Hi- how is the internal transfer interview is in Amazon for L5 research positions ( or any other positions)? Is that informal or they make it pretty hard just like my first interview? Is there any tendency to hire internally?
Depends on teams. If you are trying to join a good team you need to clear 4-5 rounds of real interviews. Usually you need good preparation. Or else you can only clear stupid teams and join a looser team who are hungry for people and have jobs open for months with no closures.
A team that requires 4-5 rounds of "real" interviews for an internal candidate, whose code reviews and design documents are internally available, sounds like a pretty stupid team to me.
+1 to sw1633. Having a same external loop for an internal candidate when you have a lot of data to prove the candidate's mettle is dumb.
Pretty much just hiring manager’s discretion. Amazon does a TON of internal hiring; we really encourage it. Each team and manager has their own process for transfers, but it’s almost never as hard as an external loop — and there will not be a bar raiser. Here’s how you’re supposed to do it. Reach out to the manager, and ask for an informational meeting. The manager will then give you other people to meet, and these are usually the informal interviews. When you both want to move forward THEN you apply in Jobfinder. At this point your current manager will be emailed. Don’t apply right off the bat.
What happens after the new manager and I want to move forward? Is it automatically approved and you switched teams? Or does my current manager have to approve?
this is incorrect information. Amazon internal transfer is expected to be a series of real interviews with the usual behavioral questions. there is no barraiser though. what jhtt10 describes is how SOME managers handle it but not what is expected from them. as added by someone else, teams who try to hire to a good bar and dont have trouble attracting people usually don't do the informal stuff