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Many software engineers dream of working for one of the elite FAANG<\/a> companies\u2014Facebook<\/a>, Apple<\/a>, Amazon<\/a>, Netflix<\/a>, and Google<\/a>. But interview processes are rigorous across the board, ensuring only the most qualified candidates are hired.\u00a0<\/p>\n And at Amazon, the bar is even higher\u2014literally. The e-commerce giant has had a unique hiring practice in place since the late 1990s called \u201cbar raisers,\u201d where an interviewer who typically sits on another team serves as an objective third-party adviser during the hiring process. There were a whopping 3,600 bar raisers<\/a> at Amazon as of October 2019, but they had been removed from the interview process for entry-level software engineers in recent years during a pandemic hiring boom<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Amazon is reinstating bar raisers into the interview process for entry-level software engineering jobs, called \u201cSDE-1 (L4)\u201d roles, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re constantly reviewing and improving our hiring practices to ensure we\u2019re hiring the best talent to innovate for our customers,\u201d Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokesperson, told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Amazon declined to say whether removing bar raisers from the SDE-1 roles had led to a drop in talent quality<\/a>, as Business Insider <\/em>reporting suggests. However, reinstating the bar-raiser program for these roles \u201cis addressing a direct business need and aims to enhance the quality of SDE-1 candidates hired,\u201d according to the memo obtained by Business Insider<\/em>.<\/p>\n There are thousands of bar raisers at Amazon who volunteer their time contributing to the interview process. They undergo a rigorous training process, sitting in on dozens of interviews before officially entering the program. Bar raisers aren\u2019t paid extra for the work they contribute as part of the interview process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese individuals, who are typically experienced employees from different departments, are trained to evaluate candidates not just for the immediate role but also for long-term potential and overall fit with Amazon\u2019s culture,\u201d Tearra Bourgeois<\/a>, a former Amazon human resources business partner, told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cThey bring an objective perspective and help mitigate biases that might occur when hiring managers are pressured to fill positions quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Amazon employees must be nominated by their manager, peers, or another bar raiser in order to be considered for the program. They can come from any part of the company, ranging in roles including product management, software development, human resources, and marketing. Aspiring bar raisers also have to complete an \u201cextensive training\u201d on Amazon\u2019s 16 Leadership Principles<\/a>, which include \u201ccustomer obsession, ownership, think big, and frugality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bar raisers are charged with understanding the full picture of a candidate, Callahan said, and can help drive final hiring decisions. They\u2019re \u201cespecially important during the evaluation stage\u201d by driving the debrief discussion following an interview. A major part of their role is also to evaluate whether a candidate has the potential to grow in their role, Callahan said. Hence the name: The main purpose of a bar raiser is to keep the hiring bar high, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cOne could speculate that Amazon brought [bar raisers] back based on data to continue and maintain this consistent, high-quality hiring standard and to reinforce the importance of cultural fit and long-term potential in their hiring decisions,\u201d Bourgeois said.<\/p>\n While Amazon declined to share with Fortune <\/em>the types of questions a bar raiser might ask during an interview process, they\u2019re in charge of evaluating<\/a> the candidate\u2019s core competencies for the job they\u2019re applying for and whether they\u2019ll meet the desired performance outcomes.<\/p>\n Bar raisers typically ask questions to assess a candidate\u2019s long-term cultural fit and alignment with the company\u2019s leadership principles, Bourgeois said, which can include detailing a time when they\u2019ve had to make a difficult decision with limited information or how the candidate has \u201cdemonstrated customer obsession\u201d in previous roles, she said. Candidates are also asked questions such as \u201cImagine you are leading a project and the timeline is cut in half. How would you adjust your approach to ensure success?\u201d and \u201cDescribe a complex problem you have solved. What was your approach, and what were the results?\u201d<\/p>\n Amazon bar raisers also ask fellow interviewers questions during the debrief following an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned some key questions that get hiring managers to really think about the role and the decision,\u201d Annie Groeninger, a former software development manager, told Amazon for an article<\/a> about the bar-raiser program. \u201cSome of my favorites to ask are, \u2018What does Amazon miss out on if we don\u2019t hire this person?\u2019 and \u2018What about this person makes you want to work with them?’\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Groeninger, who worked at Amazon for more than a decade, became a bar raiser after completing 800 interviews.<\/p>\n While one might tend to believe software engineering interview questions and practices would be solely tech-focused, candidates are more frequently being asked and evaluated on behavioral questions.<\/p>\n \u201cSimilar practices are becoming more common in tech companies, though they might go by different names. The tech industry is highly competitive, and companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft<\/a> implement rigorous hiring processes to ensure they attract and retain top talent,\u201d said Bourgeois, who now serves as an HR business partner for AmTrust Financial Services. \u201cHowever, not all companies adopt this practice due to the resources and training required to implement and sustain this type of program effectively. Smaller companies or those in less competitive industries might not find it as feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the main benefits of Amazon\u2019s bar-raiser program is balancing out a hiring team, Matt Collingwood, managing director of VIQU IT Recruitment<\/a>, told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe main benefit of a bar raiser is they can balance out a hiring team,\u201d said Collingwood, who has more than 27 years of experience in IT recruiting. \u201cWhen the hiring team [is] overly positive about a hire, a bar raiser could offer a more cautious or balanced view. This can contribute to a more stringent hiring process.\u201d<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important that bar raisers are trained rigorously, but also have an understanding of the individual team\u2019s culture and identity ahead of the interviewing process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA drawback of a bar raiser is that they may not understand the team culture they are looking to hire into,\u201d he said. \u201cThe individuals in that team will know what type of personality would fit best.\u201d<\/p>\n But Amazon\u2019s bar-raiser program is more about building a cohesive company culture\u2014and not just a team.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe role of a bar raiser is unique because we will not be involved in the day-to-day interaction with the interviewee, so we\u2019re completely focused on making hiring decisions for Amazon, not for a specific team or role,\u201d Groeninger told Amazon. \u201cOur ability [is] to maintain a long-term vision rather than focus on an immediate hiring need.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nWhat are bar raisers?<\/h2>\n
Are these procedures common at other tech companies?<\/h2>\n
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