Inside Amazon's hiring methods!

I worked at Amazon for their Talent Acquisition department from 2021 until October of 2025. I was part of the layoff last year. During my tenure there I worked as a Recruiter in the Corporate office and as a Product Marketer for in internal Talent Acquisition team by the time I left. I interviewed candidates for both corporate roles and for their field roles.

Before working there, I used to think that their hiring process was too cumbersome and a bit much. After working there I now understand that the hiring process is doing what it's meant to do. This is not to say that the hiring process is without it's flaws but the flaws aren't a bug, they're a feature.

Here are five tips from an insider's perspective:

• Don't apply to 50 different jobs with different job titles and families - You aren't increasing your odds but applying to more jobs. You are telling the recruiters that you don't know what you're looking for. And yes, recruiters can see all the jobs you have applied for.

• When creating your resume, write your bullet points in STARI format. This is Situation, Task, Action, Result, Impact.

• Find Amazonians on LinkedIn - Amazonians, especially those who work in corporate are on LinkedIn. Find them on there and see whether they're hiring for the roles you're looking for. They'll often have the purple hiring badge or will list which roles and department at Amazon they're recruiting for. Use this to send outreaches so you ensure you are targeting the right person

• Look up Amazon's Leadership Principles - Before your first conversation with the recruiter, you need to look up the Amazon Leadership principles and be prepared to answer questions around them

• Prepare for an assignment or an assessment - You will be asked to do an assignment of some sort, whether it's a technical assessment or a writing assignment. Amazon is keen on their science backed assessments so you need to prepare for this. If you don't pass the assessment, you are likely not going to get a call from anyone for a few months.

Amazon is a company like any other, whether you want to work for them or not is your decision. And if you do, make sure you are preparing yourself for their rigorous process.