Free Cloud Interview Guide to crush your next interview. Plus, real-world answers for cloud interviews, and system design from a top AWS Solutions Architect.
Ex-VP of Amazon, Who Conducted 2500+ Interviews Shares His Tips
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Hello Reader, If you have ever walked out of an interview feeling like you nailed the technical questions and still got rejected, there is a reason for that. And it is probably not what you think. Ethan Evans - former VP at Amazon, 2,500+ interviews conducted, worked alongside Bezos, ran Prime Video and Twitch engineering - told me that when he is hiring, his first concern is not whether the candidate can add value. It is something else entirely. And until a candidate clears that filter, nothing else they say matters. His executive communication is one of the best I have seen. And this conversation gave me and my students more actionable interview and career advice than most courses I have come across. Another thing Ethan said that stuck with me: most engineers think talking more in an interview means proving more. Ethan says that is backwards. The more you are talking, the less you are winning. He explains why, and the reasoning changes how you approach every answer you give. Other things we got into: → The real reason Amazon blacklists candidates for 6 to 12 months. It's nothing personal, and Ethan explains the math (yes, math) behind it. → A 5-step framework he calls the Magic Loop for how to move up inside a company. He has been teaching it for years and is writing a book on it. The core idea is simple, but the way he handles the two biggest objections to it (a bad manager and getting overloaded) - is worth hearing. → How to network for referrals without being the person whose message gets deleted. I will be honest, I used to delete cold referral requests. Ethan lays out a specific approach that earns the referral by leading with value first. → Why he got fired twice from VP roles and the one question he asked himself that turned his entire career around. He compares it to debugging - the hard part is finding the bug, not fixing it. What he found was uncomfortable, and he does not sugarcoat it. → Whether AI will replace engineers or managers. His answer is nuanced and backed by 2,200 years of management history. Seriously, he actually went and looked it up. → An interview with Elon Musk at SpaceX that ended with Ethan walking away. The reason is one of the most honest things I have heard anyone say about knowing what you are and what you are not. If you are preparing for interviews, trying to move up, or figuring out how to position yourself in this job market, block the time and watch it. 👉 Ex-Amazon VP: Acing Interviews, Why Politics Beats Tech Skills, PIP & Blacklist | Ethan Evans And if you are actively preparing for cloud and SA interviews, I put together a free interview guide with exclusive questions and the "Average vs. Delightful Answer" breakdowns my students use to stand out. 👉 Download the free interview guide Keep learning and keep rocking 🚀, Raj P.S. If you have found this newsletter helpful, and want to dive deeper... Everything I teach on AWS, System Design, Kubernetes, and DevOps - all in one Skool classroom. Build the technical depth at your own pace, and get every new course I release: Join Here 🎥 Free tutorials on Cloud Gen AI + interview prep on my YouTube channel: Here 🚀 The SA Bootcamp is the full transformation - hands-on practice through Cloud Colosseum, interview prep, mock interviews, and resume reviews, and so much more... Join the waitlist to be first in when the next cohort opens. |
Fast Track To Cloud
Free Cloud Interview Guide to crush your next interview. Plus, real-world answers for cloud interviews, and system design from a top AWS Solutions Architect.
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