We caught up with our very own intern, Seung, to discover how he secured such a brilliant role at Amazon. He shares his top tips with other Bright Network members on what he learned throughout his internship and how he used that to secure his role.
What stood out to you about Amazon?
What stood out to me most about Amazon was the fact that the company began as an online seller of books and has become what it is now. The growth and innovation, along with their massive presence across all products and services, really appealed to me.
The role itself stood out to me as it seemed fast paced, encompassing technical skills as well as soft skills. Career-wise, I’ve realised that variety is really important to me as I don’t want to be doing the same thing every day.
How did you show you had a passion for the firm/role?
Amazon are very focused on their leadership principles, so I did a lot of research on these, showing how I’ve applied these principles in my own life and my past experiences.
Also, as customers are key to the business, I tried to convey in the video interview and assessment centre how my experiences have developed my focus on the customer.
What was the application process like?
I submitted a CV, then had to undertake a situational judgement test. I find these tests really difficult as each company has different criteria on who they want and there’s a lot of ambiguity in the questions. Luckily, I progressed onto the video interview stage, which was largely competency-based. For preparation, I asked my friend, Harvey Forster, to ask me general interview questions and give me feedback on my answers, which helped a lot. The next stage was the assessment centre, which consisted of a group case study, two back to back interviews, and an individual task. The day was challenging, but everyone was really lovely, and I ended up enjoying it.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Rather unconventionally, being a Digital Marketing Intern at Bright Network helped a lot. This was my first real internship, and so I’d learnt a lot over the past few months, taking on a variety of different tasks day to day, and was given responsibility for things such as the weekly newsletter and updating clients’ stats. Resultantly, I was far more confident career-wise than I was at university.
As a Bright Network member, I think that the Amazon employer profile on the Bright Network website helped a lot, especially the articles. The success stories in particular are really useful and insightful, as they’re very personal and convey real student perspectives.
Do you have three top tips for other Bright Network members?
My first tip would be to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique when answering questions. It’s a really good way of structuring answers and shows that you’re making a conscious effort to keep your responses concise and relevant.
My next tip is – practice interviews beforehand, whether it’s with a friend or just to yourself. Although you may have prepared a lot, saying the words out loud and actually interacting in an interview scenario is really important. Before my interview, my housemate, Harvey Forster, gave me a mini mock interview and his feedback helped a lot.
Finally, it’s easier said than done, but try to relax. I’m an easily stressed out person, but it’s so important to remain calm in high pressure situations and not panic. What I find helps with this is breathing exercises – just taking a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. Meditation is useful as well, especially if you’re having trouble sleeping.
