FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes. I can coach anyone interested in learning more about Amazon culture (both the good and the not-so-good). But I should clarify that I haven't worked with Amazon since 2020, so my expertise about the way the company works TODAY may be a bit outdated. 

Yes, but the talks I gave for Amazon are specific to their leveling expectations. I am happy to come to an Amazon location and give that training, but if it is for another company I would give a different talk. Specifically talking through some key transition points that occur in engineering careers, highlighting which shifts can feel like a crossroads (and give some advice on how to think through them). I would also dive into some things I learned about what it takes to be come a senior/principal engineer. Software design, leadership, and a track record of solving super hard problems are the obvious skills to develop. However, there are others that are crucial to be successful at senior levels that I think needs more discussion. The only caveat is I would need the company to provide details on their current AI expectations so that I convey necessary information correctly.

YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT JOB LEVEL GUIDANCE, WHY?

Clear job level guidance is critical for fair hiring, compensation, performance management, and promotions. These types of guidelines are probably the most important mechanism to invest in for companies committed to a diverse employee population with a high skills bar. To understand why job level guidelines are important, consider the effect on employees when they are poorly defined:

• Interviewers are unclear about the distinction between levels, causing some candidates to be hired in at a lower level then their skills warrant. This effects their compensation offer.

• If the candidate rejects the offer, the company may get a false signal that their compensation is too low. Setting the level incorrectly contributes to wage inflation.

• Once hired, unclear job level guidance can lead to managers expecting more or less from an employee in that role at that level. They may have expectations that are too high (actually align to a higher level), causing the employee to appear to be failing. This can result in their being placed on a performance improvement plan.

• Worse, the employee may meet the higher level expectations and the manager may not recognize they are actually demonstrating the next level. Without the clarity, they fail to promote.

• And much worse, without clear content, an employee may think they are demonstrating a higher level when they are not and believe (incorrectly) that they are being treated unfairly. This is hard on everyone.

With workplace expectations rapidly evolving due to AI tooling and architectures other impacts are expected.