Amazon has a market cap of ~1.4 trillion U.S. dollars (let that sink in for a minute!), making it the 5th most valuable company in the world by that metric. The meteoric rise of Amazon is due, at least in part, to the Amazon Leadership Principles that have become central to the company’s culture.
Thought of as a potential dot com bust back in 2000, Amazon has battled through and triumphed over two market collapses. The company’s quirky and famous founder, Jeff Bezos, believes a strong core company culture is essential to success. So, Bezos and an early leadership team created the Amazon 14 Leadership Principles. In 2021, 27 years after the company’s founding, Amazon added 2 additional Leadership Principles, now making it 16 Amazon Leadership Principles. These Amazon leadership principles influence everything from team dynamics to interview questions.
VIDEO – TOP 11 AMAZON Interview Questions & ANSWERS for 2021!.
Amazon Leadership Principles Interview Questions
As mentioned above, Amazon uses its core leadership principles as a guide when developing questions. The goal is to ensure that anyone working from Amazon has similar values and will align with the broader mission. The Amazon leadership principles include:
Customer Obsession
Ownership
Invent and Simplify
Leaders Are Right, A Lot
Learn and Be Curious
Hire and Develop the Best
Insist on the Highest Standards
Think Big
Bias for Action
Frugality
Earn Trust
Dive Deep
Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Deliver Results
Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility
No matter the role you’re trying to land, it’s wise to assume that some of the questions you’ll face will touch on these concepts. For example, employees at any level may encounter questions like the following:
How do you demonstrate your customer obsession?
Describe how you take ownership of your responsibilities and results
Talk about a time you innovated on the job.
What steps do you take to simplify processes?
What does frugality in the workplace mean to you, and how do you demonstrate a commitment to frugality?
In most cases, the best way to prepare for these questions is to actively study the Amazon leadership principles. That way, you’re familiar with all of the concepts, making it easier to speak to those values and priorities when you prepare interview answers.
Top 4 Amazon Interview Questions
1. Can you describe your most difficult customer and how you were able to handle their needs?
Amazon rose to greatness partially because of its commitment to customer service. It made the shopping experience better, even when something didn’t go right.
If the job is even remotely customer-facing, you should be ready for this question. Dealing with a disgruntled customer isn’t easy, and Amazon wants to know that you’re up to the challenge.
SAMPLE ANSWER:“In my previous role, a customer was upset that a product they ordered was put on backorder unexpectedly after they made their purchase. They needed a functional version of the item as quickly as possible, and the possibility that that wouldn’t happen increased their stress levels, leaving them just shy of hostile. To resolve their issue, I began by listening to their concern, rephrasing what was being shared, and asking clarifying questions to ensure my full understanding. I then reassured them that I’d work with them to find a solution. Together, we discussed alternative products that were in stock that could meet their needs. As soon as a substitute was identified, we canceled the old order and initiated the new one. I applied a free shipping upgrade to expedite delivery, ensuring it would arrive before the customer’s deadline. In the end, they were fully satisfied with the solution.”
2. Why do you want to work at Amazon?
The interviewer here is looking for a candidate who is well informed and aware about Amazon. Let the response should be crisp, genuine and unique.
Here’s a sample example for your answer:
“I would aspire to work at Amazon because, in my opinion, it is a great company where I feel I will be able to work to learn and grow among other self-motivated people. The growth of Amazon over the years has inspired me to contribute in the best possible way, as the quality of their products and services it offers, puts the customers at the forefront for everything.”
3. Tell me about a time when you took risk at work
Do not start your answer by a negative scenario, Amazon Interview question here, would want you to understand the you are a great risk handler. Consider how your strengths worked for your best at a crucial situation that needed an immediate action. Include a colleague or co-worker that you basically overpowered in achieving the same.
Here’s a sample example for your answer:
“While I was working on a project that had a tight deadline, and an issue was to be solved by one of my co-worker, I had to do it in his absence having known very less about that part of the project I put in extra time even over weekends to learn the requirement and understand to meet the project deadline. ““I not only could close the project for the desired deadline but also prevented my co-worker from facing trouble and prevented a huge loss to the company.
4. Can you tell me about a time when you were more than halfway through a project and had to pivot quickly due to an unexpected change? How did you handle it?
This is a question that could be applicable to nearly any role, though it may be more common in technical positions. Its focus is on ascertaining your level of agility and ability to make course corrections under pressure when priorities change.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“While developing a new system for an employer, a requirement came in late. Since the project was rapidly nearing completion, integrating the feature became a challenge. The point in development where it would have been addressed typically had already passed. To address the new requirement, I first took a step back and reexamined all of the existing work. The goal was to minimize disruption to segments that were complete, and a bit of planning ensured I didn’t use a less-than-ideal approach simply because I was under pressure. After identifying a course of action, I implemented the changes methodically. I relied heavily on testing to ensure there were no unexpected ramifications or that issues could be addressed quickly. By using a strategic approach, I was able to limit the negative implications of a last-minute change, expediting the remainder of the process while ensuring the final result met every need.”
What is a behavioral interview at Amazon?
Amazon uses behavioral interviews to assess job candidates based on their past experiences. These questions typically start with “Tell me about a time you…” and focus on soft skills such as: leadership, communication, teamwork, problem solving, etc. In Amazons case, there will be an emphasis on the 16 leadership principles, which well dive into a bit later.
To round out your preparation, weve also included some resume, HR, and hypothetical questions such as “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “how would you…?” in this article. As these are real questions that have been reported by past candidates, we want to make sure youre ready for anything.
These questions will appear at every step of the interview process at Amazon and at AWS, from the initial recruiter screen all the way through to the onsite interviews. They may even appear as icebreaker or transition questions during technical screens. The frequency and type of behavioral questions will vary per role, but be prepared to answer many.
For more information on the process for a specific role, consult one of our comprehensive interview guides below:
Now, what will your interviewers be looking out for? Let’s take a look at those leadership principles.
What are the Amazon Leadership Principles?
The Amazon Leadership Principles describe 14 fundamental values that govern the conduct of the company and its employees. The company states that these values are implemented in day-to-day operations and believes in hiring people who behave by these principles.
These qualities are often tested during the hiring process. They are crucial to know if you are preparing for an interview with Amazon and want to become an excellent candidate.
“We obviously hire based on the principles. We give both positive and negative feedback, which references the principles. We are encouraged to be aware of our own successes and failures in relation to the leadership principles,” says Dave Anderson, Head of Technology at Bezos Academy and a former Director/GM at Amazon.
The good news is that you dont have to memorize all 14 Amazon Leadership Principles to get ready for an interview. Instead, Amazon tests applicants on the qualities that are most relevant to the position.
Here are the 14 Amazon Leadership Principles and some essential details to remember:
- Tell me about a time when you failed to simplify a process and what you would have done differently.
- Tell me about a time when you innovated on something and it went wrong.
- Tell me about a time when you changed a process at work through either an innovative new way or simplification.
- Have you ever invented a service, product, or process that could truly be described as unique?
- Given me an example of a time that you were faced with a complex problem, but the solution you designed could be described as simple.
- Tell me about a time when you had to rely primarily on your judgment to solve a problem because there was limited data available.
- Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision with a partial data set?
- When was the last time you made an incorrect decision?
- Tell me about a time when you incorporated a diverse set of perspectives into solving a problem.
- Tell me about a time when you had your beliefs challenged and how you responded.
- Tell me about a time when your superior command of the underlying facts or dynamics of a situation helped you make a good decision.
- Tell me about a time when your ability to ask probing questions is what helped a group or individual reach a solution?
- Tell me about an experience you went through that changed your way of thinking.
- Tell me about a time when your curiosity helped you make a smarter decision.
- Tell me about the most important lesson you learned in the past year.
