Get to know Alison Rezabek, Sr. Client Lead Recruiter - Principal Engineer Recruitment

Alison Rezabek joined AWS in July as a Senior Client Lead in Principal Engineering Recruitment. A Chicagoland native, she is an alum Northwestern where she studied Public Policy, as well as Film and French. In her spare time, she enjoys boot camp fitness, gardening, hiking, eating sushi, and playing chess and tennis with her two children.?

What brings you passion/excitement to your role and team?

I have been an obsessed fan and customer of Amazon for many years, with Amazon Fresh and a Whole Foods within a few minutes of my home! I am grateful for amazon.com, which enabled me to navigate life as a Mom of 2 kids. I find joy in seeing how new technologies can help a customer spend more meaningful time with their families and activities instead of chores, and reduced latency makes us ALL happier and more productive!

?Recruiting technical leaders means finding the people behind the most difficult technical challenges in the world and it all boils down to customer obsession for a faster / cooler / more technologically complex experience.??Even in my first few weeks I have had front row seats with visionaries, and it is an honor and privilege to recruit the people who will influence and write code that will change the world. Since I started a month ago, we announced the iRobot and One Medical acquisition – this is a dynamic time, and it is still Day One.?My goal is to translate this customer obsession to a candidate obsession – I want to bring technical leaders to Amazon and I can’t wait to see what they will build and how it will impact millions of people for the better.?It’s true – Work hard, Have Fun, and Make History!

How do you foster diversity and inclusion on your team?

I believe in respect, transparency, and humility in every communication with another human being. I believe that a workforce should reflect the customers they serve so I seek out and champion underrepresented talent. Encouraging and engaging in volunteer activity and community also brings people together to recognize our shared purposes in spite of our differences – and Amazon has a multitude of communities for you to find collaboration, to learn, and to be welcomed. (Women in Engineering, People with Disabilities, Glamazon, to name a few.

What is your favorite leadership principle and why?

Learn and Be Curious. I am a perpetual student but I also am genuinely and peculiarly curious about people and the world around me. Learning more means opening your mind to newer ways of thought or innovation. It opens your heart to respect and genuine kindness. I am currently a part-time grad student and am completing a certificate program in AI/ML. I am also seeking to learn and improve in tennis, chess, pickleball, and Python – for fun. We have an incredibly rich Amazonian community of life-long learners, too – you can find listservs, Slack channels, groups with fireside chats and events for almost every interest you can think of!?

Best place you have ever traveled?

I enjoy exploring other countries and average 1 new one per year, having ecstatically visited 33 countries thus far. This year was Aruba, and hopefully next year will be Antarctica!

Best work from home tip?

If you are indoors, make use of standing desks, portable treadmills, plants, and make sure you get up from the computer every few minutes.?If you are able to, get outdoors in the sunshine even for a few minutes and schedule time for some type of physical activity in nature (even if you are connected to your favorite device).

To learn more about the Principal Engineering Community click here >>> https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/principal-engineer-hiring