I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Feb 2011
Interview
I was contacted for a phone screen from Amazon corporate that was to be conducted for 2, one hour sessions by different Amazon staff members. Overall, the questions were not difficult for the online interview. The 6 hour on-site interview was more difficult due to the fact that it was really just asking and answering question after question, without really getting a sense for what the day to day work/life environment at Amazon would entail.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Amazon in Sep 2011
Interview
Felt rushed during phone interview and that the interviewer was not paying attention to all given answers.
As opposed to a conversation which flowed naturally, it felt confrontational and was a negative experience.
If my resume was good enough to get to the hiring manager, questions of competencies should not have been a major issue.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Have you ever worked on CPG or financial products with any major agencies?
I applied through college or university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Amazon in Feb 2011
Interview
Very specific questions on how you will improve Amazon, the expectation is you will dig deep.
The process varies a lot from interviewer to interviewer - some were less likely to probe deep into your thinking and would just want to understand your thinking process.