Amazon (AWS) Solution Architect Interview Process Guide
Landing any job at Amazon is not easy, let alone a Solution Architect position. This page will walk you through everything you need to know about the process and the position so that you can come as prepared as possible.
You will learn:
- What the interviewers are looking for.
- How to prepare for the different rounds.
- Your Roles and Responsibilities.
- Things you can expect during the interview process.
- Amazon Interview questions, basic knowledge.
Whether you are just starting in AWS or an experienced professional, this guide will give you the information and confidence you need to pass your interview, assessment test and land your dream job.
To learn more, read on!
What Does a Solution Architect Do at Amazon?
AWS Solutions Architects design and build business applications and critical infrastructure within AWS Cloud.
They have the skills and expertise to migrate, design, and build cloud-based solutions to existing workloads.
A solution architect is an ideal opportunity for anyone interested in cloud computing. AWS has much to offer and can make a huge difference in technology. AWS Solutions Architects assist clients in using cloud technology effectively.
AWS Solution Architect Roles and Responsibilities
Meetings with Sales and Customers
As an AWS Solutions Architect, your job will be to design solutions. Customers and sales will make up a large portion of your workday.
These meetings could be held in person or via conference calls. It all depends on your company and what role you play within it.
AWS Solution Architects might be more focused on products than customers. Some of their tasks are to solve customer problems. Others do not.
Problem Solving
Your main task will be to design solutions that meet customer goals and needs. As a pre-sales representative, you will also be responsible for developing technical solutions and supporting customer goals.
Your day will include some complex problem-solving. You will create solutions plans and help customers understand AWS architecture best practices. You’ll estimate the cost, identify cost control mechanisms and choose the best AWS service for your data, compute, and security needs.
Variety
All of the above may make it seem like your days are predictable. But they won’t because an AWS Solutions Architect’s typical day involves many tasks. Your day might be spent reviewing existing environments and planning new ones.
Depending on your role and where you work, you might be traveling to customer meetings. You could write scripts, manage migrations, troubleshoot, or keep up to date with AWS’s new features. You will likely work with other departments, such as sales, engineers, and even the engineering department.
Time Management
You’ll need to be able to manage all the tasks that come up in your day. As an AWS Solutions Architect, you will likely need to plan your day, manage your time on tasks, and prioritize your projects.
Keep Current
AWS is constantly evolving, just as with every technology. AWS is constantly evolving, so you could spend part of your day learning about new services and features or keeping up with the best practices for improving existing AWS solutions. You can also find updates and best practices on blogs and discussion boards. You might also find other SAs discussing solutions. You might need to know more if you are an AWS Solution Architect.
What Are the Requirements for Becoming an AWS Solution Architect?
Educational qualifications, Experiences, and Skills recruiters at Amazon look for when hiring Solutions Architects are:
Education and Experience
- A bachelor’s degree is required in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Engineering.
- 8+ years of experience in specific technology domains, such as Software Development, Systems Engineering, Cloud Computing, Infrastructure, Networking, Security, Data, and Analytics.
- Experience designing, implementing, and consulting applications and infrastructures for 3+ years.
- Communication skills with non-technical and technical audiences, executive-level stakeholders, and clients.
- Experience in enterprise IT applications for 7+ years
- 2+ years experience in software development, systems administration, DevOps engineering, network administration, systems architecture, IT security, and other technical disciplines.
- Knowledge of software development tools, software engineering principles, methodologies, and techniques.
Skills
These are the key skills required to be a Solutions Architect:
- Programming languages such as Java, Python or C# are used for scripting and programming.
- Data storage.
- Networking.
- Information Retrieval.
- Distributed Computing.
- Large-Scale System Design.
- Patterns and technologies specific to the cloud.
- AWS Service Selection.
- System Security.
- Operating Systems like Linux, Solaris, and Windows.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is required by some companies. Certifications not only add value to your resume as an AWS Solution Architect but also increase your chances of being hired.
What To Expect in the Amazon AWS Interview Process?
Amazon’s interview process is often exhausting. The good news is that the process is fairly predictable. Knowing the structure of the interview before the interview makes preparations much easier and reduces the chance of surprises. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the interview will be easy. It does not mean you’ll be blind, however.
This guide will provide information on what to expect from a solutions architect interview. It includes questions about technical expertise, cloud computing principles, concepts, behavioral queries, processes, risk management, presentation skills, and technical knowledge. Interviews can be conducted via both phone screen and on-site interviews.
How Do I Prepare For the AWS Solutions Architect Interview Process?
A strong understanding of all levels of the AWS solution architects’ interview process is important to prepare efficiently. Each stage of the solution architect process is designed to measure success on every parameter possible.
The AWS Solutions Architect hiring process is comprised of the following steps:
Resume and Online Application
Finding the right job is the first step. You can search AWS careers by keyword, location, job category, or keyword.
Click “Apply now” to apply for the role that interests you. If you have already applied, you will be asked to create or log in to a new profile.
The online instructions will guide you through the remainder of your application.
AWS Online Assessment
Online assessments measure the key attributes required to succeed in a job. Online assessments allow amazon to evaluate applicants consistently and equitably since everyone receives the same experience as the information needed for the assessment.
You may be asked for an assessment depending on your position. The number of assessments you must complete will vary depending on the job. After the initial application stage, you will be given an Amazon online assessment test to assess your AWS role. It includes a work simulation test, technical questions, and personality tests.
We are now going to break down each segment of the assessment, which will culminate in a phone interview providing that you pass the assessment itself.
Work Style Assessment
These interview questions focus on Amazon’s unique culture and Leadership Principles. They may ask you to select which statement best describes your work style as a solutions architect. For example, “I like things to be well-structured” or “I enjoy learning new things.” These assessments usually take between 10-20 minutes.
Here is an example:
Work Sample Simulation
Virtual tasks will be required to fulfill the job description. You may be asked to complete virtual tasks related to the position you are applying for.
You may be asked to answer customer questions, interpret data, find the correct information from multiple sources, or help customers. These tasks typically take between 20 and 60 minutes.
Technical Knowledge Test
This Amazon Web Services Assessment section requires the most professional experience of all four.
This test will present you with 24 multiple-choice questions. These questions will assess your technical knowledge of servers and connectivity.
Technical Skills Survey
After passing the technical knowledge test, you can tell Amazon your strengths and weaknesses.
You will be asked to rate your proficiency with Big Data and Linux on a scale of “No Experience” up to “Expert”.
In this section, it is best to tell the truth about where you are at and your strengths. Remember, Amazon doesn’t expect you and other candidates to be experts in all subjects.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should not prepare ahead. This section is the same as the previous section. You can only benefit from studying technical concepts and brushing up before taking this assessment. Be prepared to be pushed to your very limits.
This will allow Amazon and you to see where you are in the AWS world.
Working with Customers Simulation
This section is 15 minutes long and includes scenario-based questions. These questions are sent in an email from your Team Lead, AWS customers, and co-workers. You’ll be asked to rate each response differently by choosing the right system for each scenario.
Phone Interview
These conversations will discuss your experiences, including past situations and challenges and how you dealt with them. Focus on the question, ensure your answer is structured, and provide data or metrics if necessary. When possible, refer to recent situations.
Amazon avoids brain teaser questions during interviews because they don’t believe they can predict a candidate’s success in AWS. They instead ask behavior-based questions about your work experience and style.
On-Site Interview
Before your interview, thinking about your successes and failures with the Amazon Leadership Principles is crucial. Then plan how to talk about them using STAR.
Give examples of your expertise demonstrating your knowledge and how you have taken risks, succeeded, failed, and learned from them.
Failure is part of innovation. Some of the most successful programs were rooted in failed projects. It is important to learn from each effort.
Amazon Solution Architect Interview Questions
These domains will be used for both online and on-site interviews for the amazon solution architect interview process.
Questions about background and experience
Your background and experience will guide the first few questions you ask on-site or online. For the role of a solutions architect, you will need two years of experience in system design, management, and debugging using AWS Cloud.
Questions on Key Skills
Here you are being tested on technical concepts like EBS, autoscaling, and Amazon VPC launches. Data connections, deep understanding of system design principles, Amazon S3, AMI, and differences between Dynamodb and Redshift.
Processors, networking concepts and Elastic Beanstalk. System design, CloudFront Geo Restrictions, AWS Lambda, Amazon ElastiCach. Types of cloud services. Sharding, encryptions.
Preparation Tips for the Amazon Solution Architect Interviews
- Interview questions for solution architects will likely include questions that describe, explain and distinguish situations.
- Asking scenarios-based questions is a good idea if you are looking for AWS interview questions and responses for experienced software architects.
- Create a STAR Method for all your major experiences. Using the STAR technique to answer, you will describe the situation, the given task, the action you took, and assess the result of your actions on the topic.
- Base your answers on Amazon’s Leadership Principles (see the chart below.)
Amazon Solution Architect Salaries
Solutions Architecture’s compensation packages are quite competitive compared to other companies.
The average salary for different levels:
- L4 138,000.
- L5 203,000.
- L6 276,000.
- L7 368,000.
Career Path
AWS Solutions Architects’ career path depends on their work experience and the type of projects they are working on. AWS Solution Architects come from many backgrounds and can take on a range of roles at various points in their careers in the organization with various teams.
This Is How a Typical AWS Solutions Architect Would Look
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science – Master’s Degree in Systems Architecture (some employers need MBAs and other certifications) – 3+ Years experience working with IT systems and proficiency in one or two programming languages.
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