Amazon | SDE 2 | Seattle | July 2022 [Reject]
Summary
I interviewed for an SDE 2 position at Amazon in Seattle in July 2022. Despite a positive overall experience and strong performance in most rounds, I was ultimately rejected, primarily due to a miscommunication in one of the coding rounds.
Full Experience
The hiring manager reached out to me through LinkedIn, and even though I wasn't really prepared, I decided to give it a shot. After I agreed, the Sr. recruiter emailed me the details for the next steps.
Online Assessment:
The online assessment included a simple set-based question and a hard question based on sliding window. There were also questions on system design and Leadership Principles (LP). Following this, I received an email to schedule my virtual onsite interview, which also involved answering a few personal and technical questions related to system design.
Round 1:
This round started with 25-30 minutes of LP questions, followed by a system design challenge: 'Designing a system that would replicate an S3 bucket' (High-Level Design). I felt this round went okay, probably a lean hire.
Round 2:
Similar to the first, this round began with 20-25 minutes of LP questions, then moved to coding a caching algorithm (which I understood was a LeetCode Hard problem). This round was unfortunately plagued by miscommunication. Although I knew the code, I ended up coding something different from what the interviewer was looking for due to this misunderstanding. This round likely resulted in a 'No Hire'.
Round 3:
After 20-25 minutes of LP questions, I tackled a LeetCode Medium problem based on sorting and a two-pointer approach, along with a follow-up question. This was my best round; we finished everything so early that we spent the last 10 minutes chatting about our travels. I believe this was a Strong Hire.
Round 4:
The final round included 25-30 minutes of LP, followed by a Low-Level Design (LLD) problem: 'Design Amazon Locker'. I was a bit nervous about my LLD, but the interviewer kept assuring me that I was doing the right thing, which definitely helped me a lot. I felt this round went well, likely a Lean Hire/Hire.
Result:
After almost a week, I received a rejection email. I wasn't surprised given what happened in round 2, but I had hoped for more insightful feedback to understand other areas where I need to improve. However, the overall interview experience was quite positive.
Interview Questions (2)
Design a system that would replicate an S3 bucket (High-Level Design).
Design an Amazon locker (Low-Level Design).
Preparation Tips
Due to NDA, I couldn't write down the exact questions, but the general topics give a good idea for interview preparation. I'm determined not to give up on LeetCoding. I remember struggling to solve more than 2 questions in contests, but with consistent practice, I can now solve at least 3, and sometimes all 4. Approaching DSA as something I 'want to do' rather than 'have to do' has significantly reduced the pressure and improved my performance.