I Got Hired: Consultant at Amazon Web Services

Posted on: 21 June 2022 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

James Scarr is a final year Computer Science student who has been offered a graduate role with Amazon Web Services.

Tell us about your new role

I have received an offer to work at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Dev Ops Cloud Consultant. Amazon Web Services are the biggest cloud provider in the world, and my role will be to build clients infrastructure. Big companies approach AWS and hire a team of consultants to build infrastructure. This can be as simple as website or complex as sports statistics with Formula One, helping Mercedes to improve their performance by creating models that simulate of how their cars work in the real world.

How did you find out about this opportunity

I undertook at summer internship with AWS in the Sales team. I discovered that by searching for Tech jobs in Linkedin. I didn’t know much about AWS and applied for around 3 jobs a day until I was offered that. I couldn’t recommend doing an internship enough. It’s a fantastic opportunity and gives a real insight into a company, and yourself and your interests. My internship in Sales introduced me to the Tech Consultant roles and that is why I applied to the graduate position.

What have you done while at university that has helped when applying for jobs?

I’ve done a number of extra-curricular activities while at university. The first was as a University Halls Rep, giving tours to prospective students, and that really helped me with public speaking. I also helped with a project in local schools where the children built Lego robots. I’ve added these to my CV, and I talked about both at interview which helped me get the job. It’s important to get involved in as many things as you can while at university.

What are your top 3 tips for current students?

• Work on extra-curricular projects. Pursue projects that you find interesting and that will help with your career. I have created a few projects that run on AWS cloud and they massively helped.
• Reach out to people from your chosen company to gain and insight and pick up tips
• Look at extra qualifications you can do to help. AWS have a number of certifications, for example, that I completed before applying for the graduate role. Doing these extra things shows enthusiasm and motivation and can give you the edge when applying for jobs.