Part 2: “Essential ‘Unhelpful’ Tips for Career Success based on real story
Because You Just Can’t Succeed Without Them!;)
In Part 1, we discussed 13 essential tips to help you navigate your career. And we’re not done yet!
Tip 14: Go to interviews anytime and anywhere. Never miss an opportunity to interview, especially if you’re comfortable and not actively looking for a job. It’s better to choose a job without rush or stress, so you can actually choose rather than settle for the first offer that comes along. This way, there’s less need to embellish, and you can be yourself. I saw a LinkedIn post from a guy at Google who asked his mentor about this. His mentor advised the same thing: It’s the employer’s job to provide a comfortable work environment and a competitive salary. If someone else offers you more, they’ll either try to match it to keep you or let you go if they no longer need you. So, everyone benefits. Of course, just make sure no one knows you’re doing it! :)
Job Change – From Montenegro to Canada
Tip 15: If you’re preparing to relocate, start job hunting well in advance—ideally a year or at least 6 months ahead. Subscribe to weekly job listings, connect with people on LinkedIn, network, and introduce yourself. This will save you a lot of time and money down the line.
I arrived in Canada, in Winnipeg, and started my new job at an insurance company within just five days, earning $75,000 CAD, which is about $4,000 a month. I already had an offer in hand, and they were waiting for me.
How did I get the offer remotely? You might guess - I used my own tips;)
How did I find a job even before arriving? The answer is simple: I used my own tips.
Here are some techniques that helped me:
I subscribed to job alerts for my province on indeed.ca.
I created a resume with a fake local address and set up an IP phone with a Winnipeg area code that forwarded calls to my mobile. My goal was for HR to connect me with the hiring manager, and in the end, my plan worked.
Another life hack was to send a Slideshare presentation instead of a cover letter (which I find pretty pointless). Here’s an example, though it’s a bit dated. The main idea was not to showcase my experience and skills but to highlight the value I could add to the company. The key is to focus on the value you bring—identify industry issues, show that you’re aware of them, and outline potential solutions.
Slideshare has a handy feature where you can keep a presentation private, accessible only via a direct link. It also provides web analytics tools, showing you the IP addresses and the number of times your presentation was viewed. This allows you to measure engagement effectively.
Job Change – From Insurance to Amazon
It became clear that Winnipeg wasn’t quite the Canada we had in mind. We needed to move to Vancouver or Toronto. Plus, I had some conflicts with colleagues.
Tip 16: Be cautious with jokes. My harmless jokes weren’t well-received by the team members due to difference of mentalities, who took offense. As a result, I found myself in difficult situations.
I’m grateful to those colleagues for their attempts to get under my skin, as they pushed me to find a job at Amazon. I also had an offer from a local startup, SkipTheDishes, which is quite popular now. I reached out to the founders, went for a meeting, and even brought along my first published book. They offered me a role as Head of Analytics. I took some time to think about it and decided to keep exploring options—which, as it turned out, was the right choice.
Now, I can go into detail about the Amazon interview process. Today, I’m an interview expert, having conducted over 100 interviews at Amazon and completed related trainings. Back then, I knew nothing about the process and was lucky to get through.
Tip 17: If you’re job hunting, use the “carpet bombing” approach—apply to every relevant position and sort through the opportunities later. You might gain valuable negotiation and interview experience, which can help you land your dream job.
I usually keep a spreadsheet where I track all the details:
I had decent experience, a couple of books published, a blog post, but job hunting isn’t a fast process. The main challenge is that each position attracts around 30-50-100 applicants (depending on the company). So, if your resume lands 81st in the list, the chances of them noticing such a valuable candidate are slim. That’s why networking, a quick response time, and a bit of luck are crucial to getting your chance.
I had examples with Google where the recruiter simply vanished because we couldn’t agree on a time. For them, it’s simple—they’re willing to lose a good candidate because, in the end, another strong candidate will come along. Landing a job at a FAANG company is almost like winning the lottery. That’s why finding unconventional ways in is essential.
I got lucky and received an interview invitation.
Tip 18: You need a competitive advantage. What makes you better than other candidates? This can be quickly demonstrated through additional assets—a blog, conference talks, meetups, a YouTube channel. I had books and a blog post, and at Amazon, they valued these artifacts.
Interviewing at Amazon
Amazon Leadership Principles are now part of my DNA.
The interview process typically goes like this:
Phone Screen – They call to ask various questions, both technical and non-technical, to see how well you fit.
Second Phone Screen – This may be with the hiring manager, and they might also send a test assignment. I was so proactive that I completed the test in three different ways and even created dashboards for them, though they hadn’t asked for it. Afterward, there was a follow-up call about the test.
On-Site Interview – If you pass the previous stage, you’ll be invited to an on-site interview (in pre-COVID times). They bought me tickets and scheduled 5-6 interviews, including a lunch with the team.
For the interview, I brought along my signature presentation (my cover letter on Slideshare). The technical director immediately told me it wasn’t necessary and began asking questions, taking notes on my answers. Each interviewer did the same, sometimes asking repeated questions.
Now, I understand what this was about. The interview itself has two main parts:
Behavioural Interview – Assessing your alignment with Amazon Leadership Principles.
Functional Interview – Evaluating your technical skills.
The goal of the behavioural interview is to see how well you embody Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles. Typically, each interviewer focuses on two principles. They’ll select questions from a “question bank,” starting with 2-3 questions to initiate the discussion, then write a report on how well you meet each principle. The aim is to “meet the bar”—meaning you should perform as well as at least 50% of those in this role.
Examples of my questions:
Amazon LP – Ownership
Q: Tell me about a time when you took on something significant outside your area of responsibility. Why was it important? What was the outcome?
Amazon LP – Insist on the Highest Standards
Q: What measures have you personally put in place to ensure performance improvement? What targets and standards were achieved?
The best way to answer these questions is with the STAR format:
Situation – The context or problem
Task – The task or challenge
Action – The actions you took
Result – The outcome
For the functional interview, they ask technical questions, and there might be a coding session. They asked me a lot about marketing analytics and data warehousing solutions, where my web analytics experience proved useful.
A week later, I got a call with an offer. I didn’t dare negotiate. The salary was low by Amazon’s standards—$90,000 CAD per year, plus a sign-up bonus and 80 Amazon shares over 4 years (worth $600 each at the time, totalling $48,000 CAD over 4 years). I was thrilled, and we moved to British Columbia. They offered me Level 5 (L5).
L5 is considered mid-level. For my first two years, I worked extremely hard, hoping that good performance would lead to a promotion and a salary increase. I was naive.
Tip 19: This one’s obvious, and it’s something we all know but rarely follow: From almost your first day, you need to define clear goals tied to a promotion. These goals may be for the next 12-18 months, but at Amazon, that’s the only way. In my case, I spent two years grinding away, only to be told by my manager, when I asked about a promotion, that I needed to have set these goals in advance.
At Amazon, there’s a performance review once a year, around February. Before this meeting, you need to request feedback from colleagues, who will evaluate you based on two criteria:
Your Super Powers (read: Leadership Principles) that you’ve demonstrated.
Your Growth Areas (read: Leadership Principles) that you need to improve.
Based on this feedback, your salary may increase by 1-4%. Your manager will explain how they fought hard to make this happen. This increase, pre-tax, might be enough for an extra cappuccino each week.
If you’re lucky, you might also receive additional Amazon stock. Over five years, I received about 25 extra shares beyond the 80 I got on my first day. Of course, this is low—20-40 shares a year is a better benchmark. This largely depends on your manager.
For all five years, whenever I asked, “Why is my salary growing so slowly?” the answer was always that Amazon stock had gone up significantly.
The stock did indeed grow significantly from its initial value. But I fundamentally disagreed with the company’s approach. I received the stock on my first day, and even if I’d only put in minimal effort, I still would have received it. Meanwhile, for my actual performance, overtime, and dedication to the job, I got only a 2-4% raise—essentially just an inflation adjustment.
To get promoted at Amazon, you have to complete several documents, and 60% of the effort must come from your manager. It’s a strategic game that isn’t closely tied to your technical skills and your delivery. That’s why it’s so important (as mentioned in Tip 19) to plan your strategy in advance and discuss it with your manager. The company’s goal is to get the most out of you for the least cost.
Tip 20: In 95% of cases, your salary will remain close to what you initially agreed upon. My salary at Amazon grew by just 10% over five years. Even if I’d been promoted to L6 (the next level), it would only have grown by 10-15%, which is still relatively low. As stated in Tip 4, if you want growth, it’s best to change employers, but make sure you have a solid case and at least 12 months of experience in your current role.
Changing Teams at Amazon
Amazon is a vast corporation with countless teams and business areas. You have the option to transfer to any team worldwide. Many American colleagues moved to Europe, and vice versa—Europe to the U.S. and Canada.
After 2.5 years in one team, I’d had enough of my manager’s empty promises of promotion and decided to look for opportunities in other teams.
Tip 21: This one’s crucial. We often tend to blame others for our failures—thinking, “Everyone else is incompetent; I’m the only smart one.” There are countless examples of this. It’s a terrible mindset to have, and it’s best to avoid this way of thinking. I changed my mindset, learnt to take responsibility for my actions, and stoped considering myself smarter than others.
For example, I fully understand that my inability to get promoted at Amazon was my own failure. So, never think of yourself as better than others. If you know something better, help others understand it. If someone makes a mistake, there’s a reason behind it—help them overcome the issue. But never assume you’re superior; it’ll make life easier and help you achieve your goals.
I was on the West Coast and found a data engineering position on the East Coast.
An interesting paradox: the salary isn’t particularly high, but there are other benefits. For instance, in the summer, I joined the Amazon Alexa team based in Cambridge, MA (turns out there’s a Cambridge in the U.S. too). It’s home to MIT and Harvard, and if you cross the bridge, you’re in Boston.
Our whole family flew to Boston for two months so I could get to know the team. They rented us an apartment just 5 minutes from the office and MIT, costing $12,000 per month. They also covered all our food and my plane ticket. Spending the summer in Boston with family—priceless.
Throughout the year, I made a few more trips to visit them, staying in Airbnb rentals in Boston’s historic center.
This is the end of Part 2! See you soon!