An Accelerated Career in Supply Chain Management

Engineering to People Management 

After pursuing her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Sakshi Shukla transitioned to the corporate world. As a Risk Analyst at Amazon India, she identified fraudulent patterns on accounts and cultivated skills in the field of cybersecurity. 

Sakshi’s mentor identified her as a people person and introduced her to the realm of people management. The Amazon Pathways Program was a leap toward that realm, which she calls her “forte.” She started preparing her profile for it as she applied for Foster MSCM. 

Professional Growth in Supply Chain 

Pathways is a career-accelerating training program. In five years, employees are trained in different aspects of Amazon’s work culture and technical skills to support their career trajectories from Operations Manager to Director of Operations.  

Amazon Pathways is known to hire candidates from Foster MSCM, which Sakshi took advantage of.  

Conversational Interview 

The three-stage interview, Sakshi described, sat her in front of three Director-level hiring managers.  

“For the interviews, I prepared my story and I particularly focused on my Amazon India story thinking it would be easier to explain the projects,” Sakshi said. “And I was right, it stopped feeling like an interview after a certain point but more like a conversation.” 

From coming to UW Foster in June 2022, to applying for the program in August of the same year, to getting the job offer in mid-September, Sakshi has been busy! 

Sakshi’s Interview Tips 

• “I made sure I answered the interview questions in the STAR (situation, task, action, result) format, which explains everything without a need for the interview to interrupt you.” 
• “I would also say that confidence plays a huge role in how the interviewer perceived you as a candidate, so having your story straight is very helpful especially if they have follow-up questions.” 
• “Lastly, take it as a conversation! They’re not there just to reject you, they’re looking to hire you.” 

What Next? 

Sakshi will be joining Amazon as soon as she graduates from Foster MSCM in June 2023. We asked her what she is most looking forward to in her last quarter with us. 

“I am mostly looking forward to having a great time at Foster,” Sakshi said. “I am very excited for our capstone project and I have high hopes for my amazing team!” 

Interested in a professional journey like Sakshi’s? Check out the Foster MSCM curriculum to see what skills you can learn and leverage for your unique story.