Amazon Behavioral Interview [Part 5] - Stakeholder Management (Answer)

This video segment focuses on the interviewee's approach to stakeholder management.

- **Experience:** The interviewee highlights their experience managing global and cross-functional teams, emphasizing their ability to navigate complex situations with multiple stakeholders.
- **Example: Prioritizing Customer Support:** The interviewee describes a specific example at Tableau where they led an initiative to change the customer support prioritization system. This involved gathering input from various stakeholders (sales, support, finance) and addressing their concerns.
- **Challenges:** The interviewee acknowledges the challenges of balancing the needs of different stakeholders, particularly the conflict between prioritizing high-value enterprise customers and maintaining support for smaller businesses.
- **Strategies:** To address these challenges, the interviewee emphasizes the importance of:
  - Understanding the goals and priorities of each stakeholder.
  - Using data and facts to support decisions.
  - Building consensus through clear communication and collaboration.
  - Seeking support from key leaders (e.g., the Chief Revenue Officer) to help address resistance from certain stakeholders.
- **Key Takeaway:** Effective stakeholder management requires strong communication, active listening, and the ability to navigate conflicting priorities while maintaining a focus on overall business objectives.

Learn more about Alan's job search program, Kadima Careers, using this [discount link](https://signup.kadimacareers.com/mQBsDvu).

Amazon Behavioral Interview [Part 33] - Conclusion

This video segment concludes an online course on behavioral interviewing.

- **Key Takeaways:**
  - **Practice is Crucial:** The speakers emphasize the importance of consistent practice, even if it means participating in interviews for jobs you are not necessarily interested in.
  - **Seek Feedback:** The speakers encourage viewers to record themselves practicing interview answers and seek feedback from others.
  - **Leverage the Course Content:** The speakers highlight the value of the course content, emphasizing that similar information would typically cost significantly more from a professional career coach.
  - **Take Action:** The speakers encourage viewers to apply the learned techniques to their own job search and strive for continuous improvement in their interview skills.
  - **Confidence Building:** The speakers aim to empower viewers by emphasizing that with consistent practice and the application of the course's principles, they can significantly improve their interview performance and increase their chances of landing their desired jobs.

This summary highlights the key takeaways from the video, emphasizing the importance of practice, feedback, and continuous learning in the job search process.

Learn more about Alan's job search program, Kadima Careers, using this [discount link](https://signup.kadimacareers.com/mQBsDvu).

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 12] - System Design

System design is a crucial interview round, because it's both technical and actually needed on the job (unlike data structures and algorithms). This lesson teaches you:

- What a system design interview is looking for
- What not to do in a system design round
- How to learn system design organically

To dive deeper into system design interviews, take our course here: [How To Crack System Design Interviews As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/how-to-crack-system-design-interviews-as-a-software-developer/)

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 19] - Conclusion

**In this course, we’ve explored strategies for increasing our impact and achieving long-term success.**

We covered three key areas:

- **Understanding Impact Dynamics:** We learned how to create value and communicate it effectively to others.
- **Increasing Luck Surface Area:** We explored strategies for getting things done and sharing our work with the world.
- **Building an Empowering State:** We discussed the importance of cultivating a positive mindset, building strong relationships, and prioritizing self-care.

By applying these principles, we can improve our professional and personal lives. If you have any questions or would like to delve deeper into these concepts, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [**coaching@yogisharma.com**](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at [**https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi**](https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi).

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 17] - Think Long Term

**In this section, we explored the importance of maintaining a long-term perspective in our careers.**

To cultivate a long-term mindset, we should:

- **Set long-term goals:** Define clear and ambitious goals for the next five, ten, or even twenty years.
- **Align short-term actions with long-term goals:** Make decisions that align with our long-term vision.
- **Build a strong personal brand:** Develop a reputation for reliability, integrity, and expertise.
- **Cultivate meaningful relationships:** Build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, mentors, and sponsors.
- **Continuously learn and grow:** Invest in personal and professional development to stay ahead of the curve.

By adopting a long-term perspective, we can make more strategic decisions, increase our resilience, and achieve greater fulfillment in our careers.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 11] - Add Incredible Value

**In this section, we explored the concept of adding incredible value to our work.**

To truly make a significant impact, we should:

- **Go the extra mile:** Strive for excellence and push beyond the minimum requirements.
- **Prioritize finishing tasks:** Complete projects thoroughly, including documentation and testing.
- **Seek continuous feedback:** Actively solicit input from colleagues and managers to improve our work.
- **Balance work and rest:** Maintain a sustainable pace by incorporating regular breaks and time off.
- **Focus on long-term impact:** Adopt a long-term perspective and prioritize tasks that contribute to strategic goals.

By consistently striving to add incredible value, we can become indispensable assets to our teams and organizations.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 7] - Build Relationships Proactively

**In this section, we'll explore the importance of building and nurturing relationships in your career.**

- **Proactive Relationship Building:** We emphasize the importance of building relationships before you need them, focusing on giving value and aligning goals.
- **Mindful Communication:** We discuss the power of effective communication, including active listening, empathy, and clear expression of needs and desires.
- **Leveraging Power for Good:** We explore how to use power to create positive change and foster strong relationships, rather than for personal gain.
- **Overcoming Pitfalls:** We identify common pitfalls in relationship building, such as impatience and a short-term focus, and provide strategies to avoid them.
- **Practical Tips:** We offer actionable advice, such as dedicating time to relationship building, seeking out opportunities to help others, and practicing empathy and understanding.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

Paper Reading: Llama 2: Open Foundation and Fine-Tuned Chat Models

Session led by [Mike A](https://www.linkedin.com/in/malik-mike-a-32b63818b/)

Join us for the second installment of our three-part paper reading series on the LLaMA series of Large Language Models (LLMs).

In this session, we will dive into **Llama 2**, the second iteration in the LLaMA family of models, introduced by Meta AI in mid-2023. This follow-up to the original LLaMA models brings significant advancements, offering foundational and fine-tuned versions with parameter counts ranging from 7B to 70B. Llama 2 models set new benchmarks in helpfulness and safety, showcasing impressive capabilities in dialogue-based tasks and outperforming many open-source alternatives.

We will explore the innovations behind the **Llama 2** models, focusing on their **pretraining methodology**, the **fine-tuning process** that incorporates Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF), and the novel techniques Meta AI used to enhance model safety and alignment. Particular emphasis will be placed on the **Llama 2-Chat models**, optimized for multi-turn conversations, along with references to their performance on real-world safety benchmarks.

This session will be an insightful discussion of how the Llama 2 models have helped to close the gap between open-source and closed-source systems like ChatGPT, examining their architecture, training data, and the steps taken to ensure responsible release and deployment. We'll highlight key takeaways from Meta AI's comprehensive evaluation of these models and discuss how they are still reshaping the landscape of open-source AI.

Whether you're a researcher, developer, or AI enthusiast, this paper reading will offer you an in-depth understanding of the **Llama 2** models and their contributions to the ongoing development of LLMs. This is a unique opportunity to review cutting-edge advancements in **LLM safety**, **dialogue optimization**, and their impact on the future of open-source AI systems.

Mark your calendars for an informative hour of "Llama 2: Open Foundation and Fine-Tuned Chat Models," as we continue to chart the progress of AI language models and explore the innovations that continue to shape the future of the field!

[https://lmarena.ai/\
https://github.com/meta-llama/llama](https://lmarena.ai/￼https://github.com/meta-llama/llama)

DSA Crash Course [Part 80] - Non Adjacent Sum Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *non_adjacent_sum* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/non-adjacent-sum?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 78] - Max Path Sum Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *max_path_sum* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/max-path-sum?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 74] - Minimum Change Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *min_change* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/min-change?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 65] - Minimum Island Approach

In this lesson, Alvin explores the strategy to solving the following interview problem:

> Write a function, *minimum_island*, that takes in a grid containing Ws and Ls. W represents water and L represents land. The function should return the size of the smallest island. An island is a vertically or horizontally connected region of land.
>
> You may assume that the grid contains at least one island.

```
grid = [
['W', 'L', 'W', 'W', 'W'],
['W', 'L', 'W', 'W', 'W'],
['W', 'W', 'W', 'L', 'W'],
['W', 'W', 'L', 'L', 'W'],
['L', 'W', 'W', 'L', 'L'],
['L', 'L', 'W', 'W', 'W'],
]

minimum_island(grid) # -> 2
```

```
grid = [
['L', 'W', 'W', 'L', 'W'],
['L', 'W', 'W', 'L', 'L'],
['W', 'L', 'W', 'L', 'W'],
['W', 'W', 'W', 'W', 'W'],
['W', 'W', 'L', 'L', 'L'],
]

minimum_island(grid) # -> 1
```

```
grid = [
['L', 'L', 'L'],
['L', 'L', 'L'],
['L', 'L', 'L'],
]

minimum_island(grid) # -> 9
```

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 64] - Island Count Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *island_count* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/island-count?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 62] - Shortest Path Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *shortest_path* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/shortest-path?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 60] - Largest Component Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *largest_component* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/largest-component?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: [**https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 50] - Max Root to Leaf Path Sum Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *max_root_to_leaf_path_sum* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/max-root-to-leaf-path-sum?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

DSA Crash Course [Part 49] - Max Root to Leaf Path Sum Approach

In this lesson, Alvin explores the strategy to solving the following interview problem:

> Write a function, *max_path_sum*, that takes in the root of a binary tree that contains number values. The function should return the maximum sum of any root to leaf path within the tree.
>
> You may assume that the input tree is non-empty.

```
a = Node(3)
b = Node(11)
c = Node(4)
d = Node(4)
e = Node(-2)
f = Node(1)
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
c.right = f

#      3
#    /   \
#   11    4
#  / \     \
# 4   -2    1

max_path_sum(a) # -> 18
```

```
a = Node(5)
b = Node(11)
c = Node(54)
d = Node(20)
e = Node(15)
f = Node(1)
g = Node(3)
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
e.left = f
e.right = g

#       5
#     /   \
#    11   54
#  /   \
# 20   15
#      / \
#     1   3

max_path_sum(a) # -> 59
```

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

DSA Crash Course [Part 48] - Tree Min Value Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *tree_min_value* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/tree-min-value?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

DSA Crash Course [Part 44] - Tree Sum Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *tree_sum* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/tree-sum?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

DSA Crash Course [Part 42] - Breadth First Values Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *breadth_first_values* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/breadth-first-values?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.