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Amazon Front End Developer Phone Screen: Strong Performance, Silent Rejection

Amazon logoAmazonFront End Developer·Not specified·Interviewed 2022No offer

Updated July 17, 2026

During a broader front-end developer job search that also included interviews at Informatica, Adobe, and Walmart, this candidate went through a single phone screen with Amazon. The round combined CSS and JavaScript fundamentals with a live coding exercise and a short behavioral segment.

The interviewer asked about CSS positioning and z-index, then moved into JavaScript topics such as browser rendering and closures, followed by two implementation exercises: writing a deep copy function and a function to flatten an array, both without relying on built-in JavaScript methods. The round closed with a request to implement a star rating component and two behavioral questions. The candidate felt the round went unusually well and the interviewer said so directly, which made the eventual outcome harder to make sense of.

How the process went

  1. Application and scheduling

    Applied and was invited to a single phone screen for a front-end developer role.

  2. Phone screen

    Completed the round, covering CSS fundamentals, JavaScript concepts, two hands-on coding exercises, a UI component build, and two behavioral questions.

  3. Post-interview silence

    Received no update for two weeks after the interview.

  4. Follow-up and rejection

    Emailed to check on status; received a rejection the next day with no specific reason given.

  5. Requests for feedback

    Asked once more, politely, for the reason behind the rejection and received no further response.

Phone Screen

CSS and JavaScript fundamentals, a live coding exercise, and behavioral questions

  • Explain the different CSS position properties.
  • Explain how z-index works.
  • Explain how the browser renders a page, and describe closures in JavaScript.
  • Implement a deep copy function without using built-in JavaScript methods.
  • Implement a function that flattens an array without using built-in JavaScript methods.
  • Implement a star rating component.
  • Two behavioral questions (specific content not detailed in the original post).

The candidate described this as one of the strongest interviews of the entire search, with the interviewer giving positive feedback in the moment.

Key takeaways

  • Being fluent on CSS positioning and z-index in conversation, not just in code, came up early and set the tone for the round.
  • Practicing how to explain browser rendering and closures out loud helps when a round leans conceptual before any coding starts.
  • Rehearsing common vanilla JavaScript implementations, such as deep copy, array flatten, and small UI components like a star rating widget, is worth doing without leaning on library methods.
  • A strong technical performance and positive in-the-moment feedback do not guarantee a favorable outcome, so it helps to keep expectations measured until a decision arrives.
  • If there is no response after a couple of weeks, a polite follow-up can prompt an answer, though companies do not always share a specific reason.

Source

The questions and process facts come from the candidate's public write-up, linked below. The retelling above is our own summary.

Candidate's public write-up on LeetCode Discuss