Preface: I have interviewed around 300-500 people in the last 10+ years, spread between Microsoft and Amazon. This applies for finding a job with one of the Ind

Preface: I have interviewed around 300-500 people in the last 10+ years, spread between Microsoft and Amazon. This applies for finding a job with one of the Industry titans (Amazon/FB/Google/MS/Twitter etc.) 1. Prepare well. The number of interview preparation sites are way too many to mention. 2. Get your basics straight. If you are applying to a programming job, assume you are going to be grilled on Data Structures/Algorithms/Coding/Design patterns/OS. 3. Practice coding without an IDE. 4. Tune your interview preparation to the industry you are trying to get hired into as well. For example, if you are an experienced guy and plan to interview with us (AWS DynamoDB), you would be hard pressed to get by without Database Architecture/Concurrency/Distributed programming related knowledge. This also levels up or down according to your experience. If you have 10 years in the database industry the expectations are going to be very different compared to a college hire. 4.1. An addendum: We do hire a lot of people from other disciplines provided they prove that they are smart / willing to learn / can code. I switched from the Windows C++/C# shop to a linux Java/Perl/C++ shop for example. Do make your competencies clear to the interviewer at the onset. 4.2 Remember that you could be a very successful person in a different field/company, but as an interviewer if I can't relate your skills for the role I am interviewing you for in some way – I can't hire you. This starts mattering more and more as roles become senior. 5. Know what you have been doing for the past few years. Prepare for questions probing your team skills/problem solving skills etc. 6. Know what you are talking about and what's on your resume very well - I can't stress this enough. I find so many folks who have a templated 'Skills' list like Java and are not able to answer basic fizz buzz questions. 7. Read up about the company culture and see what they actually value most. (again, way too many sites out there for this information). Amazon has a list of leadership skills that people look for. These might appear broad, but usually have direct effects on the interview process. 8. Find someone inside the company who will refer you instead of cold calling. Shameless plug: If you think you are well prepared and want a referral to AWS, contact me! We are hiring!