Breaking the dog-eat-dog cycle: Amazon intern shares tips on how to ace a tech company interview

There's more to the tech industry than just coding, software engineering and data analytics. 

Contrary to popular belief, this industry has many opportunities that are not related to IT. 

So if you're looking to get a career in tech without having a related degree, not all hope is lost. 

Applying for an internship programme would be a good start as it would offer you valuable work experience that can help get your foot in the door. 

But before you walk down the hallowed halls of your dream tech company, you need to nail that internship interview. 

Having run the gamut, an intern at Amazon Web Services, shared insightful tips that have helped her along the way in a Lemon8 post. 

"Personally, I believe everyone can win together and we do not have to continue the 'dog-eat-dog' narrative in the workplace," the intern mentioned in the post.

Her first piece of advice is on acing your interview with the STAR method. The acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result.

Use these four components when sharing a work-related example. Set the scene with the situation, explain your responsibility behind the task and elaborate on what you did and the outcome it led to. 

According to the intern, this interview technique is highly desired when interviewing at Amazon. "It ensures that I answer the question straight to the point and showcase the impact I generated," she explained in the post. 

So how would you add a little razzle-dazzle to your achievements? Back it up with "metrics or data". 

The intern also shared a valuable tip that she got from a person who works at Meta. If you can't give numbers to your achievements, "quantify in terms of [the] scale of your impact".

It could be things like "how did it solve the key problem" and "how did you scale it beyond the initial scope".

The next tip is to know the company's mission and vision. "Many large technology companies are big on their culture and values," the intern mentioned in the post. 

She encourages you to do a bit of research on the company's ethos and to try to weave it in during your interview. 

Be it by giving examples or simply letting the interviewer know that the company's values are one of the reasons why you would want to work there. 

The intern also highlighted that you can do a bit of prep work via Glassdoor prior to your interview. Apart from reading reviews from current and past employees, Glassdoor also features interview experiences from candidates and the pay scales of companies. 

"You can find out interview questions that have been asked for your position," the intern noted in her post. "You can also learn about the interview process or whether it's the right company for you."

Other interview tips to impress your employer

Apart from the aforementioned tips, here are some common interview questions that you can prepare for. 

Employers tend to start the interview with "Can you tell me about yourself?".

While it might seem like a pretty standard question, the way you answer it will actually set the tone for the rest of your interview.

The question is to allow you to convince them that you are the best candidate for the job. 

Another common question is: What are your strengths? 

Review the job posting and make a list of the qualifications, experience and skills needed to excel at the job. 

Reflect on your career accomplishments, and see how that relates to the position you're applying for. 

Then showcase your strengths by explaining how they helped to achieve your goals.

ALSO READ: 5 things never to say in a job interview

venkat.gunasellan@asiaone.com

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