I’ve applied to AE and AM positions at Amazon and Uber but I can never seem to get past the 1st interview. I have 7yrs sales experience and consistently top3 AM, I sell automotive chemicals and provide business development consolation. I used to have the ability to see a breakdown of past sales, but my company took that away (although I was able to save 2019,2020,&2021 numbers). Any advice on how to get past the 1st interview with hiring manager?
If you’ve got the experience, stats, and the resume to attract a first interview but can’t make it past that then I would say the issue is the way you are either conducting or communicating yourself in the interview.
How much do you know about their culture, their values, the average personality on their team? Are you humble? Are you positive? Do you speak highly about others you’ve worked with in the past?
Take a step back and look at what your subliminal message might be. How would someone on the outside view you as a person?
Thank you for the insight, it is truly appreciated. I feel as though I have come along way from where I started in my current position. I need to be aware of my accomplishments and allow myself to celebrate them. As well as accept the shortcomings I’ve dealt with.
a concise, compelling and executive level summary of your experience and how you tell the story is important. i can tell you are overly focused on the exact break down of the numbers, etc.
This is sooooo true. How you tell the story is very iimportant.
Just joined Amazon as an AE few months ago. Definitely a challenging interviewing process end to end. Happy to do mock interviews with you, if you’d like.
Congrats on that role! I would like to do mock interviews too!
Are you married to Amazon or Uber? Maybe those just aren't a great fit for you right now. Plenty of other great opportunities out there if you're willing to consider them. As for getting past the first interview, I'd recommend getting a mentor and/or interview coach who can help you hone your interview skills and become more comfortable/confident. I did this a few years ago and it really accelerated my career trajectory.
Thank you! I’ve tried to look for a interview coach, but I’ve yet to find one that I liked. As for married to either those companies, not necessarily. But I am ready to make a career change as the auto industry moves towards electric vehicles, basically no chemicals involved in electric vehicles and HEV
It is incredibly difficult to break into companies like Amazon and Uber so I would not be discouraged. Automotive chemicals is likely not the exact industry they are looking for. As a hiring manager for a tech company, that would not be an ideal fit for me. Try breaking into another tech company to get more tech sales experience, and apply again in a year or two.
I totally get that which is why I was a bit confessed when they were the ones to reach out to me. I would had figured I would have needed some type of experience in tech. That being said, do you think the a good path for me would be to take certification courses they offer?
I’m currently signed up with the sales leadership certification course at Salesforce in the hopes to increase my chances.
I would suggest getting a personal referral. That is how I got into Amazon. I kept trying and then getting a referral is what helped me the most.
The competition to get into Amazon and Uber is really tough. I'd suggest you find a referral. Do your know any recruiters/referrals around your area?
Ohhh. That's so horrible. This is very common, especially with Amazon recruiters. They just ghost applicants for no reason.