Reflects on rigorous interview preparation, including Amazon’s structured process, leadership principles, STAR-format storytelling, and lessons from a Fractional CTO interview.

My Interview Experiences: A Tale of Two Processes

I’ve been through my fair share of interviews, but two stand out:

  1. The Amazon Loop for a Solutions Architect role in 2022
  2. A Fractional CTO Interview just last week

The Amazon Loop: Reflection, Preparation, Execution

The Amazon process was rigorous, structured, and deeply introspective. Here’s what it looked like:

Process:

  • Recruiter Screening
  • Manager Screening
  • Technical Exercise
  • The Loop:
    • Two interviews with the immediate team (deep dive into the technical exercise)
    • One interview with the extended team
    • One interview with the hiring manager
    • One interview with the Bar Raiser

Preparation (took ~1 month):

  • Studied the Leadership Principles
  • Watched countless Jeff Bezos videos on YouTube (repeatedly)
  • Identified 50–75 LP-aligned scenarios from my past, which translated into approximately 20 Stories
  • Structured answers using the STAR format

Visuals from My Journey

Here are a couple of images that capture moments from my interview preparation journey:

During Interview

Interview Preparation