This was the most humiliating experience I could ever imagine.
It doesn't begin and end with the hiring event that took place, it starts at the very initial recruitment phase.
1. no one actually talks with you. You receive mails from a recruiter that cannot even tell you the type of job you are interviewing for. I wanted to make sure that I was being interviewed for a senior developer position, but the recruiter just told me "We'll see after the interviews".
Everything was in emails. An email before an online test. Emails after the test. Emails that contain many links to sites (I actually have to pay for) that could help me pass the interview.
There was no one I could talk to. The best I could do, on that one day I was sick and wanted to postpone my test, was to write her a mail and hope that she responds within the next 24 hours.
2. the moment I reached the hiring event, I was in for a surprise. The parking lot is not free. Even though we were told specifically in the mail that all candidates will have free access to the parking lot. I paid of course.
3. I entered the WeWork offices. There was no one to talk to. There were a bunch of employees from different companies making coffee, but none of them knew anything about any recruitment).
It just so happened there was this one guy with a laptop that understood what we came for, and so he mumbled "Go up two floors" and meet whatshername.
We went up. The recruiter then tells me that they've been having truoble with that parking lot for some reason. It was only then that I realized that this was not the first interviewing day. They've been having this parking lot issue for 4 days in a row now, but no one thought about solving it(!!). The recruiter promised us that we'd give her the receipt at the end of the day and that we'd get paid back.
At this point, we were separated to different rooms. Even that was not handled well.
I was led to a room without being offered a drink, and then she closed the door behind her. You needed to find your own way to the kitchen (lucky me, it was right in front of my room). The recruiter told me to call her if I needed anything (like even using the restrooms - which required a special card). I asked her for her phone number so that I could call, but she said "No, just send me an email".
4. You are not brought in for an interview at Amazon. You come for 4 interviews in a row in one day . This means you must lose half a day's work in order to participate in those interviews, where even if you have failed the first one, you don't go home, you'd still need to continue with the other 3.
5. for 4 hours I had interviewers coming in and out of my room without a break. I was told there would be a 10 minute break between interviews, but since my first interviewer was late, I didn't even have the privilege of having one. There was this one time I asked one of my interviewers that had just arrived, if I could make myself some tea. I had no alone time. Not even to eat (and of course I couldn't eat during the interview)
The last hour I spent there was with a splitting headache and shivering.
Sixth, when I finished my interviews, weak and worn out and the last of the interviewers had left the room, I really felt violated. I was not even escorted to the door, or the stair case, or (heaven forbids) the entrance. I had to find my own way out.
Once I came out, it suddenly hit me that no one had paid for my parking lot and that I'd have to pay it from my own pocket. But never mind – this is Amazon!
7. the crème de la crème for me, actually took place after the hiring event.
A few days later (that was pretty fast) I received a mail telling me I didn't get hired.
I started contemplating about my interviews, trying to figure out what I did wrong.
Other companies I didn't get into also gave me feedback telling me my weaknesses or why (the hell) I was not accepted. However, in recruiter's mail it said that she was very sorry, but she can't give any feedback at the moment.
I figured, what have I got to lose? I won't be working for Amazon anyway, at least maybe I could learn something about myself, something I could improve in my future interviews.
So I sent her a mail, telling her I would really appreciate if she could try give me a few remarks/tips from my interviewers anyway.
Till this day (about a month after), I haven't received any response (although in the mail I received from Amazon it said I could contact her in case I had any questions).
I remember actually telling myself after the interviews: "why did you kill yourself over this? Why did I spend so much time and effort trying to be accepted to this company? Look at how this whole recruitment process is managed!". I didn't even see that from the beginning. I played along. I was so interested in the brand, that I forgot to look sideways and see this crazy mess. Why would I even consider working on such a place?