The interview process consists of three stages.

Firstly, there's an online assessment comprising two algorithm-based coding questions of medium difficulty, where code performance is crucial. I managed to solve the first question and passed some of the tests for the second. Following this, there were inquiries regarding system design and behavioral aspects. I successfully navigated through this phase.

The second stage entailed a one-hour online interview with an Amazon engineer, who proved to be very amiable. He posed questions like "tell me about a time when...?" and allocated the last 20 minutes to present a problem for me to solve. This problem required knowledge of data structures and algorithms, particularly recursion. While I identified the correct data structure and recognized the need for recursion, I couldn't develop the code as I hadn't prepared for such scenarios. Recursion hasn't been a part of my professional toolkit over my ten-year career, though I am confident I could handle it with some review. It's uncertain whether recursion is commonly used by Amazon developers on a day-to-day basis (I forgot to ask this question from the interviewer).

Overall, I found the interview process frustrating and unproductive. I would advise prospective Amazon applicants to focus on practicing these specific algorithms typically encountered in interviews, as the ability to solve coding challenges seems to overshadow other problem-solving skills during the selection process. You must develop the code; behavioral questions and your problem-solving skills don't matter in this interview.

Tell me about a time when...?

Typical recursion, data structures, and algorithms.