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Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

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Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#261

Post by mzw_mzw »

Alex3917 wrote: post #257
mzw_mzw wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> US corporations have a multi-hundred year history of using thinly veiled proxies for race as part of their hiring practices. This continues to this day, including in the tech industry. That's a pretty serious accusation, one that could spark a lot of successful lawsuits against those companies -- especially in the current political climate in the states they tend to be located in. Do you have any specific evidence…

Google won't you apply to work there without giving your college GPA, despite the fact that all the academic research, and also their own internal research, shows that GPA doesn't correlate at all with job performance. C.f. what Malcom Gladwell has to say about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLQC3EzDGr4

That... that's your evidence that Google are a bunch of racists? Because they want to know how well applicants did in college?

Okay, then. Good luck with the lawsuits.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#262

Post by peterwwillis »

mabbo wrote: post #253
peterwwillis wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Years ago I was flown out to Amazon to interview for them. I had like five interviews that day, all from different teams who were all asking questions that had nothing to do with the job I was applying for, never asking about my relevant experience. They were asking me CS questions and I had never gone to college. They asked about computer design - like, draw a diagram of a computer (I had never made a diagram before…

The reason for the very generic interview is that you won't be on the same team in two years. People move around a lot. If they hire you because you know Angular but fuck all otherwise, they're screwing over the team you're going to be on in two years who need someone that can learn C socket programming ASAP. It's about finding someone who can see things more generally, but then implement solutions with the tools on…

I don't think it's as bad of a format if you just change the premise to a remote hire or something. You need to do a lot more communicating. But there is really no way to be totally sure about someone.

I also find it mildly insulting that essentially i'm interviewing for a job I don't know i'm going to have, as if I had no choice in what I do, or my choice was irrelevant. If I get hired for a Perl job, don't put me on a Java team, because I hate Java. They could also just skip certain interviews by asking if I have any interest in X team in the future, or if I have any experience with it.

I will say I did appreciate and enjoy my own experience with Amazon - two phone interviews, possibly some code sample, and an in-person. Really nice people. Just an unfortunate waste of time, especially for the interviewers.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#263

Post by YeGoblynQueenne »

andrewguenther wrote: post #83
rl3 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention: Any website you visit What a fantastic way of driving away virtually every candidate that's even remotely high-caliber.

Keep in mind, this is during the test. What are you going to do, take a break and load up some porn? These conditions only apply for the 24 minutes in which you take the test. How is this different than if a person were watching you during an interview?

>> How is this different than if a person were watching you during an interview?

It's different because they're recording you, not to mention they're doing it by installing spyware on your computer. That's not what a person does when they watch you, unless they're watching you through a camera.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#264

Post by mgiannopoulos »

kafkaesq wrote: post #18

The following information will be collected during the duration of the exam: Your microphone Your webcam Your physical location Your head movements Your eye movements Your mouth movements Creepy as all get-out. By all means, lets have more leaks like this.

When I was taking exams at university I am certain the professor could monitor my eye and mouth movements. I could also of course be seen at all times as well as any sounds I made were heard . How is this different?

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#265

Post by chucksmash »

> (I'm not sure how this [accessing other tabs] works with Chrome's sandbox, though).

Just fine. The "tabs" permission is a blanket perm across all tabs in all windows. Extensions run at a higher level of trust than Joe Random Blog's JS and accordingly have access to more powerful APIs.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#266

Post by tn13 »

walrus01 wrote: post #36
brianwawok wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Wow funny how you were an Asian woman on the phone screen, and the first day of work you are a white male. Oh well, must just be a mistake"

"How dare you assume my gender! I identify as a transsexual furry otherkin dragon werewolf".

Lawsuite is coming for sexual harassment and verbal abuse say the employee now. :)

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#267

Post by sperglord »

kuschku wrote: post #146
kafkaesq wrote: post #18

The following information will be collected during the duration of the exam: Your microphone Your webcam Your physical location Your head movements Your eye movements Your mouth movements Creepy as all get-out. By all means, lets have more leaks like this.

So, what if I run the browser in a VM, and cheat in a second VM? With a secondary input device to switch between which VM is displayed on my screen? Or even an overlay? They’d be completely fooled. It’s completely useless, and so needlessly invasive.

Why not just put a second laptop on your desk?

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#268

Post by YeGoblynQueenne »

uw_rob wrote: post #189
donatj wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no cheating in programming. This is absurd.

I think Googling the question exactly and copy and pasting the answer would qualify as cheating. (Disclaimer: I completed an internship at Amazon and accepted a second internship)

That's very easily caught by googling candidates' answers.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#269

Post by prodigal_erik »

rl3 wrote: post #115
andrewguenther wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep in mind, this is during the test. What are you going to do, take a break and load up some porn? These conditions only apply for the 24 minutes in which you take the test. How is this different than if a person were watching you during an interview?

It's the principle of it. Needlessly invasive. It's my hardware, and my network traffic—not theirs. Using such a system in the first place also signals their ineptitude at hiring, or at least an ignorance of quality hiring practices. >What are you going to do, take a break and load up some porn? Well, yes: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/669103856106668033/UF3c... [NSFW]

What's the non-inept way to stop cheating on the test? They can't ask the applicant to walk into their neighborhood Faraday cage.

Re: Software Engineering Internship Amazon Interview Experience

#270

Post by kuschku »

sperglord wrote: post #267
kuschku wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, what if I run the browser in a VM, and cheat in a second VM? With a secondary input device to switch between which VM is displayed on my screen? Or even an overlay? They’d be completely fooled. It’s completely useless, and so needlessly invasive.

Why not just put a second laptop on your desk?

They have a human watch you all the time through the camera, so they’d notice if you look anywhere else. And they require you to show them all around your room first, to prevent that.

That’s why you install the system below the desk, and use it that way.

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