Getting Ready for the Amazon Software Development Engineer Interview: Questions, Process, and How to Prepare

Today, we’ll talk about what to expect at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Software Development Engineer interviews and how to get ready.

Take your time to read each section carefully. It has directly helped candidates like Jimmy C get SDE jobs at Amazon, so use it as a reference.

Candidates often under-prepare for questions about Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles. It is a HUGE mistake to do this, as Amazon puts a lot more weight on these behavioral questions than other top tech companies do.

Note: We have separate guides for Amazon software development managers, machine learning engineers, and data engineers. If those are more useful for you, please read them.

1 Learn about Amazon’s culture

Most candidates fail to do this. But before you spend a lot of time getting ready for an interview at Amazon, you should make sure that the company is a good fit for you.

Amazon is prestigious and its tempting to assume that you should apply, without considering things more carefully. But it’s important to remember that the status of your job won’t make you happy at work every day. Its the type of work and the people you work with that will.

If you know engineers who work at Amazon or used to work there, talk to them to understand what the culture is like. The Leadership Principles we discussed above can give you a sense of what to expect, but theres no replacement for a conversation with an insider.

We would also recommend reading the following resources:

2 System design questions

Amazon products have millions of monthly active users. Amazons engineers therefore need to be able to design systems that are highly scalable.

The coding questions weve covered above usually have a single optimal solution. But the system design questions youll be asked are typically more open-ended and feel more like a discussion.

You want to show that you can be creative and organized at the same time in this part of the show. In most cases, your interviewer will adapt the question to your background.

For instance, if youve worked on an API product theyll ask you to design an API. That won’t always be the case, though, so you should be able to design any kind of system or product.

As we already said, if you’re a junior developer, you won’t be expected to do as much as a mid-level or senior developer. In addition, for certain roles (e. g. infrastructure, security, etc. ) you will likely have several system design interviews instead of just one.

Please find below the most common system design questions from Amazon interviews that can be found on Glassdoor. You can learn more by watching this Amazon video guide. If you need more practice, you can use our list of 31 system design questions.

Example system design questions asked at Amazon

• How would you design a warehouse system for Amazon.com
• How would you design Amazon. com so it can handle 10x more traffic than today.
• How would you design Amazon.coms database (customers, orders, products, etc.)
• How would you design TinyURL
• How would you design Googles search autocomplete
• How would you design Dropbox
• How would you make a Fortnite ranking system that works in real time?
• How would you design a parking payment system
• How would you design an electronic voting system
• How would you design a distributed cache system

Amazon’s SDE interview process heavily focuses on assessing if you live and breathe the company’s 16 Leadership Principles. The main way Amazon tests this is with behavioral questions, which youll be asked in every interview.

Former Amazon interviewers on our coaching team say that the first four principles we’ve listed below are what SDE interviews are mostly about. The other twelve topics also come up but less frequently.

Amazons Leadership Principles:

• Customer Obsession
• Ownership
• Bias for Action
• Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
• Invent and Simplify
• Dive Deep
• Are Right, A Lot
• Deliver Results
• Think Big
• Hire and Develop the Best
• Frugality
• Learn and Be Curious
• Insist on the Highest Standards
• Earn Trust
• Strive to be Earths Best Employer
• Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

In the event that you get a job at Amazon, you will be asked about each of the following leadership principles:

Customer obsession — “Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers. ”.

Customer obsession is about empathy. Interviewers want to see that you understand the consequences that every decision has on customer experience. Not just the things the customer wants done, but also who they are and what they really need.

This is by far the most important leadership principle used at Amazon. Therefore, it is the most critical one to prepare for.

Example “customer obsession” questions asked by Amazon

• Share a story about a tough customer you had to deal with.
• Describe a time when you made something easier for a customer.
• Which company has the best customer service and why?
• When did you say no to a customer’s request, and why?

Ownership — “Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job. ”.

Amazon doesn’t want to hire people who say, “That’s not my job!” When asked about ownership, you should show that you can make tough decisions, take responsibility for your actions, and be proactive.

Example “ownership” questions asked by Amazon

• Explain a time when you did something at work that wasn’t your duty or part of your job description.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a big choice without asking your boss for permission.
• Tell me about a time when you took charge of a problem that wasn’t your company’s main point.
• When was the last time you gave up something important in the long run to finish a task that would only take a short time?

Bias for action — “Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking. ”.

Since Amazon likes to ship quickly, they also prefer to learn from doing (while also measuring results) vs. performing user research and making projections. They want to see that you can take calculated risks and move things forward.

Example “bias for action” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time when you had to change how you did something because you were going to be late.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a choice without all the facts. How did you make it and what was the outcome?.
• When did you release a feature that you knew had risks?
• Tell me about a time when you broke down a hard problem into smaller, easier parts.

Do not back down; disagree and commit— “Leaders are required to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even if it is hard or tiring to do so.” Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly. ”.

Any group of smart leaders will disagree at some point. Amazon wants to see that you know when to challenge ideas and escalate problems to senior leadership. But they also want to know if you can tell when it’s time to move forward, even if you don’t agree.

Example “have backbone; disagree and commit” questions asked by Amazon

• When did you have a disagreement with a coworker or boss? How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you didn’t agree with your team but were able to get them to change their mind.
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your team but still agreed with their idea.
• Tell me about a time your work was criticized

Invent and simplify—”Leaders expect and demand that their teams come up with new ideas and patents, and they are always looking for ways to make things easier.” They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here. ” Because we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time. ”.

Amazon relies on a culture of innovation. When you answer “invent and simplify” questions, you can show that you can find answers when there aren’t any obvious ones. Plus, you should show that you can carry out big ideas in the simplest and least expensive way possible.

Example “invent and simplify” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time you suggested a new approach
• What is the most innovative idea youve ever had?
• Explain how you built a feature in a unique way, giving specifics.

Dive deep—”Leaders work at all levels, keep an eye on the details, do audits often, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdotes don’t match up.” No task is beneath them. ”.

When something isn’t working, SDEs need to quickly find a solution. Interviewers want to see that you are excited to dive deep when problems arise.

Example “dive deep” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a project where you had to do a lot of analysis.
• Tell me about the hardest problem you’ve ever had to solve.
• Tell me about a time when you had to use a lot of data quickly.

Are right, a lot — “Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgement and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs. ”.

Amazon wants its Software Development Engineers to come up with solutions quickly and make a lot of choices with little information. Before going ahead, you should show that you know how to take calculated risks and that you’re okay with having your own ideas disproved.

Example “are right, a lot” questions asked by Amazon

• Describe a time you made a mistake
• I want you to tell me about a time when you made a choice without data.
• Talk about a time when you didn’t know much about a project but still had to move forward with it.

Deliver results—”Leaders pay attention to the most important things for their business and make sure they get them on time and in the right quality.” Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle. ”.

Amazon values action over perfection. When you’re asked about delivering results, you should say that you don’t like missed deadlines and unmet goals.

Example “deliver results” questions asked by Amazon

• What was the hardest project you’ve ever worked on?
• How do you prioritize in your current role?
• What do you believe are the hardest parts of being a software engineer?

Think big — “Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers. ”.

Amazon is a very big company, and its SDEs need to make products that sell a lot of them to help the company. As a result, interviewers will want to see that you can develop and articulate a bold vision.

Example “think big” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time when you came up with an unusual way to solve a problem and how you realized that you needed to think differently to do it.
• Give an example of how you got other people to adopt your vision and explain how you knew they had done so.
• Tell me about your most significant accomplishment. Why was it significant?.

Hire and develop the best — “Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice. ”.

As mentioned above, Amazon wants new hires to “raise the bar. People who are interviewing you will want to know that you aren’t afraid to work with and hire smarter people.

You should also show that you enjoy teaching your younger coworkers and know how to get the most out of your best workers. Of course, these examples are just general interview questions, but they give you a great chance to talk about this principle.

This leadership principle is often talked about during interviews for very high-level engineering jobs that involve managing people or putting together a team (e.g. g. Software Development Manager, Director, etc. ).

Example “hire and develop the best” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time when you helped a teammate who was having a hard time.
• Tell me about a time when you helped your team feel better.
• When did you hire or work with someone smarter than you?
• Why do you want to work at Amazon?

Frugality — “Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense. ”.

At every touchpoint, Amazon tries to provide customers with as much value for as little cost as possible. Interviewers will be looking for how you can support this idea while maintaining a constant drive for innovation.

Example “frugality” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time when you finished a project without any money or materials.
• Tell me about the last time you found a way to keep something simple or save money.

Learn and be curious — “Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them. ”.

Amazon demands constant improvement in every part of their business. You’ll want to show that you are interested in learning new things and exploring new ideas.

Some of these examples are general interview questions, but they give you a great chance to talk about this principle.

Example “learn and be curious” questions asked by Amazon

• Explain something interesting you’ve learned recently
• Tell me about a time you taught yourself a skill
• Why Software Engineering?

Hold people to the highest standards—”Leaders have consistently high standards—many people may think these standards are too high Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services, and processes. They make sure that mistakes don’t get passed on and that issues are fixed so they stay fixed. ”.

Amazon takes the view that nothing is ever “good enough. ” They’d like to see that you push for standards that are difficult to meet.

Example “insist on the highest standards” questions asked by Amazon

• Talk about a project you wished you had done better and how you would do it differently now.
• Tell me about the most successful project youve done
• How do you ensure standards are met when delivering projects?

Earn trust — “Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best. ”.

The key part of that principle that candidates often miss is the “vocally self-critical” bit. Amazon wants SDEs who focus on fixing mistakes instead of figuring out who to blame.

Show that you do something when something is wrong and own up to your mistakes before you point the finger at other people and teams.

Example “earn trust” questions asked by Amazon

• How do you earn trust with a team?
• Tell me about some tough feedback you got and how you dealt with it.
• A co-worker constantly arrives late to a recurring meeting. What would you do?.

Try to be the best place to work in the world—”Leaders work every day to make the workplace safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and more fair.” They lead with empathy, have fun at work, and make it easy for others to have fun. Leaders think about their employees and ask, “Are my coworkers growing? Are they inspired? Are they ready for what’s next?” Leaders want their employees to be successful, whether they work at Amazon or somewhere else. ”.

This principle, like “hire the best and help them grow,” is more likely to come up in interviews for senior and/or managerial jobs. In this case, you should show that you’ll not only help your team but also make the workplace safe, fair, and diverse.

Being “Earth’s best employer” means keeping your team safe, happy, and learning once you have them. “Hire and develop the best” means choosing and training the best people.

Example “strive to be Earths best employer” questions asked by Amazon

• Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile for a worker.
• Tell me about a time when you saw a problem that your team would have to deal with. How did you deal with it?.
• How do you deal with a team member who doesn’t do their job well? How do you find a team member who does their job well and help them advance in their career?

Success and scale bring broad responsibility — “We started in a garage, but were not there anymore. We are big, we impact the world, and we are far from perfect. We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations need us to be better every day. We need to set our goals every day to make things better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and everyone else In the world. And we must end every day knowing we can do even more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them. ”.

Amazon wants its employees to understand the responsibility of working for a vast, impactful company.

Show how you figure out how your choices affect people and things around you (e.g., g. sustainability, justice, etc. ). You must always be willing to improve.

Example “success and scale bring broad responsibility” questions asked by Amazon

• Give me an example of a choice you made that had an effect on the company or the team.
• Could you tell me about a work choice you now wish you hadn’t made?

I Did 850 Tech Interviews For Amazon And I Learned This

FAQ

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