThat's unfortunate. The fact of the matter is that Amazon interviews thousands of engineers each month, so statistically there will be pretty bad experiences every now and then. I personally like to read candidates feedback every now and then and you can find some horror stories in there. Also unfortunately not everyone is a good interviewer and this can also impact your personal experience. If you'd like to share what those "this seems off" situations where I'd love to hear that.
- jethkl 4y agoThis is distant past for me, but I'll clarify two things: everyone that I encountered seemed quite sharp - it was a strong and interesting group. Next, my experience was personally unpleasant and parts of it still stick with me, but it was not horror-level. I also recognize it's a gigantic company, and chalk my day up to a bad match and statistical flukes. When I left the building that day, due to the late start and shifted schedule, the office was basically empty. I made it a few blocks on my walk back to the hotel when a thunderstorm rolled in. Lacking a phone and the option to return to the building to find a person, I ran. Didn't make it. I actually had forgotten about this part until I reflected back on it this morning. It was a fitting end.