If you are a high school student having holidays and thinking of earning some money while you can, Amazon is the place to work at. Hirings are going on during the holiday season each year at Amazon. So if you are looking forward to applying for the job, here is a detailed article for you showing different work positions available for seasonal workers. You can take a look and decide which position to apply for according to your preference. Here, let’s know about Amazon Temporary Jobs.
But before moving further with the article, let us give you a quick overview of what Amazon is?
Amazon Overview
Amazon is an American online business company. It was founded by Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994. It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Amazon is considered the world’s leading online-based store by total sales and market capitalization. At first, it started as an online bookstore. Eventually, it got bigger and started selling DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, video downloads/streaming, MP3s, audiobooks, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. It also makes consumer electronics like Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Echo. You name it and you will get it on Amazon!
It is the world’s largest provider of cloud computing services.
When does Amazon hire temporary workers?
Amazon starts to hire seasonal workers towards the end of the year. That is during the holiday season, so you got the Christmas season before that got thanksgiving. And also what they call a prime day which is huge for Amazon. So they start hiring before or at the beginning of the holiday season.
How to get a temporary job at Amazon?
Application process
So when it comes to applying, Amazon generally does not take applications in person. The reason for this is if you take a physical resume from somebody, you have to keep their resume confidential as well as in the roster for a year. So, it’s a lot of paperwork to be taking a bunch of resumes.
The application process for Amazon is pretty much the same as any other job. In the application form, they will ask you a bunch of questions just to get to know you better. For example, your age, your educational qualifications, your skills, and things like that.
Steps for the application process at Amazon:
1. You need to apply for the job online through their official website called amazon.jobs
2. Click on the Apply button.
3. Select the location and job position you want to apply for.
4. Fill in the details asked in the form and click on the submit button.
And that’s it! You will get an email from them confirming that your application form is received.
You will most probably get a call from them within 2 days of applying if your application is approved and the slots are available. In case you do not hear from them within 2 weeks of applying, Once you have applied online, you can go in-store and ask if there are any interviews you can get it on.
Interview Process
Once your application form is submitted, expect to get an email from them within 2 days scheduling a telephonic interview, if your application form is approved.
The phone interview usually does not last for more than 10 minutes. They will ask you some basic questions like your availability and stuff like that just to make sure you are a good candidate for an in-person interview.
After you are done with the phone interview, they will schedule a one-on-one interview for you with the store manager. Here expect the questions to be in-depth and more personal.
But, with the pandemic, Amazon is hiring people over zoom interviews. Depending on where you live and how the covid situation is, Amazon will be back to in-person hiring. Though it is hard to say when it is going to happen.
When it comes to zoom interviews, you guys must know that it is more uncomfortable and harder than being in person. Because there are so many things you need to take care of like you don’t want to interrupt people or want your computer to freeze. But, you are not going to be disqualified simply because you are uncomfortable or awkward on the zoom. No worries, they get it.
Lastly, at the end of an interview, you have to fill a form stating your availability and if you have any upcoming holidays.
Orientation
On the orientation day, you are supposed to watch the videos that they have related to your job position. You will learn all that you need to know about the company on this day. Your manager will give you a tour around the warehouse that you are supposed to work at. You will also be introduced to the important people of the company like the manager or some senior employees. On the orientation day itself, you will be provided with a white seasonal ID badge. If you’re a permanent worker, you will get a blue ID badge.
What are the temporary job positions available at Amazon?
Warehouse Team Member
As a warehouse team member, you have an option to choose from the four kinds of tasks to perform.
1. Stow associate
As a stower, you need to scan the items using a handheld scanner and put them on the appropriate shelf which will then be ordered by the customers. You also need to ensure that there are not any defects in the items.
2. Picker
Once the order is made, it is the picker’s responsibility to take out the items ordered by the customers from the warehouse. As a picker, you need to make sure you pick the right item by checking for its size, color, quantity, etc.
3. Packer
Packer checks whether or not the item picked by the picker is correct by checking the order summary. Once they ensure that the item is not damaged, they finally pack them.
4. Package Sorter
The task of an Amazon package sorter is to sort, scan and label the packages to determine correct grouping and to put the packages in a separate box to deliver to their destination. The box is then moved to the delivery area from where it is transited to its location.
Requirement: At least 18 years old, must be a team member, able to perform repetitive tasks
Salary: The average salary for these positions is between $15 to $17 per hour
Delivery Driver
At this position, your role is to carry and deliver items to their destination in a truck. You need to make sure all the parcels are handed to the correct customers. You also need to load and unload the items from the truck and carry it. Make sure to interact with the customers by greeting them.
Requirement: At least 21 years old, valid driver’s license, able to lift up to 50 lbs
Salary: The average salary for this position is between $15 to $20 per hour
How long does temporary work last
You might be wondering how long the seasonal work lasts before you stop working.
Well, Amazon and their policies say that the season could last up to a year.
However, normally it does not. During, this pandemic though it might last longer than usual. But normally what would happen is toward the end of a year when the production slows down, the company lets go of its seasonal workers.
Things you need to know before working at Amazon
1. The openings of Amazon gets filled out super quickly
You must be aware of the fact that the seasonal jobs at Amazon are one of the highest demanded jobs. That is the reason why the slots get filled up like anything. So, you must always keep an eye out on the website to know about the openings and fill out the application form as soon as possible. For this, you must always be ready with your documents or a well-written resume.
2. Must wear comfortable shoes
This is one of the best tips for you to wear comfortable shoes while on duty at Amazon. Since you will be working in a warehouse, you need to be physically active. You have to perform multiple tasks at a time for which you might need to go through the entire warehouse. That’s the reason why you must wear some comfortable shoes so that your feet do not get sore.
3. They have inconsistent hours
The actual shift schedule is slightly different from the ones you will sign up for online. So, if you are about to work at Amazon, make sure to check for your shift time on the Amazon A to Z app because this is going to contain the actual shift time that you’re supposed to attend.
4. Amazon knows everything you are doing
When you are in a warehouse, Amazon knows everything that you are doing. Amazon is a very technology-driven company, so they are going to make sure to use all of their resources and orders to know everything that their workers are doing while they are on their property. For example, they will know when you enter or leave the building, what station you are working on, the time it takes you to stow or pick your first item, and how many items you are picking or stowing in an hour. They will know when you are working and when you are not. So basically just know that even though it might seem like no one’s watching you while you’re working, someone has an eye on you every time.
5. Number of hours to work in a week
At Amazon, you are not allowed to work more than 60 hours a week whether you are full-time or part-time. For seasonal workers, the number of hours offered is less than the permanent ones.
Pros of working at Amazon
1. Decent pay
The minimum wage you will get paid at Amazon is $15 per hour no matter the position except for the management position. You get an extra $1.30 for differential pay. For instance, if you work on weekends or overnight, you will get differential pay that is an extra $1.30 per hour means $16.30 for an hour.
2. You get paid time off
It doesn’t matter if you are a seasonal or permanent employee, you will get paid time off at Amazon. Basically, how it works is every time you work 24 hours, whether, in a week or a month, you will be given one hour of paid time off. And these hours can be used anytime you want and they are going to be given to you on paydays. You can also use this hour to correct when you are late. For example, if one day there is a lot of traffic and you’re 10 minutes late for work, you can use the 10 minutes from the paid time off.
3. Shift grace period
This is a tip every new amazon employee should know about. You can clock in up to 5 minutes after your shift starts and up to 5 minutes before your shift ends without any sort of penalty. This is similar for clocking in and out for lunch as well where you can clock in up to 3 minutes after the break ends and 3 minutes before the break starts. This tip is something that Amazon doesn’t want all of their new employees to know about because they feel like their employees would just abuse this.
4. No dress code
You are allowed to wear anything you want while on duty unless it is something that is too revealing. You can wear jeans, shorts, a T-shirt or anything and you are good to go.
5. They provide PPE
PPE is personal protective equipment. PPE is what they push in a lot of warehouses. They have these vending machines that allow you to go to them and allow you to get different PPE items for free.
6. You get cross-training
Cross-training is something where once you are trained about your department completely, you will be trained in another department. So in case you are tired of working in your department, you will be able to work in another.
Cons of working at Amazon
1. A lot of labor
You must be familiar with the amount of labor it needs to carry out in a warehouse. However, it is not just the labor that gets you in your head but the fact that you need to carry out that in a repetition. So if your shift is 8 hours long, you need to perform that same thing for 8 hours straight.
2. Being on your feet the whole time
Once you get in the warehouse, you are supposed to be on your feet the whole time.
3. You have to meet the rates
A rate is just a number they give that you are supposed to meet throughout the course of your shift. They might have you meet the rates before the break or throughout the shift. It is disappointing when you work hard the whole time and look at the chart saying you are below the rate you are supposed to meet.
4. You’re not allowed to carry phones
Once you enter the warehouse, you need to immediately put your phone in the locker. And once you are on the break, you can take it out. The reason for this is understandable that you must focus on your work and not get distracted. However, in case of some emergency, people might not be able to reach out to you on time.
5. The breaks
If you work 12 hours, you get one lunch break which is 30 minutes long, and then two 15 minutes short breaks. And the 15 minutes breaks are nothing because, by the time you sit down, it’s like you have 10 minutes left. And then they want you to be up, it depends on how strict your area is. If you work an 8 or 10 hours shift, you will get one 30 minutes break and one 15 minutes short break.
How to go from temporary to permanent at Amazon
To get permanent employment, it is recommended to work seasonal first. If you want to be a permanent employee, you can’t miss a certain amount of days out of the time frame that you are a seasonal worker.
It is recommended to go to the help desk where there are people to help you with whatever issues you have. They should be able to tell you exactly what those requirements are. So you can make sure that you are within those requirements. So, once your seasonal time frame ends, you would have a good chance of getting hired permanently.
There is no guarantee that you are going to get hired permanently but if you are trying to go down that path you don’t want that to be a reason why you’re not hired permanently.
A couple of ways how you can get converted from temporary to permanent worker
1. If the position had 10 employees working in the department and if due to some reason one or two employees stop working there, the company is probably in need to fulfill those positions. This can help you increase the chances of getting hired permanently.
2. Another way to get permanent employment is to cross-train. Cross-training is the term used when you already learned everything you are supposed to about one department and then asked to get trained about another department. So that could be a benefit for you because if the department you are working at slows down but the other department may need some more workers, they might recommend that you come over there. And this way you could build a report with the manager and get hired permanently.
3. Some areas have certain equipment that needs to be operated but you have to have a license or a certification to operate it. So a lot of times if you get those licenses while you are seasonal you might become valuable to them. Because they don’t want to hire somebody else and then have to train them. Or else you might be better at doing that particular operation on that equipment than another person. This is how they will prefer you to be on it versus another person.
Conclusion
This article would sum up this article by saying that the seasonal jobs at Amazon are one of the most demanded.
Everything from the application process to the tips of transferring from seasonal to a permanent employee is mentioned above.
I hope your doubts regarding the internship got cleared through this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does it take to get hired once you have applied for the job at Amazon?
Once you have applied, you will get a call from them within a week. Then you will be called for an interview and if you’re qualified, you will be offered a job letter. This whole process may take anywhere between 1 to 2 weeks.
2. Does Amazon pay weekly or biweekly?
You will get paid weekly at Amazon as a seasonal employee, for permanents, the payment is done biweekly.
3. Does Amazon do a drug test?
Amazon does not usually drug test its seasonal applicants before they are hired. However, they can and will perform a drug test if you throw up a red flag and have some sort of liability incident at your taco bell after you are hired. Like smoking something you are supposed to when you’re on duty.
4. Does Amazon do background checks?
Yes, as a new employee, you will be required to undergo a background check to make sure that you don’t have any criminal records, illegitimate habits, and poor reputations.
5. What to wear at the Amazon interview?
Dress business casual if you are applying for a non-management position like a cashier. Otherwise, dress formally.