How to work at Amazon as your first job

How to work at Amazon isn’t as complicated as you
think.
Elaine
Thompson/AP

• Lots of people want to know how to work
  at Amazon.
• But catching the eye of an Amazon
  recruiter, especially when you’re still in college, can be
  challenging.
• Celeste Joy Diaz, the recruiting manager for university
  programs at Amazon, looks for candidates who held leadership
  positions in college.

Amazon is
the company people most want to work for, according to a
2018 LinkedIn study.

And young people who want a job
at the Seattle-based retail giant can start to position
themselves as a good fit even before they graduate.

Recruiters at Amazon each have their own methods for identifying
potential candidates, said Celeste Joy Diaz, the recruiting
manager for university programs at Amazon. 

As for Diaz, she uses LinkedIn to find the student leaders at top
schools like the student body president or heads of student
organizations. Those students are already displaying
Amazon’s famous
leadership principles, which includes concepts like high
standards and taking ownership.

While those interested in a
software or development role in Amazon will need to
demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of coding, data structures,
and other technical topics, there’s more flexibility for roles in
business. Those who were active in student government, a
student newspaper, or another campus activity could be identified
as candidates for Amazon — even if they didn’t major in something
clearly business-related. 

“We know people, especially
directly out of undergrad, are not majoring directly in say,
e-commerce business,” Diaz told Business Insider.
“Those majors exist, but
not a lot of people major in them.”

The more
prominent mark of a successful Amazon applicant is someone who
can show that they display Amazon’s leadership principles, Diaz
said. 

“
We need people who are curious to learn more
and curious to problem-solve,” Diaz told Business Insider. “There
are a lot of ways experience demonstrates that — through
leadership, through other big-scope ownership projects.”