Preparing for your Amazon Interview

Thank you for the time you’ve invested so far in the Amazon Interview Process. Below are some tips
we hope you’ll find helpful in preparing for your upcoming interview

What to expect on your interview day:

• Your first round of interview will be 1 hour long. You will speak with an Amazonian that is on
the same team that you will be joining.
• The conversation will be around work experiences from your background; possibly specific to
the job description.
• The interview will ask you behavior questions based on your Amazon Leadership Principles.
• Our dress code is casual. We encourage you to dress comfortably. We are interested in what
you have to say, not what you are wearing.

Interview Tips:
• Know what interests you about Amazon and the team or teams you will be interviewing with.
• It may also help to spend some time researching our specific products and features as well as
competitors relevant to the job description. Knowing about our product group and how they
are interacting with each other will give you more context around the role and will likely
prompt deeper conversation and provide a richer interview experience.
• Please ask questions if you need clarification. We want the interview process to be
collaborative. We also want to learn what it would be like to work with you on a day-to-day
basis in our open environment. If you are asked a question, but not given enough
information to solve the problem, drill down to get the information that you need. If that
information isn’t available, focus on how you would attempt to solve the problem given the
limited information you have. Often times at Amazon, we have to make a quick decision in
the absence of all of the relevant data.
• When answering questions, be as concise and detailed in your response as possible. We
realize it’s hard to gauge how much information is too much versus not sufficient enough; an
effective litmus test is pausing after your succinct response to ask if you’ve provided enough
detail, or if the interview would like you to go into more depth.
• We want to hire smart, passionate people. Please reflect on what motivated you to pursue a
career with Amazon and be prepare to speak to it. Although “Why Amazon?” is a standard
type of question, it’s not a check-the-box type of formality for us. We genuinely want to
understand what inspired you to explore an opportunity with us, so we get a better sense of
who you are. It’s also appreciated when a candidate has put thought into a few questions for
the interviewer. It goes a long way when you’ve taken the initiative to research the company
prior to your interview.
 The STAR Method
Amazon is a data and metric driven company. You should keep your focus on the question asked and
make sure your answer is tangible. We suggest the STAR Method.

The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview questions

by discussing the specific Situation, Task, Action, and Result for the situation you are describing.

SITUATION: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You
much describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in
the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interview to understand. The situation can be from a
previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.

TASK: What goal were you working towards?

ACTION: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of detail
and keep the focus on YOU. What specific steps did you take and what was your particular
contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about the
project, but what you actually did. Use the word “I,” not “we” when describing actions.

RESULT: Describe the outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit for your
behavior. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? How did you learn?
Make sure you answer contains multiple positive results.

Make sure to follow all parts of the STAR Method. Be as specific as possible at all times, without
rambling or including too much information. Also, eliminate any examples that do not paint you in a
positive light. However, keep in mind that some examples that have a negative result (Such as “lost
the game”) can highlight your strengths in the face of adversity.

How you can identify a behavior question:

They tend to start with “Tell me a time when you,” OR “explain to me a time when you,” OR “give me
an example of a time.”
Sample Behavior Interview Questions:
Practice using the STAR method on these common behavioral interviewing questions incorporating
examples from the Amazon Leadership Principles:

• Tell me about a time when you have been faced with challenge where the best way forward
or strategy to adopt was not “Clear Cut” (i.e there were a number of possible solutions). How
did you decide the best way forward?
• Tell me a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
• Tell me a time when you show initiative and took the lead.
• Tell me a time when you motivated others.
• Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively
 Our Leadership Principles
Amazon’s Leadership Principles are the specific characteristic necessary for successful leadership at
Amazon. These Principles work hard, just like we do. Amazonians use them, every day, whether
they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solutions for a custom’s problem, or
interviewing candidates. It’s just one of those things that make Amazon peculiar.

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.
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."
Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to
simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not
invented here." As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of
time.
Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives
and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
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.
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.
Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards — many people may think these standards are
unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high
quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line
and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
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.
Bias for Action
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive
study. We value calculated risk taking.
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.
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.
Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when
metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.
Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is
uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise
for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a
timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
Strive to be Earth's Best Employer
Leaders work every day to create a safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and
more just work environment. They lead with empathy, have fun at work, and make it easy for others
to have fun. Leaders ask themselves: Are my fellow employees growing? Are they empowered? Are
they ready for what's next? Leaders have a vision for and commitment to their employees' personal
success, whether that be at Amazon or elsewhere.
Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility
We started in a garage, but we're 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 must begin each day with a determination to make better, do better,
and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large. 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.