How I became a UX design intern at Amazon (application tips)

I completed my UX Design internship last summer at Amazon. It was a great experience working at a FAANG / MAANG company and I'll be sharing the application process as well as some advice on applying.
My UX Case Study Created at Springboard UX Bootcamp: Code "SHARONKIM" for $1000 off your tuition: shorturl.at/bkrwT
To note, for the bootcamp mentioned above I may have personally used and enjoyed before being approached with a custom affiliate link with them. Therefore, I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
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🤩 Reference Links/Videos:
My EXACT UX Portfolio Presentation to Amazon & IBM: • My UX Portfolio Presen...
How to Write & Structure Your UX Case Study: • How to Write & Structu...
How to Build Your UX Design Website With Squarespace:
• How to Build your UX D...
Amazon Leadership Principles: www.amazon.jobs/content/en/ou...
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⏰ Timestamps:
INTRO: (00:00)
Step 1 Applying: (00:10)
Step 2 Portfolio: (00:50)
Step 3 Interview: (03:15)
Technical Round: (04:19)
Behavioral Round: (06:33)
Step 4 Follow Up: (09:57)
Conclusion! : (11:23)

[@jasian3050]

I’ll say this for those who aren’t students or have either already graduated/went the boot camp route. It’s going to be a struggle to try and land a FAANG company, from my own experience and many others I know it’s been a challenge just to land any UX Job at all. If you are in college for UX than your chances to land these companies are higher yes but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in that FAANG basket. These companies get thousands upon thousands of applicants so unless you have something that significantly helps you stand out, (ex. Have a KZbin channel, Have some type of internal referral, Went to a prestigious school etc) it could be years just trying to get your resume noticed. It’s not as cut and dry as “perfecting your resume”. Sometimes even that isn’t enough and sometimes it’s literally who you know. The UX Job market currently is completely wrecked and rejections are plentiful. So definitely keep that in mind when going on your job hunt. Sometimes your portfolio is great but it still won’t get seen Sometimes your resume is perfect but it won’t be noticed Sometimes your education is solid but it still won’t be enough. That’s the UX Job market for juniors in 2023.

[@sharonyeunkim]

FAANG is definitely hard to get into, no one said it’s be easy. And yes you should definitely expand into other companies beyond FAANG. Tech is indeed in a recession right now but recessions aren’t forever so they will hire again. I know plenty of people who did not have any extravagant titles to help them get into FAANG but through time and patience it did happen- truth is there will always be people with more “privilege” than you. The folks I know ended up being managers at FAANG and such years down the line. Everyone starts somewhere. The answer may not be now but doesn’t mean it’s no forever - have to accept reality for what it is and play your cards best you can moving forward.

[@Kelly.nonyee]

Sad but true, this is my current situation and I'm literally tired. I don't know what next to do.

[@jasian3050]

@@Kelly.nonyee I would recommend trying to either continue working on your Portfolio case studies, finding a mentor to critique your day to day goals and career prospects or finding another relative field that isn’t UX. I like many UX KZbinrs but the sad truth of the matter is, sometimes no matter how hard you try it just won’t happen. Breaking into UX is one of these things from what I gathered. It can be helpful to say “Maybe one day” but realistically landing a job in UX is getting harder and harder due to the influx of major competition. You really got to stand out or know somebody in the industry or have been doing this for years prior to the over saturation to break in. I know designers who have been trying to break in for years and currently are in other fields. Sometimes hard work doesn’t pay off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t allocate that time to other things.

[@vivianastaicu]

Your 'How to Write & Structure Your UX Case Study' video helped me structure my own ux and product design case studies and get accepted into one of my top schools for my undergrad in design, and I just wanted to say thank you so much for making this great content :)

[@rebaonematlaba3552]

Kim is really good and I have been following her since last year , she has a mentorship program out now

[@vic8605]

im just starting my bootcamp and i've been watching your videos for a while. definitely feeling myself going in. thanks for the gems!

[@sharonyeunkim]

My pleasure! Best of luck on your bootcamp :)

[@chryseailios]

yesss!! just what i needed for some motivation to keep studying! Thanks Sharon!! keep up the good content. Hope you have a lovely day 💕💕

[@sharonyeunkim]

Appreciate you so much!! Have a great day too :) ❤️✨✨

[@1207imk]

Thank you Sharon. Your video helped me a lot 👍🏻

[@p.k5096]

Thank you so much for this video! The interview process is the part I'm most nervous about 😟 your video has really helped to calm me and to help me prepare when the time comes, thanks again Sharon ❤

[@sharonyeunkim]

My pleasure!! Best of luck.

[@vanessanwosu8012]

Thank you! i have an interview coming up with them for this role! I'm nervous. Thanks for the tip!

[@ahmedgafer7906]

Thanks Sharon, This is really helpful 💥. Keep it up💪💪

[@sharonyeunkim]

thank you!

[@hyeho]

Thank you! It is really helpful:)

[@sharonyeunkim]

Glad it was helpful!! ❤️

[@abbyfloresita]

VIDEO QUALITY IS SOOOO MUCH BETTER OMG YES ❤❤❤

[@sharonyeunkim]

I know right :OOo

[@mateuscj_]

You are definitely my biggest inspiration. Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@sharonyeunkim]

Hello!!! So grateful for you :)

[@PreethiVarshavenkatesh]

Hey, I've been watching your videos and just completed my interview. I also received a similar email and am in a state where I don't know what to expect. What do you think the chances are that I might get an offer?

[@fallencheeto4762]

Hey Awesome Video! You interned at the Sunnyvale location, how did you like the office/area?

[@sharonyeunkim]

The office was nice! I enjoyed it :)

[@djashawe88923]

Hi, I enjoy your videos. They are fun to watch and very informative, too. I have a question. It seems you have done a lot of presentations even on your last day. Is it part of a regular routine of any UX/Product designer? The answer will depend on the companies, but can you roughly give us the breakdown of what percentage might be spent on design, presentation, research, running workshops etc.? I'm very curious for the reality is often a lot different from the expectation. Thanks. 🤓👍

[@sharonyeunkim]

Hi! Yes sure :) if I had to break it down into percentages it’d be: 40% research and running workshops 10% organizing design files and self management 20% meetings 20% design 5% presentation 5% follow up and documentation

[@djashawe88923]

@@sharonyeunkim Wow, thanks a lot Sharon for the detailed breakdown. It’s very interesting. I thought wireframe+flow design+mappings+design+prototyping would take up more percentage. The reality is always different from the expectation. 🥹👍

[@pandastory-abookseriesabou8568]

👋🏻​ It's good ​

[@zacheryalhideq4750]

During your interview, did you go through your portfolios case study or did you create a slide deck and presented that instead!

[@sharonyeunkim]

I created a slidedeck! My portfolio presentation is linked in the description box :)

[@ayakakizaki8761]

hi ! i’m an undergraduate pursuing ux! i have no internships so i figured i should focus on case studies. does it matter what my case study is about? like can it be on any app? for ex, i wanted to create a case study for spotify

[@sharonyeunkim]

Do not do a redesign!!! Tackle a problem that is unique to you

[@bbbig]

this is something i can't find a clear answer on, but do you think people transitioning careers should even bother going into an internship? or focus their efforts into just job searching?

[@sharonyeunkim]

Hey Theo, so imo most internships are for undergrad/grad students so if that’s you deciding to switch majors or careers it’s very possible. Otherwise I’d suggest perhaps an apprenticeship/fellowship of the sorts that may convert to a full time job. If applying full time rn esp w recession is hard- smtg I’d consider is to potentially work for free for a smaller company that does UX and may need an extra hand while you hopefully do land a full time later on.

[@ffmde8268]

​@@sharonyeunkimwhate exactly do some companies expect when it comes to internship designers? Because i see sometimes different companies here in Germany the requirements are plenty considering that internship or junior designer has maybe no experience at all so maybe i should just apply without paying that much attention to all those requirements they asking for Thank you

[@JG-si9qt]

I just got my invitation for an interview with Amazon with a UX design internship I will be watching a lot of your videos for guidance, if anyone here in the comments or you Sharon, can advice me any tips I would greatly appreciate it.

[@sharonyeunkim]

Hey! Congrats on the interview 😆 I’d love to help you prepare. If you want I offer one on one mentorship and we could do interview prep if you’d like. There’s sessions or monthly plans. Book a time here mentorcruise.com/mentor/sharonkim/?source=landing

[@MA-fh7ui]

yo buy a mic plsssssss thank you for the amazing content

[@sharonyeunkim]

It’s sad I just got a separate mic for this new camera- guess it’s not good 😂😂 I’m gonna switch back to my old one. I know it wasn’t just me!!

[@tanvirzaman6133]

Communication design and ux design same or different?

[@Yk-lo6pl]

Is it paid?

[@maxwellberger2694]

Thanks for the great video! I watched your past videos and tutorials on this topic. It help me a land an internship at Amazon as well. Can I connect with you on LinkedIn to ask a bit about about your experiences there as an intern?

[@sharonyeunkim]

Hey! Yeah that would be cool- send me a note on LinkedIn!