Meet an Amazon recruiter who shares her experience as part of the Amazon Black Employee Network.
Q: What is your role, here at Amazon?
A: I'm a Technical Sourcing Recruiter for the Customer Relationships team. The team develops new customer experiences on Amazon.com based on the relationships between account holders - like households, and families who want to manage access to content and buying privileges for kids. I'm a newcomer to Amazon, I relocated with my family 8 months ago.
Q: What is your favorite part of working at Amazon?
A: Two things come to mind: opportunity and ownership. I have been encouraged to be ambitious and to innovate in my space. I have been able to launch new initiatives –such as an upcoming recruitment event in partnership with our Black Employees Network (BEN) – in days, that would have taken years in other organizations. With preparation and a good business case the sky is the limit with Amazon.
Q: What kind of positions do you recruit for and what kinds of skills or qualities do you look for?
A: I recruit for both tech and non-tech roles. From UX designers, data engineers, software development engineers, marketing, program and product managers, we’re hiring for them all. Customer relationships is a growing new initiative team and is part of our e-commerce team. We are true innovators and are enhancing the customer experience across amazon.com, membership areas (Prime, Amazon Library, Amazon Households) and devices. At the core of our team are individuals who thrive in ambiguity and are willing to explore new territory. So, job-seekers that match that profile are a great for our team. The customer-obsessed also have a special place in our hearts.
Q: You are a part of Amazon’s Black Employee Network. Tell us about the organization and your involvement.
A: I have a passion to increase opportunity for underrepresented populations and joined the Black Employee Network to make an impact. Recently, I was voted in as Technical Recruitment Chair for BEN at Amazon. The Black Employee Network provides support for underrepresented minorities at Amazon through building community, and it champions diversity throughout the company. The group was established in 2005 and was one of Amazon’s first affinity groups. Although BEN was created to provide support for black employees at Amazon, it’s not an exclusive organization. We welcome membership and participation from those outside the black community. We have committees that support recruitment, retention, professional development, community service, social activities, and minority business. We host a variety of events including community outreach, recruiting events, happy hours, and tech talks.
Our process is fairly straight forward. Once a candidate submits their resume/application we will review and invite well-aligned candidates to complete an online technical assessment. Candidates who complete a successful assessment will be able to speak with a team member and then be invited to visit us on-site for a full-day interview where candidates will meet team members, discuss their background, and code (in their language of choice). We make hiring decisions shortly after the event.
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