The Amazon Interview Questions
Preparing for Amazon Interview Questions
Interviewing for your dream job can be an exciting and stressful experience. To be well-prepared, it pays to look at particularly challenging companies to see what questions are frequently asked. The Amazon company is known for its thorough interviews, especially the so-called "Behavioral Interview Questions." These questions aim to learn more about your past behaviors, experiences, and skills to determine how well you would fit into the company, the advertised position, and the team.
Here are some tips and tricks on how to best prepare for this type of interview, which you can also expect in the application process at a consulting firm
- Understand the STAR principle:
The STAR principle is a helpful way to answer interview questions. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. First, explain the situation you found yourself in, then the task you had to accomplish, describe your actions, and finally the result that was achieved by your actions. This structure will help you to make your answers clear and concise.
- Analyze frequently asked questions:
There are certain questions that come up frequently on Amazon. There are a few listed at the end, including possible answers. Take time to analyze these questions for yourself and understand what the interviewer may be trying to find out. - Practice your answers out loud:
Speak in front of a mirror, ask friends or family members to listen to you. This will help you work on your fluency and clarity. Filler words like "um" are also a sign of uncertainty in your answer. Try to avoid them and replace them with pauses in your speech that make your answer more effective and give it more weight. This comes across as confident. - Use resources on YouTube:
There are some useful YouTube videos that specifically address Amazon interviews. Watch videos like "Amazon Interview Questions and Answers" and "Amazon Interview Tips" to get valuable insights from experienced candidates or recruiters. - Emphasize your leadership skills:
Amazon often looks for candidates with strong leadership skills who have studied the company's leadership principles. You don't have to know the principles by heart. It's more important that you understand what principles drive the company. Prepare examples where you have taken responsibility and led teams, taken risks, or found innovative solutions in the past. Failure in a situation can also be worth mentioning if you learned and grew from it. This way you can also emphasize which values, for example personal growth, are especially important to you. - Show your customer orientation:
Another important value at Amazon and of course in other companies is the focus on customers. Think about situations in which you have responded to the needs of customers and provided outstanding service, made up for mistakes, or exceeded expectations. - Be honest and authentic, and don't be afraid to make mistakes:
Companies value authenticity. Be honest about your experience and skills. If you don't have all the required skills, show a willingness and enthusiasm to develop and learn new things. - Ask questions:
At the end of the interview, you will usually have the opportunity to ask questions. Use this opportunity to show your interest in the position and the company. Ask smart questions about the work culture, development opportunities, or challenges of the role.
Here are some examples of follow-up questions:
Preparing for Amazon's Interview Questions takes time and effort, but it will pay off in the end. By mastering the STAR principle, analyzing common questions, practicing your answers, and remaining authentic, you'll increase your chances of being convincing in the interview. But remember that an interview is also an opportunity for you to find out if the company, the tasks and the values fit you.
Here are some examples of frequently asked questions that you can use to prepare yourself:
- Tell me something about yourself.
This is usually the opening question, where you should briefly introduce yourself and highlight your professional background and relevant experience. Don't retell your resume. Instead, point out a trait using an example from your current or past life and explain how it drives you. - Why do you want to work at this company?
Be prepared to share your motivations for joining the company. Learn about the company's values, culture, and mission to tailor your answer. Also, frame the question in a way that is helpful to you: Use the job description and give examples of your experience that fit the job posting perfectly. - Describe a challenging situation you faced at work and how you overcame it.
Amazon, as well as management consulting firms, values problem-solving skills and this question will help assess your ability to handle difficult scenarios. Imagine a real situation and use it as an example. - Explain a time when you had to work together as a team.
Focus on your teamwork and communication skills, as teamwork is emphasized at Amazon and at many other companies. Pick a project you were involved in that was a success only because of teamwork. - How do you deal with failures?
Prove your resilience and ability to learn from setbacks here. Remember that many inventions that are successful today have their origins in having failed many times before. Prepare with examples that demonstrate your expertise while describing how you have taken risks, succeeded, failed, and grown in the process. - Describe a situation in which you demonstrated leadership skills.
Emphasize your leadership skills and how you influenced positive outcomes. Leadership skills are usually demonstrated in difficult situations that require risk taking and responsibility, especially when there is more than one opinion. Study the company's leadership principles and link your examples to them. - Tell me about a time when you had to meet a tight deadline.
Meeting a deadline is about prioritizing tasks. Highlight your time management and organizational skills. Also use specific programs or techniques to help you do this. - How do you deal with ambiguity?
Amazon is known for its fast-paced and dynamic environment. Emphasize your adaptability and flexibility. You may also face moral issues of ambiguity when asked to give examples of how you would act if you observed a* colleague stealing. Emphasize your integrity, which may mean finding help for the colleague's problem while keeping the law and company policies in the forefront. - How do you prioritize tasks when juggling multiple projects?
Demonstrate how you manage your workload efficiently and effectively. This may mean working overtime when you can't do otherwise during busy times. It is also an opportunity to ask how overtime is relieved. - Give an example of a situation in which you have shown customer orientation.
Amazon places a high value on customer orientation. Show your commitment to providing excellent customer experiences and your joy in not only meeting expectations but exceeding them.