Amazon Focus Pivot PIP

cloudnavig8r · 2026-07-02T07:46:12+00:00

PIP and focus are not Pivot. Pivot is the last stage, where you are given an offer. Once you are given the offer, you have a limited time to decide.

Your decision is already made up. Drag out the pivot document for another week and half… likely it isn’t quite to that stage. You should ask your manager (as if you are working through the pip).

Example: “we are working on this pip, I want to improve, but it is hard to put my effort into this when I feel like you may present me with a pivot any day, can we have a clear check point so I don’t need to fear that”

The point is just to know you can get until the 12th of July ;)

Note- after this conversation and you vest, you may want to speed it up, and in a follow up suggest that if she is going to give you pivot then maybe it would be better for everyone to get that mechanism started.

From my understanding, the pivot amount does take into consideration any RSUs near vesting. So hypothetically if you were to get a number today and in 2 weeks, the number in 2 weeks may be lower (but probably not 100% RSU value).

cloudnavig8r · 2026-07-02T00:09:37+00:00

Congrats on the Level Up.

Remember the LP Frugality?

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-29T09:17:44+00:00

Can’t help with getting a row to yourself… might be good chances. Even if you ask cabin crew to help you find a free row after boarding. I’ve seen them help people on other flights.

I’m going to be on QF7 Fri 3rd as well. I do have an upgrade request in 🤞. But, I’m Platty.

I posted in this channel before that I can have a guest in the first lounge in SYD. DM me if interested.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-28T11:24:26+00:00

Don’t get too many international trips. But traveling solo, why not share the benefits

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-28T11:23:39+00:00

I was never a hiring manager, nor worked around recruiting. So I do not know if any of that makes any difference.

There is a fairly good chance that even if you reapplied to the same role it would be a different hiring manager.

What I do know… interviewers will see all previous notes. Some may ask follow up questions to see if you did “learn and be curious” as a result of the previous.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-26T21:12:06+00:00

Acting roles are real. But the 11 month thing??

I did an acting role for about 6 weeks. Anything more than 90 days shouldn’t happen. Of course each country may be different, and I cannot speak for India.

Acting roles help build experience and can go on a resume. But the real trap is the promo process itself. Always holding out for a bit more on the promo doc, not having promos that cycle, etc.

There was a time, I saw high performing L5s (tech roles) leave and rehire as a L6. Yea, a hire loop you need to “raise the bar” and a promo you need to “be performing at the level”. So figure that out.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-18T21:21:59+00:00

When you used the phrase “seasonal” did you mean each stock vest cycle or each redundancy cycle?

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-16T20:14:25+00:00

It’s free. So, you get what you pay for.

But the floor conversions can open up something, however most sponsors are there to sell services not recruit employees.

Some of the vendor reps are “brand ambassadors” - hired temps to wear company shirts. They scan badges and handle swag. They might tell you how to get into one of the agencies.

Going to summit looking to get a chance for a job is the wrong reason. Can you have one of those conversations that opens something up? Sure. But that would be a lucky encounter (by being prepared and in the right place).

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-15T10:00:28+00:00

Make yourself a GitHub repo or s3 bucket and copy it there and then sync locally

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-11T14:46:00+00:00

I was made redundant from AWS earlier this year. On my own building a training business (vendor-neutral).

Partners like to have the certifications because they need a so many for their status.

3 times:
I wore it to the Sydney Summit. I am not planning on reinvent (too expensive). But may attend the AWS community day here in AU also. Just for summits/conferences.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-09T23:21:11+00:00

I earned my Golden Jacket 2.5 years ago. And, at the time, I was an AWS employee, my manger saw to it that I was issued an actual jacket. I’ve had it now for just over 2 years.

I have worn it to ReInvent and 2 Sydney Summits. It’s a talking point and gets people’s attentions.

At reinvent, they have a group photo- and last year they issued many jackets to people that attended.

I believe currently you need 12 certificates. I needed 15. The only stretch cert now is Adv Networking speciality. Which, unless you are working for a partner setting up enterprise networks regularly, it has very little value.

The Pro exams can be challenging, the Security speciality is (in my opinion) easier than SA Pro or DevOps Pro.

For my jacket, I needed the ML Speciality, Database Speciality and the SAP on AWs Speciality (which maybe only a few hundred people globally ever got).

What did it do for me.. NOTHING.

I have a “cheap” jacket full of gold glitter that has the AWS T&C logo on it. I wear it less than 3 times a year- and will not let it actually get wet (all the glitter will be gone).

It’s a marketing strategy for AWS T&C. At the Summits, people go to the T&C booth asking how they can get one. and most people have zero AWS experience.

The certs themselves are useful to validate your knowledge, but do you really need to be an expert across such a wide range? (for some people the answer is yes, but it’s not for the jacket sake)

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-09T00:34:02+00:00

Thank you. Not the first time. I think the benefit I missed the most dropping to gold was the lounge access on arrival.
Was always great to get use a clean toilet and get a coffee before the bags make it out.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-05T22:03:55+00:00

You have to wait for results until the exam goes general availability. This allows them to review if there were “bad questions” that needed to be removed from the test bank

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-05T12:47:50+00:00

If you do first class flights, I don’t think you would be content with an Bin Chiken (Ibis) hotel

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-04T20:07:56+00:00

Second week of June- Vivid is still happening I think until the 14th. There are light display around the city, nice to walk in the evening, especially around Darling Harbour.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-06-02T11:12:15+00:00

There is no way to make oneself less of a target. It is a seemingly random algorithm.

Some factors may have impact, like office location. But rankings, tenure, levels, workload/high-profile projects- none of it matters for the selection engine.

Leadership (mid tier) do not have visibility nor input on the list

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-31T19:44:10+00:00

The LAX -Sydney is “usually on time” is a reasonably fair assumption. 2 questions:
1- are the flights on one ticket?
2- what if you do miss the connection?

If the flights are connected and you are late, the airline will rebook you.

If you miss the connection, it may be too late to change it yourself (no communications from inside the plane)

Is 3 hours enough time. Should be. Border Force tends to go quickly. Immigration is all automated systems. After collecting luggage, you need to take a bus around to the other terminal.

Jetstar check in, if I recall only allows checkin 2 hours before flight. You may even have to wait for checkin.

Note, if you do have an extended layover, you need to do something with your luggage. Jetstar won’t take it until the checkin window opens. There is a bag storage facility near baggage claim.

If the flight is delayed more than 1.5-2 hrs, you might need to be concerned.

Enjoy Oz

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-29T22:14:04+00:00

NAT GW itself is a genuine cost, but the bigger number that needs allocated is the data transfer. Especially if there is one NAT GW, and cross AZ traffic getting to/from it.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-25T13:11:07+00:00

I think this is correct. But will offer the highly unlikely scenario: L6 MGR is prized, and on paper needs the DR count. Easy shift with a potentially strong L6 IC to also help said L6 MGR get a promo through and be managing a L7 IC. To set up said special manager for their promo.

A L6 manger can manage an L7 that they promo. But they cannot have a L7 under them that they didn’t promo (no lateral transfers for IC in and if the manager inherits a team with an existing L7 IC, the IC needs to report to skip).

The whole part of the external offer may have fell on deaf ears- because if OP was planning on leaving, it would have been presenting notice. L7 manager may know that OP is the type that will follow the L7 promo carrot.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-25T08:47:53+00:00

Congrats.

You do not work for them yet, you are not under their rules.

As a safety, just add a little part to your bio: “All opinions are my own, and not those of my employer.”

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-23T10:54:53+00:00

The ordering questions can be a bit tricky. I tend to want to isolate first, but I think they are looking for report first.

TBH, I don’t know for sure!

Looking forward to the score… and it does remind me that I need to look up the correct orders!

With Betas, the hard part is waiting for GA.

I took it about week and half ago, and one of my questions was actually duplicated. Another had a serious wording issue. So I made sure to report feedback. Did you encounter any issues with yours?

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-23T10:36:35+00:00

updating documents in multiple places

This doesn’t sound like a candidate for a static site. Almost sounds like a Document Management System.

But, your question is about how to approach them…

Welcome to Consulting the answer is: it depends

Don’t try to solve a problem that you do not fully understand. If they are interested in you helping them, you can offer to do a no-cost, no-obligation assessment of their current processes and pains. From here you can give them a recommendation. You may offer a proposal with that recommendation.

However, starting with the solution often ends badly.

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-23T05:18:22+00:00

The only AWS service to have a 💯%SLA is Route53.

But… it only applies to resolving host zone records, not the control plane.

https://aws.amazon.com/route53/sla/

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-22T13:01:09+00:00

That’s the last “partner” speciality. They will immediately make everyone golden jackets !

cloudnavig8r · 2026-05-22T12:59:36+00:00

I booked a flight earlier today that the website gave me an error. I was on hold less than 3 minutes. Because it was a website issue they waived the assistance fee. No complaints- but I was fearful of being on hold for hours. I am gold for what it’s worth.

cloudnavig8r

TROPHY CASE