Amazon Hiring/Interview process MEGATHREAD (unemployment, contractors, store)

[kaonevar]

This was specifically the most expensive employees right before vesting. No one in the team post-vesting. A look at Glassdoor also confirms this as being a trend. Just an FYI.

[CajunCovergirl]

Amazon doesn't do "layoffs" historically. What are you referring to specifically?

[RVD90277]

I actually don't know if it was timed that way on purpose or if it just so happened that way. The 1.5 year mark is around the time that employees make a decision on whether to stay for the long term or just stick it out for the 2 years to get their next 15% RSU grant. Usually employees are a bit burned out by then, etc. It's also around the time when you're no longer "new" so your manager might be on you pretty hard for performance, etc.

So it could just be timing. After those first 2 years, you have a vesting event every 6 months so you're always going to be "right before vesting"...

Good luck out there!

[ljdata]

This would imply they voluntarily left. I can certainly understand the demands of the job causing this; and I too am hugely concerned about the average tenure on LinkedIn, and the larger number of "squeaky wheels" from Amazon. Still, the quantity of employees involved has to result in some conflicts no matter how hard to try to avoid them.

I still can not see that any of these separations were done via any means than voluntarily departure in a large scale (IE: Layoffs, firing). I would hope that most people who arrive to this point in their career are reasonable competent anyways. Maybe my philosophy is different though.

On another note, I'm not sure what this whole sign-on thing is. Mine involved "guaranteed cash", which is essentially additional compensation to hold you over until RSU's start vesting dispersed monthly. So whether or not you actually cash those RSUs, you still have something. Seems fair enough to me. Likely, the only reason the RSU loss was so detrimental to the last person was the rapid increase in value over 4 years.

[RVD90277]

Not just with Amazon but there is always a fine line between voluntarily resigning and getting fired. For example, if your manager puts you on a PIP, it's a sign that you're probably going to get fired in the next few months so many people start interviewing, find a job, and then resign. Even if you aren't on a PIP, if the work environment or your team or your manager or any number of things get annoying...you might look elsewhere. Remember, most of these employees are highly desired and get messages on linkedin literally every single day from recruiters to are trying to get them to take a job somewhere else for more money. Of course there are some who are in good standing who leave as well (regretted attrition).

As for sign-on, etc. If you are entry level, usually you get a lump sum sign-on bonus and you have to pay a portion of that back if you leave early. If you are mid level and above, you get a monthly bonus check on top of your salary and since that's automatically paid to you monthly, if you leave you don't need to pay anything back (since you didn't get the rest of your payments).

If the stock goes down, the cash bonuses are great. If the stock goes up, you have RSU waiting for you. It's kind of the best of both worlds in some sense...if you stick around.

[ljdata]

A PIP is usually, but not always, near the end of the road. I'm not sure if Amazon is any different in this matter or uses more PIPs than ordinary. Sometimes recoveries happen but typically if the manager is any good; the problem will have been communicated multiple times prior without utilizing this tool.

Still, I don't think PIP timing purposely coincides with stock-vesting milestones, but I could be wrong.

The stock is still more beneficial than the cash bonuses even if nothing goes up, but if it goes down by quite a bit it could be bad. I think that wiggle room is left within on purpose.

As someone who has been where I'm at for 10 years, certainly I have some hesitations. I'm hoping the lack of tenure is by choice though.

[kzinti]

Hello

I've been lurking for a while here and was wondering if you guys could offer some insight on some things:

1) How's the life/work balance for a TPM? We don't actually sit down to code but mostly handle the projects. 9-6 is normal?
2) Do you guys recommend taking the temp housing or the cash? I've lived in the area and moving up from norcal so not that far.

Oh I interviewed two weeks ago and got an offer last week so I'm going to accept.

[kaonevar]

BTW, this was a layoff, not a leaving by choice. And yes, Amazon does lay folks off. I find it funny that people think Amazon doesn't lay folks off. It can and does, just as any large corporation.

[ljdata]

Originally Posted by kzinti

Hello

I've been lurking for a while here and was wondering if you guys could offer some insight on some things:

1) How's the life/work balance for a TPM? We don't actually sit down to code but mostly handle the projects. 9-6 is normal?
2) Do you guys recommend taking the temp housing or the cash? I've lived in the area and moving up from norcal so not that far.

Oh I interviewed two weeks ago and got an offer last week so I'm going to accept.

kzinti,

Maybe you can save me a phone call, what's the cash out benefit for the relocation?

As for recommendations, unless you're young, frugal, and single, it's a huge hassle and expense to move. It will add up to more than you think. Your familiarity with the area may make it so you can fly up a week before and secure housing which is harder for some of us that don't know the area.

[ljdata]

Originally Posted by kaonevar

BTW, this was a layoff, not a leaving by choice. And yes, Amazon does lay folks off. I find it funny that people think Amazon doesn't lay folks off. It can and does, just as any large corporation.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm sure it does to isolated teams, groups, who are no longer needed. None the less, I have not heard of any large quantity layoffs, nor any invoking the WARN act like other employers have in the last year or two in that region.