[djhworld]

I had two phone screenings with Amazon recently and they decided not to continue with my application.

It was depressing to me and I felt down for quite a bit, mainly because on the second phone screening I just couldn't do the coding task asked. My mind went blank and I probably sounded like a 5 year old struggling through the simplest of questions.

It's my own fault though, I just got more and more stressed over the preceding weeks reading algorithms textbooks and "CareerCup" tests I think I just burned out.

I totally understand that top companies like Amazon and Google can afford to be ruthless and choosy in their interview process, after all, they're top companies for a reason, but I guess it just wasn't for me

[undershirt]

I applied to a couple jobs in the bay area and didn't do well. I had about the same reaction you did.

The result was that I started working really hard on side projects to see if I was really capable of working up there. That was the beginning of last year, and that pattern of work hasn't stopped. I've learned and built a lot.

About phone interviews though, I've been requesting Google Hangout interviews in place of them. And I've been a lot more comfortable I think because of the face-to-face interaction. Something to think about.

[GFischer]

I didn't know about CareerCup. If I ever try my hand at interviews in the U.S. I'll probably use it :)

http://www.careercup.com

The few interviews I've had here are quite different, since most everyone comes with recommendations and the interviewer has a general idea of what work is at other companies. (I did have a test interview once, where I showed I was completely clueless about CSS, it really wasn't a position for me)