How to Become an AI Engineer at Amazon
Here’s everything you might want to know about how Amazon recruits AI engineers.
First, let’s break down the primary components of what an AI software engineer job interview looks like:
The AI engineer phone interview
After you apply, the first job interview step may be a phone-screening call with the recruiter or the hiring manager. The call helps them get a better understanding of you as a candidate. They’ll brief you about the job role and talk through the interview process.
Expect a run-through of your past work experiences and the responsibilities at your previous companies. They are looking for a clear understanding of your background and whether you have the grit and competency for the given job role.
The AI engineer technical screening
The second round of the job interview is the technical screen. Generally, you’ll have this interview with a member of the machine learning or artificial-intelligence engineering management. The goal is to determine whether you’re competent enough in the technical aspects of the role and whether you’ll fit in well with the company or organizational culture.
Here are some of the most common job interview questions an AI engineer might be asked as part of the technical screen:
- What is artificial intelligence?
- What is machine learning?
- What is the difference between artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning?
- What are the different types of artificial intelligence?
- What are intelligent agents?
- What is the most popular programming language used in artificial intelligence?
- Name five of the best languages to use for artificial intelligence.
- What is a neural network, and how does it function?
- What is the difference between strong artificial intelligence and weak artificial intelligence?
- How would you explain machine learning to someone who doesn’t have a technical background?
- Can you share examples of artificial intelligence in use?
- What is the Turing Test?
- What is TensorFlow?
- Is there a connection between game theory and artificial intelligence? If so, what is the relationship between game theory and artificial intelligence?
- What are the different types of keys in a relational database?
- How does artificial intelligence impact application development?
- What are the good properties of a knowledge representation game?
- What is the Tower of Hanoi?
- What is a breadth-first search?
- What is an A* search algorithm?
Often, there will be a second technical screen, which will involve coding or “whiteboarding.” You can typically choose your preferred programming language.
The AI engineer on-site job interview
There may be as many as five or six rounds of interviews for an on-site or “panel” job interview. You will be expected to answer a combination of technical and behavioral interview questions.
Behavioral questions can cover your past job roles and responsibilities, including why you are leaving your current job. Consider answering these questions with intellectual humility. At Amazon, you might be expected to understand the company’s leadership principles and company values.
The technical interviews will cover artificial intelligence and machine-learning concepts. Often, you will be asked about object-oriented design.
The bottom line
Most candidates will get rejected after the first round of job interviews. A candidate might not pass because they don’t possess the required skill-set or lack the knowledge for the given role. While you’ll need strong technical knowledge of the latest artificial intelligence tools and technologies, the hiring manager’s impression and your mastery of the behavioral questions can be crucial, too.
This article was written by Albert Christopher for HackerNoon and was lightly edited and republished with permission.