Application process for Amazon's new jobs in South Africa detailed

Happy Days said:
With an eleven hour shift like that, you will be on for 4 days and off for 3 days. That's the normal shift over peak season. This is the time of year that Amazon starts ramping in order to have enough associates trained and ready for peak season.

Amazon's policy is that anybody joining should be 50% better than anyone currently employed by them.


Not a script - Amazon hates scripts. The KB is there to streamline the process of resolve the call to the customer's satisfaction.

I started my call centre career at Amazon at the age of 40. Amazon's training and approach to customer service is miles ahead of any of the other BPOs out there. Their pay is also above-average and they're willing to pay for the best.
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If it's 4 days on/3 days off, then fair enough. Perhaps a key bit of info that should be in the article unless I missed it.

I work 158 hours in a 4 week cycle so would be similar.
 
eg2505 said:
Look at Amazon fulfilment centres and read the accounts of people working there.

They literally take homeless people off the street with zero qualifications.

Micromanage the hell out of them, monitor them closely and work then as hard as humanly possible.

That's what's going to happen here, enough people to write about it for people to not want to work there.
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So they take people who are doing nothing but causing a menace to society and then get them to do something productive?

eg2505 said:
At least till one of the unions gets involved and brings in some semblance of order.
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OH yes, like the order that they have bought to the South African labour market with the 60% of unemployed youth. Thank goodness we have the wise people in COSATU to ensure the entire country is run like Eskom and SAA.
 
MirageF1 said:
Happy Days then?
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:) It was, until it wasn't. My health took a knock and I hated the overnight shift. Having said that, for anyone that wants a career in call centres Amazon is the absolute best to start and continue with. You have an opportunity to move to any of their other sites once you become permanent and gain sufficient experience. With some dedication, you can get promoted very quickly.
 
Goosfrabba said:
If it's 4 days on/3 days off, then fair enough. Perhaps a key bit of info that should be in the article unless I missed it.

I work 158 hours in a 4 week cycle so would be similar.
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You didn't miss it. I don't think that it was a question that @Jan asked. With me, I started at 6pm and my shift ended at 5am next morning - 4 days on and 3 days off. The eleven hour shift is easier to handle when it's during the day as opposed to the overnight one.
 
I was recently through their application process (for engineering) and really prefer it to what a lot of other companies are doing.
 
Happy Days said:
You didn't miss it. I don't think that it was a question that @Jan asked. With me, I started at 6pm and my shift ended at 5am next morning - 4 days on and 3 days off. The eleven hour shift is easier to handle when it's during the day as opposed to the overnight one.
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Oh yeah, that's a good point. I did ask and it's four days on three days off, but staggered. So you'll work Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, for example. I'll add the info to the article.
 
Jan said:
Oh yeah, that's a good point. I did ask and it's four days on three days off, but staggered. So you'll work Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, for example. I'll add the info to the article.
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Usually it's 2+1 days off with near always guaranteed one of the working days is a Sat/Sunday.
 
Jan said:
Oh yeah, that's a good point. I did ask and it's four days on three days off, but staggered. So you'll work Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, for example. I'll add the info to the article.
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That's not bad then, for something that's effectively a helpdesk support position.

It's a lot more money and benefits than you'd get by working a 5-day week at a local call centre...
 
Happy Days said:
Amazon's policy is that anybody joining should be 50% better than anyone currently employed by them.
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Not sure I agree with that approach. Eventually they're going to be in a position where they're looking for an Einstein to join their call centre...
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Not sure I agree with that approach. Eventually they're going to be in a position where they're looking for an Einstein to join their call centre...
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True, though I see that you qualify already ;)

In essence, it reflects their emphasis on recruiting quality staff. It's also why they encourage an owner's mentality rather than a renter's mentality and why Amazon is rated so highly in the US for customer service.
 
Jan said:
Oh yeah, that's a good point. I did ask and it's four days on three days off, but staggered. So you'll work Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, for example. I'll add the info to the article.
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Johnatan56 said:
Usually it's 2+1 days off with near always guaranteed one of the working days is a Sat/Sunday.
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Correct - shifts are normally Sunday to Thursday or Tuesday to Saturday (depending on the dept. there's also a Monday to Friday shifts as well). The key point is that it's NOT rotational shifts and your shift is normally set for at least 3 months.

One last point regarding shifts and starting times (and I say this under correction); it all comes down to the Operating Unit you fall under. As a rule you will start in retail customer service (with overnight shifts) and then have the ability to move to other OUs like Kindle Tier 1 or AWS support where you shift might have a 0500 to 1400 or 0600 to 1500 shift.
 
Can anybody please tell me after you forward them your documents, how long does it take for them to respond to you? Ive completed application and assessment. This wait is killing me
 
quovadis said:
11 - 1.5hrs = 9.5hrs - Granted it's about 1.5hrs more than the average 8-5 job here however you don't have to sit in traffic for 1-2 hrs either per day. It's hardly slave labour.
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Geez I would give my left nut for an 11 hour day. I start at 4am and finish at 6pm. 30 minutes for breakfast and 90 minutes for lunch. 12 days on and 2 days off. So effectively a 72 hour week. That excludes any after hours call outs. And as a salary earner, there is no such thing as overtime.
 
Mimi123# said:
Can anybody please tell me after you forward them your documents, how long does it take for them to respond to you? Ive completed application and assessment. This wait is killing me
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same here sent them documents some time ago and still no news
 
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