Many job applications include a short description of what the company values in a candidate, both in terms of experience as well as character. While it's probably safe to assume that these tenets will be kept in mind during the application process, it isn't often that you get some insights from an actual professional in the hiring field.
In a recent interview, FIN Technology's Damian Ghigliotty sat down with Susan Harker, director of global talent acquisition for online sales giant Amazon. Over the course of their conversation, Harker laid out some of the considerations she makes when looking for the brightest of the bright.
"We'll ask them to demonstrate coding skills during the interview process," Harker said of applicants for technology-related positions at the company. She stated that the company looks for "innovators" and those who "can invent great stuff" in the name of customer service.
"There are hard skills that we assess, such as a candidate's coding and algorithmic design skills. We also look at where that person has been creative and thought differently to make a product or platform better."
In one example, she spoke of a recent applicant who had built a computer that utilized a water-cooling system.
The big takeaway from the Harker interview is that demonstrable knowledge is vital to an applicant's success. One way to show this is by going through computer certification courses as a means to practice your craft and push the limits of what you know. Alliance Micro Solutions courses taught by Subject Matter Experts, who have been in the field and know the tricks of the trade, help prepare professionals for the rigors of the technology industry.