Quick answer
Seattle tech hiring involves specific terminology worth understanding before you are in the middle of a process — an Amazon "bar raiser" is a specially trained interviewer who evaluates independently of hiring-team pressure, an RSU "cliff" is the waiting period (commonly one year) before any stock starts vesting, and a "hiring freeze" (pausing new hires) is distinct from a "layoff" (cutting existing staff). This glossary covers the terms most likely to come up in a Seattle-area tech job search.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bar raiser | An Amazon interviewer trained to evaluate independently of hiring-team enthusiasm, specifically to maintain hiring standards |
| Leadership Principles | Amazon’s published set of values used to structure behavioral interview questions and evaluate candidates |
| RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) | A form of equity compensation that converts to actual shares over a vesting schedule |
| Vesting cliff | The initial waiting period (commonly one year) before any equity grant begins vesting |
| Hiring freeze | A pause on new hiring, without necessarily cutting existing staff — distinct from a layoff |
| RIF (Reduction in Force) | A formal term for a layoff, often used in official company and legal communications |
| Severance | Pay and/or benefits continuation offered to an employee upon termination, in addition to final wages |
| ATS (Applicant Tracking System) | Software employers use to collect, filter, and sometimes AI-screen job applications before human review |
| New-grad program | A structured hiring track for recent graduates, run separately from general experienced hiring |
| Contract-to-hire | A role that begins as a fixed-term contract with the possibility of converting to a full-time position |
Why these terms matter in practice
Understanding this vocabulary in advance helps you interpret an offer accurately (especially RSU cliff timing, which materially affects real compensation), recognize what stage of Amazon’s specific interview process you are in, and correctly interpret company announcements (a hiring freeze is not the same signal as a RIF).
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Read the interview prep guideFrequently asked questions
What is a "bar raiser" at Amazon?+
A bar raiser is an Amazon interviewer, trained specifically in Amazon’s hiring bar and Leadership Principles, whose role in the interview loop is to evaluate candidates independently of the hiring team’s enthusiasm — specifically to prevent hiring pressure from lowering standards.
What does "RSU cliff" mean?+
An RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) "cliff" is the initial waiting period, commonly one year, before any equity grant starts vesting — no shares vest until the cliff date is reached, after which vesting typically continues on a regular schedule.
What is a "hiring freeze" versus a "layoff"?+
A hiring freeze means an employer pauses new hiring without necessarily cutting existing staff, while a layoff means terminating existing employees — the two are sometimes announced together but describe different actions with different implications for job seekers.