It is widely known that one of the biggest companies in the world is Amazon. They (temporarily) reached a TRILLION-dollar market capitalization even during the worst of COVID-19, and their workforce has increased to over one million people. It’s a complicated company with numerous teams, departments, and what seems like an endless amount of data. Who are Amazon’s Business Intelligence Engineers, or BIEs for short, who analyze this mountain of data and uncover crucial insights influencing the most important decisions?
The many analytics, crucial KPIs, and data pipelines are designed and built out by Amazon’s BIEs, who also create reports, data dashboards, and visualizations. A strong understanding of statistics, data warehousing, and the Extract, Transform, Load data copying process are essential for BIE positions. Amazon Business Intelligence Engineers must be proficient in SQL, as is typical for jobs involving data analytics.
Let’s take a closer look at the BIE interview process if you want to join Amazon’s ranks as a Business Intelligence Engineer.
The BIE interview typically entails two phone interviews, followed by an on-site round, just like other technical interview loops at Amazon.
An initial discovery screening is the first step in the BIE interview process. The majority of the time, this will be with a recruiter, but in some places, you might also have a second screening with a team member or hiring manager. This call is primarily intended to determine whether you would be a good fit. You can expect basic questions focused on past work experience. Be sure to review your resume carefully before applying because you may be asked to elaborate on a few key points. Most importantly, your interviewer will give you the opportunity to elaborate on your motivations for joining the particular team you applied to. In the end, you’ll need to offer a response compelling enough for them to advance you to the following step.
After that, a live technical screening to gauge your proficiency with Python and SQL will be required of you. This technical round won’t be the last, but it’s designed to test your fundamental technical knowledge. You must be ready to respond to at least five queries in SQL, Python, data visualization, or business analytics. Practice your presentation skills and business acumen in order to be prepared for this round. It’s just as important to communicate recommendations that can be put into practice to your interviewers as it is to code well. If you can show that you can use corporate data to make wise business decisions, you’ll have a good chance of moving up.
Five to six individual rounds with business intelligence engineers, data scientists, and a hiring manager make up the on-site interview process. Each will last 45 minutes to 1 hour. Expect more in-depth questions and be prepared to provide details. The on-site is essentially an expanded and more thorough screening in many ways. You might be curious about the daily schedule given the length and number of interview rounds. Typically, the interviews last from 10 AM to 4 PM, with an hour for lunch in between.
During your meetings with BIEs and data scientists, you will be quizzed on a variety of topics pertaining to both data science and business analytics. You’ll be expected to complete whiteboarding exercises with the BIEs and data scientists, answer questions about eligibility requirements and checking edge cases. Study Amazon’s organization and history in advance because many of the questions will be based on actual business issues that Amazon has encountered in the past. A series of behavioral interview questions that are typical of Amazon must be anticipated by prospective BIEs as well. These inquiries, in particular, will be heavily weighted toward Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Everyone who wants to work for Amazon should review these. The Business Intelligence Engineers will ask you a series of statistics, SQL, and other data science questions, similar to the initial technical screen. You’ll be asked questions about statistics and data science during your interviews with the data scientists. They will also contain inquiries about more basic data science ideas.
Youll meet with several Amazon employees during your on-site interview. Except for the designated “bar raiser,” each interviewer has an equal say in the choice of the candidate for employment. These have a special veto power and can reject an otherwise excellent interview. The other interviewers will concentrate on how well you fit the job in question while ignoring the standard-setter. – He or she is concentrated on how well you fit the business It’s common knowledge that Jeff Bezos adores the word “relentless,” so it’s expected that each hire will be outperformed by the following. In these interviews, the “bar raisers” are essentially determining whether you meet this standard. Candidates must show their bar raiser that their standards are higher than at least 50% of employees in order to avoid the dreaded veto. After your interviews are over, the interview committee won’t keep you waiting for too long. You will hear back from them in 24 hours.
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
Leaders are owners. They adopt a long-term perspective and do not compromise long-term value for immediate gains. Beyond just their own team, they act on behalf of the entire organization. They never say “that’s not my job. “.
Leaders constantly look for ways to make complex situations simpler and demand innovation and invention from their teams. They are open to new ideas from anywhere and are not constrained by the notion that something was not invented here. We acknowledge that we might be misunderstood for a very long time as we try new things.
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
Leaders never stop learning and strive to become better versions of themselves. They actively seek out new opportunities because they are curious about them.
The Amazon Business Intelligence Engineer Interview
Interviews for Top Jobs at Amazon
Business Intelligence Engineer Interview
ApplicationI applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at AmazonInterviewOnly two rounds. Four SQL questions and a few questions about data visualization were included in the first round. Second round is one self-join SQL question and BQ questions. How do you handle a tight deadline?.
Business Intelligence Engineer Interview
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Mar 2020
Interview
Early March: recruiter calls and says my profile looks good for a BIE role and will i be interested and willing to relocate?rectuiters want you to succeed so listen to them. The questions you will see here are already availabe on the web so take it seriously and have compelling stories for all of them. use STAR method and practice with someone as much as you can. I say it again practice it with someone again and again and again. Quantify your result like saved cost by 50%, increased rev by $2M. think about all the possible questions your story may raise. They is looking for people with diverse experience than people who are super technical. you may be awesome in coding but if you dont have stories for all of the 14 LP (you can ignore frugalty and hiring the best if you are applying for entry/mid level) then it will be very difficult. Have good set of questions for the interiewers they love answering them. My sql was little bit rusty I spent too much time in situation part. You should spend a lot of time in Action and use “I” not “We”. I didnt have good answers for probing questions from the bar raiser so got a rejectionIt was painful to go through the whole month of preparations and getting a rejection from Amazon but this experience made me dig through everything I have ever done and made me appreciate my own work. HRs were very helpful and the interviewers were very knowledgable, patient and helpful. Amazon wants only the best of the best. dont beat yourself up if you dont get it. Good luck!!Phone screen 1: Behavioral – Deep dive 1. Give me an example of when you used data to make a decision/solve a problem.? 2. Tell me about the most complex problem you’ve ever worked on.SQL – sql( tested join, group by having, where , pivoting in sql , sub query with agreegate)Phone screen 2:Behavioral – Deliver result 1. a time where you not only met a goal but considerably exceeded expectations. 2. when you were able to deliver an important project under a tight deadline. What are the variables you would consider when you are going to predict demand for a product? Because of Corona the onsite interview was set up via Amazon chime. All in one day late march back to back with one 30 min break stay in well lit place and get a headphone with mic. Virtual onsite 1: with BIE SQL – tested on different join , group by having, where, aggregate and think about how you would find outliers) I did not do well in this one Behavioral – Customer Obsession1. a time you obsessed over giving very high-quality service to a customer? 2. How did you figure out how your customers are unhappy and what did you do about it? Have backboan – 1. when you took an unpopular stance in a meeting with peers and your leader and you were the outlier 2. When do you decide to go along with the group decision even if you disagree? Virtual onsite 2 : with BIESQL – SQL ( tested on different join, group by, lead , lag , where , aggregate)Behavioral – Be curious1. What’s the most innovative new idea that you have implemented? 2. What did you lean in the past years and how do you keep learning?Invent and simplify1. how did you solve a complex problem with simple fix 2. Virtual onsite 3: hiring managerBehavioral : Tell me about yourself 1. why this role 2. why amazon ? Earn trust: 1. what was the critical piece of feedback you received? 2. when your decision was not liked by your team? what did you do about it?ownership – 1. what did you do when you saw your team member was struggling?Vitual onsite 4: bar raiser. had lot more follow up questions. think about all the possible questions your story might invoke.Behavioral: Insist on highest standard: 1. you have been unsatisfied with the status quo. What did you do to change it? Were you successful? 2. time when you were dissatisfied with the quality of something at work and went out of your way to improve it.Think big: 1. time you took a big risk and it failed. What did you learn? What would you do differently? 2. time you were working on an initiative or goal and saw an opportunity to do something much bigger than the initial focus.Virtual onsite 5: Data scientistCase: how would you find your demand going to be for a product when you dont have any history. what are the KPIs you would use to differentiate your product from your competitor. there was a campaign conducted by the marketing team and how would you find out if the campaign was successful?1. Describe a situation where you made an important business decision without consulting your manager 2. a time when you took a calculated risk. Have backboan 1. If your direct manager was instructing you to do something you disagreed with, how would you handle it?
- probability of the product coming from location A is 0. 8 and from location B is 0. 6. What is the likelihood that customers will receive the product from location A versus location B? SQL – tested on various join, lead, lag, pivoting in sql, sub query, group by having, where, aggregate, and consider how you would find outliers.
Business Intelligence Engineer Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at Amazon
Interview
Applied to new grad role1st Round Technical Screener 2nd Round Amazon Loop: Supposed to be 4 back to back rounds but the first interviewer no-showed. Emailed the coordinator and was notified that loop was shortened to 3 rounds. Last round was bar raiser, went into very specific details on every question.
- How would you rate your SQL skills out of 5? What are your top three technical skills?
Amazon Business Intelligence Engineer Interview Questions
Amazon, one of the world’s top technology companies, uses big data to enhance its extensive e-commerce platform. Data on each customer interaction, including the discovery of a product, its purchase, and even its eventual delivery, is gathered and analyzed. Amazon incorporates this information into its recommendation system, which presents the most pertinent products for each customer, to enhance site performance and enhance customer experiences.
All of Amazon’s services and products, including Alexa, Prime Video, and Twitch, go through the process of developing a personalized screen of recommendations. Business intelligence specialists use Amazon’s large data warehouse to generate valuable insights and advancements. At Amazon, data drives every decision.
To convert gathered data into business decisions, Amazon’s business intelligence engineers collaborate with clients, analysts, and database developers. These engineers’ solutions facilitate the automation, reporting, and analysis of both internal and external client data.
In order to enhance the overall customer experience, Amazon engineers frequently work cross-functionally with other teams while embedded within teams. This position’s responsibilities range from implementing solutions using data modeling to advising business executives.
The Business Intelligence Engineer Role at Amazon
To convert gathered data into business decisions, business intelligence engineers at Amazon collaborate with clients, analysts, and database developers. These engineers’ solutions facilitate the automation, reporting, and analysis of both internal and external client data.
In order to enhance the overall customer experience, Amazon engineers frequently work cross-functionally with other teams while embedded within teams. This position’s responsibilities range from advising business leaders to using data modeling to implement solutions.
Interview Query discussed the duties and responsibilities of a job with an Amazon BI engineer. Here is what this Amazon business intelligence engineers does:
I eventually mastered the art of converting Python code to PySpark and accepted a position as a business intelligence engineer at Amazon. The majority of my work involved Tableau reporting, creating ETL jobs, and determining the types of data required in the reporting databases in order for your end reports to function properly. ”.
You’ll likely be interviewed by one of these teams during the business intelligence interview.
Amazon is big enough to have over 40 departments, each of which has over 100 internal teams. Amazon must therefore effectively process and analyze the massive amounts of corporate data it receives. To accomplish this, business intelligence engineers create corporate platforms and software, making it simpler to derive valuable conclusions from the information gathered by Amazon. They cooperate in groups and with Amazon’s internal clients to deliver reliable data that supports crucial business operations.
Business intelligence engineers may carry out tasks like these, depending on the teams they are assigned to:
Transportation Risk & Compliance (TRC): Carefully examine data to discover methods for keeping Amazon’s partners and customers secure in accordance with safety compliance guidelines. Utilize predictive ML models to look for trends in the data that relate to safety.
Utilize vast amounts of customer payment data to enhance the customer payment experience. Utilize statistical models and the technological foundation of Amazon to present the options to customers in real-time
Create data-driven models for Amazon Care to help guide its future Working together with the business and finance teams to enhance Amazon’s decision-making
Automated Inventory Management: Create analytics and forecasting tools to precisely measure each customer’s Amazon shopping experience To test and validate these tools at scale, work closely with Amazon’s internal customers (such as the software development team).
Work with one of the biggest and most complex data warehouses in the world when it comes to logistics business intelligence and analytics. Data mining, customer insights, recommendations, and aiding leaders in making wise business decisions based on data trends To restructure or automate this business intelligence procedure, collaborate with software engineering teams.
Develop self-service reporting software, define practical business metrics, and run experiments to help Prime Video (Catalog Systems and Operations organization) make decisions about the organization of Amazon Prime’s video catalog.
Utilize the data source provided by Alexa to define and automate important business metrics and to use advanced data analytics to comprehend customer behavior. Design experiments (A/B experimentation) to test customer-engagement strategies.
Customer Insights & Analytics for AmazonFresh & Prime Now: Using data to better comprehend the behavior of customers Create fresh, cutting-edge analysis methods to increase consumer involvement and inform product strategy and design
The Business Intelligence Engineer Role at Amazon/AWS
A person who can thrive in ambiguous situations, pay close attention to detail, be at ease working with multiple teams and competing priorities, and possess the technical skills to move quickly and improve the status quo is needed for the BIE role at Amazon, which operates in a very fast-paced environment.
It’s essential that the Amazon/AWS BI Engineer can convey feedback to leaders who can squelch negative experiences and promote improvements because this position has a significant amount of responsibility with regard to both internal and external macro decisions.
FAQ
How do I crack Amazon business intelligence interview?
- Refine your skills at tuning SQL queries.
- Learn how to build, maintain, and use the tools for a pipeline.
- Work on your statistical analysis and data analytics skills.
- Learn common role-relevant data visualization and ETL tools.
What questions are asked in a business intelligence interview?
- What is your preferred visualization tool to use for presentations? .
- What unique business lessons have you learned from prior projects?
- Why do you think BI is important for companies today? .
- How would you use incomplete data sets in your visualizations?
How do I become a business intelligence engineer at Amazon?
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, econometrics, or a closely related field with comparable training is required. 3+ years for BIE, 5+ years for BIE II, and 8+ years for Senior for experience as an engineer in the data or business intelligence space
Is the Amazon data engineer interview hard?
Interviews for Amazon data engineers are challenging, with a variety of challenging questions. Even if you advance to the final onsite round, your chances of getting an offer are still only 20% or so. The good news is that with the proper planning, you can surpass that statistic.
