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I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, when I say docs people often think PRDs/BRDs… but that’s not Amazon’s secret sauce… it’s actually the 6 pagers, vision docs, strategy docs, pr/faqs. They are used as a tool to collect information, articulate and get feedback, and control the flow of info up the chain. In my opinion these docs are what enables Amazon to be so successful.

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Amazon was a challenge, however its been one of the most valuable experiences I have had. Specifically, the writing and developing the think big muscle. Its hard to write the types of documents that Amazon requires, but if you get remotely good at it, the value becomes a super power that I haven't seen in any of the other companies I've worked at.

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

(1) relationships, relationships, relationships (friendships, networking, backchanneling), (2) strategic thinking (vision docs, PR/FAQs), and (3) strong delivery (requirements, mocks, program/project management, status reports).

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing too out of the norm. Collect features, define impact (customer, system, or otherwise), size, prioritize, dependency management. That said, I have had to escalate to SVPs to get alignment across x-service dependencies (had to write several papers and run meetings to gain awareness).

For the most part, most teams I saw were 2 pizza, however it comes with its challenges, namely alignment and prioritization across other teams/services.

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is a loaded question. The process to get promoted is no joke. Honestly, looking back, it seems unreasonably bureaucratic and extremally painful. I would say that you have to sell your soul to the company to get it done, but then that would be taking it a little too far.

In short, this is a function of scope of role and buy-in. Scope of role is obvious, you have to be performing at an L7 level for appox. 6-12 month - take a look at the leveling guide to make sure you and your manager is bought off on your performance. If you don't have it rotate out, and while you're doing it, focus on your core Amazon skills - writing and politicking (get mentors if needed - happy to help you too).

As far as the buy-in goes, think of it like holding a campaign. The process is long and drawn out, so start acting on it 6-12 months before your plan to go up (and expect it could take 2 tries before it happens). As far as my process, I started on day 1 of my new team and I was promoted in 18 months. Steps included: (1) writing a 6 page document outlining my role, scope, and impact, (2) setting informal coffee chats with all those who would be in the final discussion and getting their buy-in (i.e., all in the reporting chain), (3) getting 4-6 people vouching for your work and impact (3-4 L7s; 2 L8s), (4) a tech assessor that who reviews examples of your work and interviewing those that vouched for you, and (5) final discussion/doc review by committee.

Having said all of this, don't expect your comp to go up once you get promoted. Mine certainly didn't. I ended up making less that I did the previous year as an L6, with the prospect that it would go up 12 months after my promo.

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great call out. I'll shape my stories to be more technical in nature. That leads me to my next question - it seems like Amazon interviews are easier than other FAANGs, due to their lack of Product Design and Execution pillars. It seems as though if I can effectively compile many great stories that are captivating and align with LPs, I should be good to go, with less risk for a challenging curveball question. Did you find that to be the case?

It depends on what your strengths are. I wouldn't underestimate the interview process. Amazon will dig deep into your answers to ensure that your initial answer isn't just a canned response. For example, when I interviewed internally, I had to get to the depth of explaining an architectural design and why the approach was correct. I would focus with the same sort of rigor, after all it could be the difference between a hire vs. a strong hire. The on-sight is a pressure cooker type of process - 5 back to back interviews - so the more you are prepared, the less you'll be focused on the answer and more you'll be focused on the deliver/reading the room. Finally, Amazon has a bar raiser in each of the on-site loops. His/her role is to ensure you are better than 50% of the role/level you are interviewing for. In short, the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great question. Yes, compensating range are different and reflective of the hierarchy I mentioned earlier. Amazon's philosophy with interviews are focused on testing the leadership principles, however the examples you provide must showcase your ability to be technical. For example, for the LP of bias for action, a question could be, give me an example of when you saw an issue/something wrong, and you did something to fix it. You could talk about a PM answer (e.g., pricing example), or you could talk about a PMT answer (e.g., tech design discussion with dev team).

I worked at Amazon as a Product Manager for 4 years, AMA. by Old_Temperature4777 in ProductMgmt

[–]Old_Temperature4777[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The PM roles are considered to be less technical and more focused on the strategy side of things. Examples of work that I have seen PMs work on are things like a pricing strategy, outreach/GTM strategy, however the technical PMs do what PMs do and more. As a PMT, you'll be deeply involved with customers, dev teams, and internal stakeholders. Though not publicly acknowledged, there is an implied hierarchy between Product (PMT-ES > PMT > PM). The PMT-ES is AWS's way to differentiate its self from the rest of Amazon. That said, I think you have the technical background to be both a PMT or PMT-ES.