When I got the SDE intern offer from Amazon, I knew it would be a valuable experience—but I didn’t realize just how big of a difference it would make in my job search later on. For international students in North America studying computer science or related majors, internships like this can really move the needle.
Amazon runs a very structured internship program. The interview process starts early, usually during the summer recruiting season. It begins with an online assessment, followed by a few rounds of technical and behavioral interviews. Most of the coding questions are based on algorithms and data structures. The difficulty isn’t too bad, but time is tight, so being able to think and code quickly is important. Also, interviewers often pay attention to how clearly you explain your thought process, not just whether your code works.
The behavioral part is all about Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles. Before the interview, I spent quite a bit of time preparing real stories that could show ownership, problem-solving, or teamwork. These aren’t questions you can wing—practicing helps a lot.
During the internship, I was assigned to a backend team. I worked on a small feature that actually went live by the end of my term. It wasn’t just bug fixing—I got to write design docs, review PRs, write tests, and push to production. One thing that stood out was how much Amazon values documentation. Everything starts with a written doc, even technical discussions. At first, this felt a bit unusual, but I came to appreciate how it forces you to think through your ideas before speaking.
By the end of the internship, I had received a return offer. For me, as someone on OPT, this was a huge relief. It gave me a strong backup plan while I was still applying to full-time roles. Even in interviews with other companies, the Amazon experience came up a lot. Interviewers asked detailed questions about my project and seemed genuinely curious about what I worked on.
Looking back, this internship gave me more than just a name on my resume. It helped me build confidence, improve how I communicate technical ideas, and understand what it's like to work at scale. For anyone considering applying, it’s worth the effort to prepare well and aim for it.
Release time:2025-07-02
