How To Interview At Amazon

How To Practice Your Answer

You should now have a good idea what makes a strong answer and what makes a poor answer. So, how do you prepare your own? Its simpler than you may think.

Start by researching Amazon as a company. Brainstorm some specific ideas.

• What interests you about this company beyond the salary?
• What leadership principles are you eager to apply?
• What products do you like from Amazon?

Then look at the job description.

• What interests you about this role?
• How does this role align with your career goals?
• What do you bring to the table?
• What does this job offer you?

Start drafting a 2-3 paragraph response that captures your motivations. Try free-writing first, or just record yourself talking. Then, once you get the basics down, you can go add more specificity. Be sure to name a few leadership principles and a few of Amazons products. Add personal touches and emotional verbs .

It is recommended to create a basic outline with keywords to make this easier to remember. That way, if youre doing a virtual interview, you can have a sticky note with the main points you want to address.

Lets reuse our sample answer #1 from above with this brainstorm process. This should give you an idea of how you get from the Why Amazon question to a solid, thoughtful response.

Brainstorm

Bullet Point Outline

• Support: AWS services, real customer needs

What Would You Do If You Found Out Your Closest Friend At Work Was Stealing

You are likely to be asked this question regardless of the position you’re interviewing for, especially with cost reduction and shrinkage being top priorities for a company like Amazon. There is really only one way to answer this question that speaks to honesty, integrity, trust, and leadership:

While it would be a difficult situation to find myself in, integrity is essential to me. Plus, stealing is against policy and costs the company’s bottom line, no matter how insignificant the theft might seem. I would go to my department manager and report the theft or use the company’s recommended reporting policy for such behavior.

If You Don’t Have Experience Yet Clubs And Societies Can Set You Apart

If you don’t have direct experience yet, think about how to stand out and demonstrate the skills Amazon looks for, Grace Acquah, regional lead EMEA student programs, campus attraction, and engagement, said.

“List any sort of clubs or societies that you’re part of that could really demonstrate good leadership, teamwork and skills that could be applied in the world of work,” Acquah said. That could include volunteering.

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Plan Your Answers Using The Star Method

You can use the STAR method to craft a reply for behavioral-based Amazon interview questions. This technique provides a structure for you to remember so that you can answer in the best possible way.

STAR method includes the following four steps:

• S what was the Situation?
• T what was your Task?
• A What Action did you take?
• R explain the Result or outcome of your actions

When you answer questions, ensure your answer is well-structured and provide examples using numbers or data, if applicable.

Tip : Use The Problem

As the name suggests, the Problem-Action-Result method, also known as the STAR method, is a technique you can use to clearly demonstrate specific skills/ traits required for a job position. Using this framework instantly makes your answers more structured, logical, easy for listeners to follow, and easy for you to keep track of.

STAR stands for:

• Situation: An event, project, or challenge faced
• Task: Your responsibilities and assignments for the situation
• Action: Steps or procedure taken to relieve or rectify situation
• Result: Results of actions taken

Example: Tell me about a time when you performed well under enormous pressure.

STAR Model Answer:

At my previous job, my coworker suddenly needed to take some time off, and their project was left unfinished and without a manager. My supervisor asked me to take on the project, and with no extension on the deadline, I had days to complete a project that should have taken several weeks.

I requested and was granted reduced weekly goals, which freed up more time to finish the special project. I was also able to delegate several of my weekly goals to other teammates. These reductions allowed me to finish the project on time and with complete accuracy.

My supervisor appreciated my attitude and drive, and I was given several more projects after that, along with an eventual promotion and pay raise.

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Good Questions To Ask Atthe End Of An Amazon Interview

As your Amazon interview starts to wrap up, youll get a chance to ask the hiring manager some questions. Being ready for this moment is critical, as it allows you to assert your interest and learn valuable tidbits that can help you decide if the job is right for you. If you dont know what to ask, here are a few questions that can work in nearly any situation:

If you want some more examples, check out our article: questions you can ask during your interview.

Why Amazon How To Answer Amazons Trickiest Interview Question

During the interview process, big tech companies like Amazon want to determine if you are a good fit for the company. This means that recruiters will test your technical prowess with coding challenges, and they will also assess you through behavioral interviews.

One of the most frequently asked behavioral interview questions is Why do you want to work at Amazon?. While it might seem like a straightforward question, a lot of people struggle to answer it, even if they are very eager about a position at Amazon.

In this article, we will discuss how to answer this tricky Amazon interview question. We will discuss how to construct an impressive answer and walk through sample answers based on Amazons leadership principles.

This guide at a glance:

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Keep Your Answers Short

Answers to behavioral questions should be between 2 and 4 minutes. Once you go above that you are giving too much detail. Does everyone agree with my time limit choice? No. Everyone has a different opinion about the proper time limit. However, the reason I choose this time is that Ive heard a lot of people tell me the comments theyve gotten from their interviewers. 4 minutes is going to be enough detail so you dont get comments about how you dont have enough detail but not so much there are no follow up questions left to ask when youre finished.

I realize 4 minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, but it’s hard to listen to someone for 4 minutes. The listener gets bored.

If you’re the kind of person who talks a lot, pay attention to this rule and try to keep your answers to this length.

If you feel like your answers are too long, time them. I often time my clients when I’m working with them. Timing yourself can give you a clear idea of whether your answers are too long.

If you’re thinking that you know you don’t talk too much, are you absolutely sure? I’ve noticed that the people who do talk too much usually are not aware of it.

Are you a biz dev or sales type? You probably talk more than technical people want to listen to. Get straight to the point dont tell long stories.

Are you from Latin America or another place where the communication style is the opposite of the American get-to-the-point style? You may be talking more than an American wants to listen to.

The Technical Phone Screen Round

The technical phone screen is the first step in the process that involves being contacted by a human resources team member. You will be asked basic questions about your profile and experience, after which the recruiter will fix a date for the remote/online coding assignment.

You can also expect a few technical questions on the programming language of your choice and technical aspects about your experience, primarily dependent on the position you’re applying to.

The technical phone screen typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes.

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Plan Your Answers Using Star

You should plan to answer all questions using the STAR technique. What is that?

The STAR technique is a very common system used to answer behavioral interview questions. It provides a structure for you to remember so that you include the correct data in your answers.

Amazon actually asks its interviewees to use the technique in these type of questions, so take that as a hint and use it.

These are the 4 steps of the technique:

S – Situation – context, background

T – Task – what you had to do

A – Activity – what you did – use as much detail as possible – this should be the longest part of the answer

R – Result – positive quantifiable what you learned what you would do differently next time

Which questions can you answer using STAR? Ones that sound like this, “Tell me about a time when…” So the question might be, “Tell me about a time when you showed customer obsession” or “Describe for me how you’ve showed customer obsession” or “Give an example of your customer obsession.” These are what’s called “behavioral” interview questions. They are very common in American companies, including Amazon.

If you get asked one of these questions, answer by going through the letters in order.

First give the S part – explain the basic situation. Then give the T – what was your job in this situation? Then A – show what you did. Last, give the R – what was the outcome?

If youve mastered STAR, or if using it drives you crazy, take it one step further and use the PAR technique instead.

Pass The Hiring Committee Reviews And Get The Offer

After the on-site interviews, all of your interviewers will convene in one room to form a hiring committee. Together, they will decide whether youre hired or not. They will also collectively set your level .

If all is positive, HR will ask for your current and expected salary. Based on this information and the level of the job, they will send you a written offer. Usually, a hiring manager will inform you of the result within one week from your last interview.

If youve secured an offer from Amazon, the recruiter will explain the terms to you . If you choose to negotiate , any adjustments would be approved by a separate compensation committee. If everything is cleared, the recruiter will send over the necessary paperwork.

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Faqs On Amazon Interview Preparation

Q1. Are Amazon interviews hard to crack?

Amazon interviews can be rigorous, but itâs not difficult to crack with the right preparation. Know the interview process beforehand and practice some tech and behavioral mock questions suited to your role.

Q2. What is the Amazon interview process?

The complete Amazon interview process involves eight steps viz. HR email or call, online assessment, phone screening, video interviews, final âLoopâ Interview, hiring meeting, reference check and lastly, offer rollout. The Amazon interview process can last anywhere between three weeks and three months. The timeline is determined by a variety of factors, including the position’s level, everyone’s schedule, and so on.

Q3. How to prepare for an Amazon interview?

The lengthy interview process at Amazon can make it exhaustive, but with proper preparation, you can nail the interview. Be thorough with the interview process. Practice mock interviews on system design and behavioral skills. Learn to use the STAR method to provide solutions to the problems asked in the interview.

Q4. Which questions are asked in the Amazon interview?

The most common Amazon interview questions asked are of system design and behavioral skills. Make sure to practice some mock interview questions on these topics.

Q5. How much do software engineers make at Amazon?

A software engineer salary at Amazon is approximately $163k. That’s a $125k base salary with an average bonus of $16k and stock bonus of $22k.

Fragen Im Vorstellungsgesprch Bei Amazon

Aktualisiert am Jan 2, 2022

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Anonymer Mitarbeiter in Seattle, WA

Bewerbung

Ich habe mich über eine Hochschule oder Universität beworben. Vorstellungsgespräch absolviert im Mar 2020 bei Amazon

Vorstellungsgespräch

Anonymer Bewerber im Vorstellungsgespräch in Seattle, WA

Bewerbung

Ich habe mich auf Empfehlung eines Mitarbeiters beworben Der Vorgang dauerte 4 Wochen. Vorstellungsgespräch absolviert im Mar 2020 bei Amazon

VorstellungsgesprächFragen im Vorstellungsgespräch

• probability of the product coming from location A is 0.8 and from location B is 0.6. What is the probability the customers will receive the product from location A or location B SQL – tested on different join , lead , lag, pivoting in sql , sub query, group by having, where, aggregate and think about how you would find outliers)

Anonymer Bewerber im Vorstellungsgespräch in New York, NY

Bewerbung

Ich habe mich über eine Hochschule oder Universität beworben. Vorstellungsgespräch absolviert im Jul 2020 bei Amazon

VorstellungsgesprächFragen im Vorstellungsgespräch

• Tell me about a time when you took on something significant outside your area of responsibility and why was that important?

Anonymer Mitarbeiter in Seattle, WA

Bewerbung

Ich habe mich auf Empfehlung eines Mitarbeiters beworben Vorstellungsgespräch absolviert im Aug 2021 bei Amazon

VorstellungsgesprächFragen im Vorstellungsgespräch

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Understand How Interviews Are Evaluated

You must incorporate the principles into your responses because your responses are evaluated and you are rated based on how well you performed according to the leadership principles.

I don’t understand. Is every question going to be about the principles?

You will probably get a mix of technical questions, if applicable, basic/introductory questions, like “Why do you want to work at Amazon?,” questions about your resume/skills, and principle questions .

Most people think that the behavioral questions are the ones that are the “principle questions” but even the general questions require you to understand what kind of person they’re looking for so you can give an answer that shows you are that person .

In other words, you don’t just show you have a bias for action by stating that outright when directly asked, you show it by answering all the questions, even the ones about customer obsession or ownership, with answers that highlight your quick responses .

For instance, if you get asked, “How did you solve a recent business problem?” and you talk about how you researched the problem for six months and brought in a team of consultants to do more research, this is not demonstrating a bias for action. This is showing you move slowly and think about things for a long time before you act.

Also, I said “partly” because this question also relates to ownership and deliver results and dive deep you should be demonstrating your skills in all of these areas in your answer.

Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles: An Overview

• Customer Obsession
• Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
• Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

Naturally, your interviewer will be listening closely to the examples of past performance you give in response to their behavioral questions, and how you’ve demonstrated these leadership principles. As we mentioned before, behavioral questions at Amazon interview may hold more weight than at other companies.

Which is even more reason to prepare for them ahead of time.

Let’s review each in-depth.

Below, you’ll find the short explanation of each leadership principle given by Amazon on their careers page. Read each explanation thoroughly, as you’ll pick up clues as to how your answers to behavioral questions will be scored. When you’re ready, watch the expert mock interviews linked and then try your hand at a few sample behavioral interview questions compiled from past interviews.

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Keep Your Answers Short And Clear

Answers to behavioral questions should be between 1 and 2 minutes long. If you’re going past 2.5 minutes that’s on the long side and may be too long unless you’re giving an example that requires a lot of detail. The best answers that I see are about 2 minutes.

I realize 2 minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, but it’s hard to listen to someone for 2 minutes. The listener gets bored. On the other hand, if you’re talking for less than 1 minute you may not be giving enough detail.

If you’re the kind of person who talks a lot, pay attention to this rule and try to keep your answers short.

If you feel like your answers are too long, time them. I often time my clients when I’m working with them. Timing yourself can give you a clear idea of whether your answers are too long.

If you’re thinking that you know you don’t talk too much, are you absolutely sure? I’ve noticed that the people who do talk too much usually are not aware of it. Are you in sales? Almost all sales people I talk to have answers that hit 4 or 5 minutes.

A Brief Pause For A Personal Note

I’m going to take a brief moment to welcome everyone who has signed up for my email list. I’d like to especially thank the hundreds of people who have signed up as paid members.

This support gives me the opportunity to spend my time writing and sharing with others what I’ve learned about working at Amazon, interviewing successfully, and being an empathic leader.

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