TPM interview at Amazon
Hi , I have a senior TPM interview with amazon Alexa team. What kind of questions should I be expecting in the interview? Thanks
How would you go to SFO for a week and stay with your friend or two and save hotel money 💰?
Tell me about a time that you didn’t know what you were talking about, so you reported an engineer to HR for having bad communication skills to cover your ass.
Tell me about a time when you displayed ownership of a product that you secretly didn't give a shit about and that would never give you the satisfaction or monetary gains that the CEO would otherwise mostly experience. How did you torture your engineers?
Lol at these responses 😂. Seriously though, memorize or familiarize yourself with the leadership principles. Have 3 solid past experiences you can reference in great detail. When asked a question, dig into your examples and find a way to plug a leadership principle. Focus on that and not trying to figure out specific questions and you’ll be good.
Do whatever you want, P.L.E.A.S.E do not become a SDM after joining as a TPM. There's tons like that at Amazon, and they cause nothing but damage to the team.
I headed that many times. What do TPMs do that causes damage ? I’m SDM but curious
I have heard (and experienced first hand) the following things: 1. Lack of technical contribution or guidance to the team 2. Not connected to the grass roots level 3. Running a team of highly qualified SDEs as a "project" or a "program" 4. Most of all, due to lack of technical depth, unable to recognize their top talent and provide recognition for their work
Tell me about a time where you had to stab a coworker in the back because they wouldn’t turn around and let you stab them in the front
That is perfect 👌🏽 ☝️☝️☝️☝️
OP please connect with me ; I am an expert with amazon TPM interviews. I have placed many TPM in FB . GOOG and AMZN you name it. DM me for more details or just schedule a 30 min on seattletechinterviews.com
How is Zulily?
Try to be a douche - higher the level of douchery and scumbaggery, higher the chances of being hired as a TPM. Make sure to tell the interviewers that SDEs are just "heads" that work for a TPM to meet their deadlines. Bonus points for mentioning SDEs are replaceable in blink of eye.
Tell me about a time you used cheapness to achieve your goals
But it'll be rephrased as "were frugal"
Have you ever completed a project with 10% of the budget, payable solely in bananas?