The virtual on-site interview was such a miserable experience that I considered contacting the recruiter during my lunch break to tell them I did not want to finish the day. The day started with an hour-long portfolio presentation I was asked to prepare, followed by six more hours of interviews with individuals. While tiring, I understood the general structure of the day was pretty normal as far as tech companies go. Not once during the entire day did anyone refer back to the work I had shown in the presentation. We never talked about qualifications or past job experience I had that might be applicable to the role. Instead, I was continuously grilled with over-the-top situational questions that were not relevant to the job description at all. It was revealed that several of the individuals I interviewed with were not even within the organization for which the job was posted. One even admitted that she was not really aware what type of job I was applying for. How is it helpful for somebody to be interviewing me who is not even knowledgable about what the team needs are, and who I cannot even ask questions to learn more about the role? Amazon obviously forces it's interviewers to choose from lists of pre-defined questions that are meant to determine if somebody possesses certain character traits or "leadership principles," and the questions are the same no matter what the role is. There was very little opportunity for me to ask the interviewers my own questions about the team or to learn more about the role I would be doing.

The interview was a great experience and offered valuable learning opportunities. The interviewers were extremely kind, supportive, and helpful throughout the process. However, I realized the importance of staying highly focused and precise, especially when delivering STAR-based answers. Accuracy and clarity in structuring responses play a crucial role, and candidates should remain attentive to ensure their answers align with the question.