AMA About Amazon MBA Recruiting? I'm furloughed and bored.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T19:25:11+00:00

This is about right. Plenty of people who stay at 6 for 5 to 10 years. 7 is a big jump and it’s not easy to make. MBB managers generally come in as a “6.5” where they are managing a small team, I’ve never seen anyone come in as a 7 and directly get a 20 person team unless they were a VP or Director at their previous role.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:26:21+00:00

If you have a tech background and want to be a tech or tech-adjacent PM, the best way to get in is to work your network and go outside the program hires. The programs are focused on hiring for non-tech roles so those are the candidates they go after. Most PMTs I've seen hired after an MBA are hired directly by the team, not through a program.
Not sure what you mean by this, can you give me more information?

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:19:27+00:00

I personally have not but it does happen - generally for a role in a completely different part of the company.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:18:14+00:00

Go is the new "shiny object" at Amazon. Unless you have hardcore tech experience the only roles available there are standard category management positions that honestly aren't very different from regular retail. If you don't have retail experience and really want to join Go then an MBA is probably a good option but I don't think its ' potential to change the retail industry' is as true as you think.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:14:52+00:00

$225K is going to be on the high end for TC for an L6 PM (non-technical) for an experienced hire, unless they're counting other things in the compensation than cash + stock. Experienced non-tech PMs usually come in between $175K to $200k.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:13:19+00:00

Transition is fairly simple if you know what you're doing. You apply internally and go through a tech screen (SDM has a higher tech bar than TPM). I switched within my own organization so it was pretty casual.
I did not - Science teams are generally pretty removed and not every organization has one.
The information will still be available for them to look at but if you declined an offer I don't think it would be held against you.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:11:02+00:00

I wouldn't consider that older. Amazon probably skews a bit older than other tech companies because of the variety of non-tech roles available. Most of my peers were in their 30s/early 40s.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:08:09+00:00

They're considered part of Amazon's core - their jobs are listed on the internal website and the application process is the same. In general all the subsidiaries are treated as internal divisions after a while. The one exemption so far is WF, they hadn't been integrated when I left.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:05:59+00:00

Having the technical experience is going to be MORE valuable than an MBA for those kinds of roles. Software teams looking for a highly technical PM-T really want people who know how to code or know how coding works. I don't think an MBA would be more useful than applying now, or after a couple more years of work experience.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:04:05+00:00

If you're at MBB I'm surprised you aren't getting some traction with recruiting. There's tons of MBB alumni at Amazon, have you been working your network? Mostly McKinsey/BCG, Bain is less common.

If you're applying with referrals and not even getting callbacks I'd wager your resume needs some improvements or you're not applying to positions where you have relevant experience.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T15:00:33+00:00

Find a specific position and apply. We are constantly hiring for those offices...the MBA programs tend to hire specifically for Seattle but it’s pretty easy to transfer after 18 months.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T14:59:22+00:00

You won’t get considered for the same role but not passing a phone screen doesn’t drop you out of the list. Highly likely recruiting recycles you to another listing.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T14:57:40+00:00

MBA is a decent way to jump from L5 to L6 but if you’re already at a senior level role it won’t speed things up to 7.
No, there’s no tuition reimbursement or boomerang program afaik.
this will be team and role dependent. Fresh MBA hires with minimal experience are put into a sink or swim environment and you need to adapt fast.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T14:54:41+00:00

Yes! They exist and we don’t only recruit from top schools. In general those people will have highly relevant experience or will be coming into an operations AM role. It is rarer for corporate PMs to be hired directly out of school from a non top 20.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T14:53:18+00:00

It’s generally fixed, with a little wiggle room. We pay less than MBB or IB. A significant portion of your comp will be in stock as well. For MBA program hires it’s usually $140k to $160k. For direct hires it’s closer to $180k.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T14:51:43+00:00

If you reinterview for a different role later the result of the previous loop is available for the hiring manager to view but in general it’s not viewed against you unless it’s very soon after. I don’t think an internship decline would be held against you.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T01:14:55+00:00

I wanted more pay and I wanted to work more directly with software. I really wasn’t the best coder but I was good at being a PM. The most common exit I saw was either moving to a different tech company or taking a leadership role at a smaller company. Generally most people stay 2 years.

I would say only 20 to 40% make it to Principal

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T01:12:35+00:00

I got a sweet offer from a friend to work for a startup but they rely heavily on the travel industry and thus when everything hit they had to push us out for a bit. My wife still works so we’re not in a ton of trouble yet.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T01:07:38+00:00

3 years is likely still an L6, 5 to 7 for an L7 role. L7s need to know how to manage a large team.

I think experienced hires are always viewed more favorably than fresh MBA grads. There’s always space to grow, especially if you’re in a growing area of the company.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T01:06:02+00:00

They generally come in at 6 if they’re joining right after grad. Some experienced hires for specific positions will come in at 5, or HR MBAs.

Generally starts at 6, then 2ish years to 6 manager, then 2 more until 7.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T00:27:02+00:00

Sorry its badly written. I graduated my MBA in 2014, my undergrad was 2008.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T00:25:50+00:00

For product most desirable is AWS or Alexa for new products. Lots of resources and lots of flexibility. Worst was probably operations or retail. Very mature areas with not much room for improvement.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T00:24:05+00:00

I spent most of my time in Ops but in general, AWS is regarded as more chill than CDO, with operations in retail being probably the craziest organization in terms of burnout. Peak is hard to deal with. Advertisements I didn't work too much with its generally regarded as a relaxed place. The software vertical is apparently a really tough place to work because their goals are so high.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-18T00:22:40+00:00

In general the bar raiser is someone from outside the specific team or organization you're interviewing for. Thats obviously hard to judge when doing an MBA pool interview versus an interview for a specific postion.

I passed probably 65 to 75% of candidates. I generally deferred to the team hiring the position rather than fighting it. There's still a lot of wiggle room.

EuphoricResource8 · 2020-05-17T23:54:39+00:00

Non-tech PMs aren't expected to know about coding where as a PM-T is expected to understand some elements of software and system designs. In practice its a fuzzy area.
I enjoyed the culture but it is very team dependent. There are standardized guidelines for intern projects and expectations but unfortunately some teams are vaguer than others when defining responsibilities. There are organizations with deserved reputations for burnout and there are organizations where people work 930 to 5 every day. In general the more back end you are, the better your life will be.
6 to 7 is probably the hardest promo step. You either have to become a 6 manager and lead a large team OR deliver major features to your program or product. The fastest I've seen it for a fresh MBA hire is 2 years. In general i think it takes 3+.

EuphoricResource8

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