One of the best companies is Amazon. For many professionals, working here has been a huge success. Despite the fact that the company has 798,000 full- and part-time employees, each one was subjected to a rigorous hiring and selection process. Because of this, we have put together the most helpful information for you, including sample Amazon interview questions and helpful preparation advice.
With net sales of around $280.5 billion in 2019, Amazon is the top online retailer in the US. Electronics and other online retail sales account for the majority of the company’s revenue, followed by third-party revenues, subscription services, and AWS operations. The most valuable brand in the world is Amazon. It is worth approximately $221 billion. The second company on the list, Google, has a brand worth of nearly $160 billion.
Many people aspire to work for a corporation as well-known and prominent as Amazon. To fulfill your dreams, we can assist you in getting ready for Amazon job interview questions. Want to increase your opportunities of being invited to an Amazon job interview? Using our builder, you can create a compelling cover letter in 3 easy clicks.
AMAZON LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES Interview Questions & Answers!
Why Are Amazon’s Leadership Principles Important?
Amazon’s leadership principles define the company’s core values and serve as a bedrock for ethics and conduct. By adhering to the leadership principles, employees can achieve memorable success in their personal growth efforts and contribute to the company’s overall success.
Questions around the leadership principles can feature in the on-site behavioral round or the bar-raiser round. A bar-raiser is part of a team of specially trained Amazon professionals whose main job is to maintain excellence while hiring candidates for roles across the board.
How to Answer Amazon Interview Questions
While you could just jump into the fray, memorize a few Amazon interview questions, and be done with it, that’s not the best way to go about things. Sure, you might be ready to handle specific questions. But, if something unexpected comes up, you might be caught flatfooted. No one wants that.
With the right techniques and overall strategy, you can face off against unanticipated questions. Now, exactly how you need to prepare can and will be a bit nuanced. After all, there is a slew of positions at Amazon, and each one involves something different.
How do you make sure you’re ready for YOUR Amazon interview?
Start by reading the job description for the position. In that handful of paragraphs, you’ll find a ton of specific, actionable information about what the hiring manager is looking for in a perfect candidate.
For example, the list of must-have skills you find on most job descriptions reflects their priorities. Those keywords or qualities you see over and over? Yeah, those fall into that category, too.
Without a doubt, you can expect to have to speak about your capabilities in those areas, so reflect on your abilities and think about relevant examples from your work history that you can describe. That way, you can discuss your capabilities with ease.
Now, it’s important to understand that talking about your skills is only one part of the equation. You also need to be ready for Amazon behavioral interview questions.
Amazon adores behavioral interview questions. Usually, it’s because of the belief that past behavior indicates future success. Plus, it gives them clues about a candidate’s personality and behavioral traits, as well as how well a person aligns with the company’s core leadership principles (more about that in a moment).
Some of these can be a little tricky, but when handled properly, behavioral interview questions are also chances to shine. Begin by embracing the STAR Method. With that, you can take a boring response and carefully polish it into a captivating answer. Couple that with the Tailoring Method, and you have an approach that focuses on personalization, customizing your responses to the role and company.
By bringing both methodologies together, you can demonstrate your value clearly. Plus, you’ll have an easier time connecting with the hiring manager, and that could boost your odds of success.
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:
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- 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:
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- 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.
Alright, let’s take stock. Right now, you have a winning strategy for answering Amazon interview questions. That’s a great foundation.
But, having clear examples can also help. It lets you review questions you may face and see how to put the tips above to work. We aren’t going to leave you hanging.
Here are the top 3 Amazon interview questions you could encounter when meeting with the hiring manager, along with tips for answering them.
The Most Popular Amazon Interview Questions and Answers
The interview process consists of two main steps: phone/video screening, and, if successful, in-person interview, including technical and behavioral parts. Let’s discuss them in detail and check out the most common questions asked during the Amazon interview at each stage.
The first round is to get an idea of your experience and expertise. It usually lasts 60–90 minutes and is most often carried out through a phone call or video conference. Double-check you have a stable Internet connection for good video-conferencing!
Here are some typical interview questions for an Amazon job and our examples of answers to help you understand what to expect at this stage and how to react.
- “What can you tell us about yourself?” “I’m a positive and self-motivated person who wants to join a team that works to achieve the same goal. I’m hard-working in completing challenging tasks. As a team-player, I’m supportive of others and responsible. I’ve been watching Amazon’s growth, and I would like to be a part of it.”
- “What are your reasons to work for Amazon?” “I want to work for Amazon because it is one of the world’s most advanced and successful companies. Your Leadership Principles inspire me, and I follow them in my work and live these values; Customer obsession, Invent and Simplify, Learn and Be Curious. I want my skills to help you deliver and promote them.”
- “What are your skills and qualities that match this Amazon role?” “First of all, my focus on clients. As a competent communicator, I can deliver great customer service and care. I can make the right decisions in the best interests of the company, work in a team, and under pressure. I am loyal and trustworthy.”
- “How would you deal with the complaining customer?” “I will follow company training regarding customer complaints. I will listen to the client carefully to figure out the problem. If the company did something wrong, I would apologize and quickly find a successful solution. If there is no company fault, I would still listen to the client’s concerns and use my effective communication skills to explain what happened. I find it important that the client feels listened to. It will be my priority in handling any complaints.”
- “Why should we choose you for this position?” “I have been working as a manager for over the last five years. I passed a lot of leadership training. My specialization is emotional intelligence. I know that motivating and rewarding employees helps them exceed company goals and increases their overall job satisfaction. I can help team members reach their potential and reduce employee turnover by creating an open and transparent workplace.”
- “Why do you think you are unique?” “Because I worked with customers personally and dealt with their questions, reviews, and complaints. I know how to create a positive customer experience.”
- “Why are you leaving your current job?” “I have learned a lot from my developer position. However, I am looking for a job that creates more challenges for me to continue developing my skills and abilities.”
- “How do you see yourself in the future?” “In three years, I would like to become a real expert in the testing industry with successful project management experience. Amazingly, Amazon gives much attention to practical experience and continuous learning opportunities.”
- “What inspires you about your job?” “I always worked directly with clients and their problems. I enjoyed solving problems and helping people. Sometimes it’s not easy, but when a client is happy with the result, I feel satisfaction. That’s what motivates me.”
- “What are your weaknesses?” “Sometimes, I find it difficult to delegate tasks when I see that I can do everything faster and better myself. However, my career went up, and I got promoted to Deputy Manager. So, I needed to learn how to delegate tasks. I passed training and managed to implement a project management system to monitor the project status. It allowed me to improve my effective delegation skills.”
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- “What are two personal qualities that characterize you the most?” “Operational mindset. I can assess risks and make informed decisions in difficult situations. Empathy. I support employees in difficult periods and never refuse to help others. I initiate a relationship based on trust.”
- “What are your salary expectations?” “I’m more interested in finding a position that is ideal for my skills and competencies. I am sure that you offer a decent salary that is competitive in the labor market.”
- “What kind of work environment do you prefer to work in?” “I prefer a team where everyone is equal, where people are ready for a constructive conversation and maintain friendly relations.”
Here are six more questions that may be asked during the phone/video interview:
- What projects look appealing to you?
- What did you like most and least about your last position?
- How do you deal with stress?
- What can you add to the company?
- Who was your favorite manager? Why?
- Can you explain gaps in your resume?
Based on the phone/video interview results, the candidate can be invited to the second round (personal interview) or rejected.
Behavioral Interview
Most of these behavioral questions will be related to the Leadership Principles. We’ve done the research and can conclude that these Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions and answers can help you get an idea of what to tell the recruiter.
- “Give us an example when you did everything possible to help the customer.” “Once I talked to the customer on the phone about one of the items she ordered from our website. I found out that the product had arrived damaged. The problem was that she needed to use it the next day. So, I quickly found a delivery company that managed to deliver a new replacement in 24 hours.”
- “Tell about your most difficult client.” “Once I met a very frustrated customer, complaining about an item he wanted to return. However, he didn’t have a receipt. I listened carefully and apologized. I also explained that I couldn’t give him a refund without the receipt. I offered the same amount as a store credit. Although it was a difficult situation, I turned in into a win-win for everyone.”
- “Do you remember a situation when you failed in your job?” “Our team was creating a product for an important client. We started with a brief given by our Project Manager. I remember that it wasn’t clear enough for the specification required by the client. But I said nothing. Later, it turned out that we had missed one important specification that led to a two-week delay in the project release. Although the client gave us this time, I consider that I failed when I said nothing during the brief. But Amazon ownership leading principle resonates with me. If I make a mistake, I try to put things right and view it as an opportunity to grow. ”
- “Describe a situation when you took responsibility for a task that was beyond your responsibilities.” “Even though we always fulfilled the sales plan, I knew that our company could do much more. I proposed to create a new direction for working with corporate clients. I started a project to restructure the sales sector and redirect it towards corporate sales. This project included changes in the current organizational structure and the creation of a new department working with existing corporate clients. We have signed 15 contracts with key clients in the market.”
- “Give us an example when you invented a simple solution to a complex problem.” “The Sales Manager told me that the level of profitability was not as good as it should be due to the marketing expenses. I talked to the Marketing Manager, who explained that they had high costs of social media ads. I did a little research and noted that marketers weren’t using Facebook tracking pixels, designed to measure the performance of the ads. I informed the team, and they canceled ads with low performance. It helped to increase profitability.”
- “How do you identify the client’s needs?” “As a Product Manager, I use quantitative and qualitative approaches. I analyze data to obtain information. Sometimes I use web analytics. I also ask them about their needs regarding the product. Moreover, I try to dive into their problem and understand how the product fits into their daily life.”
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- “What will you achieve in 6 months if you get a job offer?” “During the first six months, I am planning to complete the integration program for new employees. I am confident that I will reach the basic competence level for my position following the proposed development plan. Moreover, I will focus on all the internal processes and standards of the company.”
- “Give an example when you earned someone’s trust.” “When I started a new job as a virtual assistant, and I felt that my new boss wasn’t sure about me yet. She was also recently hired as a new Director of Marketing. I needed to earn her trust and respect. First, I clarified what she expected from me and by when. Second, I tried to be consistent so that she could count on me. And it worked. Our relations became more stable and trust-based.”
- “Give us an example when you coached someone.” “The Manager told me that one of the testers is rude in his emails and phone calls. I talked to him and explained that it was not what he said, but how he did it. He agreed and promised to be more careful in the future. In a year, he completely changed the situation and became one of the rising stars on my team.”
- “How would you handle finishing multiple tasks?” “In this case, I create a checklist that helps me prioritize, and I start with the most urgent and important task.”
- “Tell about a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation.” “At my last job, I was unexpectedly assigned to a team lead position, and there were two employees who hated working with each other. So I organized a project planning meeting for the three of us. We discussed the best ways to approach a project together. The results were excellent as we completed the project on time.”
- “Give us an example when you motivated someone.” “Our sales team had to fulfill a huge sales target in 3 months. Everything was fine at first, but by the middle of the second month, the results deteriorated. The problem lay in the lack of motivation. As a Manager, I decided to find a way out. First, I talked to the employees and tried to inspire them by saying that half-way was successfully passed, and the goal was very close. I wanted them to imagine themselves at the finish line and try to feel a sense of pride. But I didn’t stop there. I also managed to arrange a wage premium of 5% of personal sales made for each team member. That helped. The team’s morale went up.”
Consider some more questions you should be ready to answer during the Amazon interview:
- Was there a situation when your boss was wrong. What did you do?
- Describe a time when you saw your colleague stealing. How did you react?
- How would you fire someone?
- Do you think you could have worked better in your last position?
- Give an example when your work was criticized?
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Technical interview
Apart from being a retailer, Amazon is a technology-driven company. That’s why the technical interview is an essential part of the employment procedure for any technical position: from experienced data engineer, software engineer, tech support representative to those applying for programming internship. At this stage, recruiters may ask questions such as:
- What software are you using?
- How well do you understand the technology you will be working with? (HTML/CSS, IOS, Android, Java, C++, etc.)
- Do you have additional skills? (3D, animation, illustration, etc.)
- Are you familiar with Scrum/Agile/Kanban/Waterfall/other methodologies?
- What is the most prominent IT problem you faced, and how did you solve it?
- How do you update your professional expertise?
- Name two or three trends that are relevant to the IT industry. How can they influence your profession?
- What is the hardest part of programming for you?
- What tools do you use to find bugs? (Bugzilla, HP ALM, JIRA, Mantis, Trac)
- What development environment do you prefer? (local/virtual/cloud)
Interview preparation tips
When preparing for your Amazon interview, take the time to study the Amazon Leadership Principles questions, and develop two stories that demonstrate each of them. No, you don’t need to think about answers to 28 questions. Some of these stories may tackle different leadership principles at once.
Your stories need to demonstrate the leadership principles and boundless curiosity to improve yourself on the job.
However, even if you have a good story to tell, your interviewer won’t appreciate unstructured meandering anecdotes. They want your ideas and answers to the Amazon Leadership Principles questions to** be concise and precise** while still showing a depth of understanding and superior knowledge of your expertise.
There are two methods of answering behavioral interview questions in a succinct yet complete way: STAR and CAR.
Whatever method you choose, make sure that you contextualize the results of your actions within a closed-loop thinking framework. In other words, you should elaborate upon the effects of your actions on other processes and the overall system within which your team operates. Whether you’re an engineer or a marketer, you need to emphasize your leadership skills and bold vision in the face of adversity.
FAQ
How do I ace the Amazon leadership principles interview?
How do you answer a leadership question on Amazon?
- Situation: The Situation should answer the “When,” “Why,” and “Where” of the response. …
- Task: The Task should throw light on what your particular role in the situation was.
What is the most important leadership principle Amazon?
Which leadership principles do you consider your strengths?
- Self-awareness. Self-Awareness is considered to be one of the key leadership strengths that must be developed by people placed in management positions. …
- Situational awareness. …
- Excellent communication skills. …
- Effective negotiation skills.
