Landing a job with Amazon requires more than just a stellar resume. You will need to navigate their hiring process, which includes technical evaluations and multiple rounds of assessments based on their behavioral-based Amazon interview questions.
The tech giant has been ranked as one of the top US employers for many years. The growing presence and sought-after positions make securing a job at Amazon a competitive undertaking.
If you are confident in your skills and want to take your career to the next level, we are going to help prepare you for one of those coveted positions. Our guide will walk you through the interview process and provide insights on how to ace the most common Amazon interview questions.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon’s interview process varies depending on the role you apply for, with higher-level roles being more extensive and difficult to secure.
- Prepare for Amazon interviews by familiarizing yourself with the 16 leadership principles, Amazon culture, and the STAR method for answering questions.
- Understand what interview questions are, how to link them to leadership principles, and how to incorporate the STAR method in their answer.
- Ask questions that leave a good impression and increase your chances of success.
- Increase your chances of success with Amazon by recording your answers, practicing with friends, and asking people who have experience with the company.
What Does the Amazon Interview Process Look Like?
The Amazon interview process is extensive and very detailed. In fact, securing a job at Amazon involves completing several steps. We will take you through what an interview could look like for a higher-level role and then a lower-level role.
Higher-Level Roles
Higher-level roles, such as technical and managerial positions, are incredibly competitive and involve more steps and testing to secure. Similarly, Amazon’s interview questions will reflect this in complexity and depth.
The process usually involves the following steps:
#1. Resume Screen
First, you will need to convince recruiters that you have what it takes with a strong resume. You can send a resume through their job portal or through a recruiter who contacted you. Amazon is strict, and almost 90% of applicants fail to pass the first step. Increase your chances of passing by standing out with an amazing resume.
#2. Recruiter call
If approved, you will receive a call from a recruiter. The call covers the overall interview process and lasts around 30 minutes. It is the first stage of the process in which you could be asked some behavioral questions.
#3. Assessments
In certain situations, the recruiter will assign a take-home assessment that needs to be completed before you can move on to other rounds of the process.
#4. Phone screens
The next step in the process is phone screening. These usually involve hiring managers and potential future peers who will look into your previous experience with hypothetical and behavioral Amazon interview questions.
#5. Onsite interviews
The final interview portion is the most extensive step of the hiring process. It involves multiple rounds of interviews, four to seven, with various teams, hiring managers, and a Bar Raiser. This stage is also called the “Loop interview” because it loops candidates through multiple interviewers.
#6. Debrief and hiring committee
After the on-site interviews are done, the hiring committee will get together and share their notes about a candidate. They will also go over candidates with the hiring manager and Bar Raiser to come to a final decision.
#7. Salary negotiation
If you complete the six previous steps, you will receive an offer from Amazon. The only thing left to do at this stage of the process is to negotiate your terms and get the best deal possible.
Lower-Level Roles
Many of the steps highlighted in the higher-level roles can also apply to lower-level roles at Amazon. The interview process might be less extensive for entry-level and hourly positions, though.
However, candidates should still expect behavioral Amazon interview questions and possibly some technical questions and assessments related to the position they are applying for.
How to Prepare For an Interview at Amazon: 3 Key Steps
To better prepare for an interview at Amazon, study the company and its criteria for candidates. Do not rush the process. Remember, securing a job at Amazon should be looked at like a marathon and not a sprint.
We will dive into three things you should learn and utilize when preparing your Amazon interview questions.
#1. Learn About 16 Leadership Principles
Amazon interview questions are largely based on Amazon’s 16 leadership principles. These are the established philosophies and framework of behavior they expect from everyone in the company.
These guidelines shape the entire company, and you must learn and memorize them when preparing for an Amazon interview.
- Customer obsession. The customer comes first. Focus on what the customer needs and work backward from there.
- Ownership. Take ownership of the challenges and opportunities before you. Think of the bigger picture and aim to benefit the team.
- Invent and simplify. Always look to improve and innovate the way things are done.
- You are right, a lot. Leaders need to have strong judgment and the ability to make decisions.
- Learn and be curious. A curious and open mind that is willing to improve is key to success.
- Hire and develop the best. You are only as good as your team, and Amazon tackles this by always looking to hire exceptional talent.
- Insist on the highest standards. Raise the bar and make sure standards meet it.
- Think big. As we think, so we do. Leaders must have a clear and ambitious vision for their team.
- Bias for action. The ability to make decisions quickly and act upon them is important.
- Frugality. Resourcefulness and creativity are essential for a leader.
- Earn trust. Cultivate an environment of trust where people can feel safe by being open and respectful.
- Dive deep. A keen eye for details is just as critical as seeing the bigger picture.
- Have a backbone, disagree, and commit. A sense of conviction and a willingness to stand up for your beliefs are crucial. In essence, pick a course you believe in and stick to it.
- Deliver results. Leaders focus on their tasks and execute them consistently.
- Strive to be Earth’s best employer. Create an environment that is safe and inspirational for team members. Empowering those you work with is crucial to success.
- Success and scale bring broad responsibility. Improve the systems and ecosystems you find yourself in. Consider the effects of your improvements on the overall picture.
Study and learn these principles before preparing for your Amazon interview questions. Aligning with one or more of these principles will help you stand out for all the right reasons.
#2. Research Amazon Culture
Once you understand the framework that underpins Amazon’s culture, it is time to look into the environment that philosophy creates. An excellent place to start is employee past experiences and reviews, news articles, and numerous publications. Amazon even has a blog section that covers the company’s many aspects and activities.
A simple search will help you see how they create a customer-centric environment that pushes the boundaries and aims to improve each part of the process. Looking into blogs that discuss your position can provide you with some insight or material to better answer Amazon interview questions.
#3. Use the STAR Method to Answer Interview Questions
The STAR method is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It can be seen as a practical checklist that helps you share your experiences with recruiters in a practical and satisfactory manner.
These are the components of the acronym:
- (S)ituatuon. Describe a task that needed to be done or a situation you found yourself in. Provide details that paint a good picture, and give details that help them understand the complexities you faced.
- (T)ask. Describe the goal and the tasks you had to do to achieve it.
- (A)ction. Describe what actions were taken and do not be afraid to go into details. Remember that the focus should be on your actions, not the actions of the team or collective.
- (R)esult. Describe how things turned out. Take credit for your actions and contributions, and expand on the experience by explaining what happened and what you learned from it.
It is a system that is highly apt for answering Amazon’s behavioral interview questions.
5 Amazon Interview Questions With Answers
Like many other big tech companies, Amazon emphasizes behavioral questions during the interview process. These questions are designed to better understand your behavior. The idea behind it is that they can predict your reactions and performance based on what you have already done.
Amazon’s behavioral interview questions are unique because they are intrinsically tied to the soft skills and characteristics listed in the Leadership Principles.
They often ask questions like “Tell me about a time…” or “Give me an example of…” when something occurred or you did something. Sometimes, they are even hypothetical. While they might seem easy to answer, it is essential to remember that underestimating them can cost you the interview.
We will walk you through 5 common Amazon interview questions to help you avoid mistakes and provide you with a game plan for answering such questions.
#1. Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer.
Amazon interview questions for customer service always have these kinds of premises. The goal of these questions is to assess a candidate’s ability to handle challenging situations with customers.
Recruiters want to see the problem-solving skills, empathy, and professionalism you can exhibit with difficult customers. These types of questions are related to the “Customer Obsession” principle.
Let’s see what a good answer to this question would be with the previously mentioned STAR method:
- Situation – In my previous role, I had to handle an angry customer who was upset about a late delivery.
- Task – I looked into the case and realized that the customer had made an order and that their shipment hadn’t gone out due to an error in our system. I needed to calm them down, validate their problem, and assure them that the situation was being handled.
- Action – I asked them to provide the details of their order and took down all the necessary information. I assured them that the problem was being addressed and took ownership of the mistake we made. I apologized to them on behalf of the company and offered expedited shipping free of charge. I even provided regular updates about the status and location of the order when it went out.
- Result – The customer appreciated the quick response and was kind enough to mention it when he left a positive review for the company. They even ended up ordering from us again.
#2. How would you handle a coworker stealing an item?
This is a typical example of an Amazon interview question for freshers because it isn’t focused directly on previous work experience but instead assesses your behavior in a hypothetical situation.
These types of questions are designed to evaluate how you address delicate workplace issues. Recruiters want to see if you can follow company policy and respond to the situation appropriately.
Such a question could be connected to many principles, but a safe bet is the “Ownership” principle.
A possible answer with the STAR Method would be:
- Situation – If I saw a coworker stealing, I would not take the situation lightly.
- Task – I understand that this is a major problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
- Action – First, I would gather any possible evidence to support my claim at that moment. I would then pass on that information to a manager the same day and allow them to deal with the issue appropriately.
- Result – I would hope that this will be enough to fix the situation and ensure that appropriate disciplinary action is taken.
#3. Tell me about a time when you improved a process.
These are common in Amazon technical interview questions, and here recruiters want to see if you have the initiative to first of all identify and then solve problems. These kinds of questions fall under the principle of “Invent and Simplify.”
A possible answer with the STAR Method would be:
- Situation – During my time at [previous company], I identified a bottleneck in the software deployment process.
- Task – I realized that the bottleneck was a problem and that fixing it could improve the deployment process and drastically reduce release cycle times.
- Action – I analyzed workflow in order to detect what was causing the bottleneck. Identified potential issues with manual tasks and dependencies that were causing delays. I researched and proposed the implementation of a CI/CD pipeline to automate the deployment processes.
- Result – After implementing the CI/CD pipeline using tools like Jenkins and Docker, we saw significant improvements. Deployment time was reduced from weeks to hours, which led to faster release cycles and improved product quality.
#4. Tell me about a time when a coworker was slacking; how did you handle it?
These are common Amazon managerial interview questions one can expect in an interview. Recruiters want to see if you possess the interpersonal skills necessary to address performance issues in your team. It lets them know if you can maintain a productive team and work environment. These kinds of questions are related to the “Deliver Results” principle.
A possible answer with the STAR Method would be:
- Situation – I once noticed a coworker falling behind in his duties when he missed multiple deadlines. It got so bad that it started affecting overall productivity.
- Task – I understood that it needed to be addressed and took it upon myself to talk to my colleague.
- Action – I approached them privately and told them that I noticed they were falling behind with the scheduled tasks. I expressed why this was a problem and explained the importance of these deadlines. I listened to them to find out what was causing the problem and decided to help. I offered my support to help them catch up. Additionally, I set clear expectations for future deadlines and highlighted the importance of meeting them.
- Result – As a result of our conversation and our teamwork, my coworker caught up and improved his performance. Our team’s productivity increased, and we were able to deliver results more effectively.
#5. Which Amazon Leadership Principle resonates with you most?
Not all Amazon interview questions will be indirect, as some of them aim to see how much you studied their 16 Leadership Principles. Recruiters want to see that you have a good understanding of their values and which of those values you identify with most.
A good response would be:
“I resonate most with the ‘Customer Obsession’ principle. I believe that customer satisfaction should be at the forefront of every decision and action.”
5 Questions to Ask at The End of Interview at Amazon
Job interviews are a two-way street. Not only are interviewers trying to unveil what makes you unique, but you are also getting to know them and the inner workings of the company and teams.
Once you make it through the interview process, you have the opportunity to ask some thoughtful questions, which show your interest and can play a vital role in having interviewers remember you in a more positive light.
Here are five:
1. Can you tell me more about the team I’ll be working with?
2. How do you evaluate success in this role?
3. What are the biggest challenges facing the team/department currently?
4. What are the key priorities for the team/department in the short and long term?
5. What opportunities are there for professional development and growth within the company?
3 Tips to Crush Your Amazon Interview
Once you have a solid understanding of Amazon’s structure and philosophy and can answer behavioral questions confidently, you can move on to some additional things that will improve your odds of success.
- Record yourself. Memorizing answers is one thing, but you might need to develop some muscle memory to answer Amazon interview questions well. Set up a camera or smartphone to record your answers. Watch or listen to yourself to see how you come off. Pay attention to areas where you can improve. Focus on things like appearance, body language, and speech patterns. Not only will this improve performance, but it will also help manage anxiety.
- Practice answering questions with a friend. Once you have gone over your answers, you can start rehearsing with friends. Create mock or practice interviews with people you trust. They can offer you additional feedback on what you can improve.
- Locate someone with experience. Find someone who has already gone through the interview process with Amazon. These can be current or former employees who know the company’s ins and outs. The company is huge, and the chances of knowing a friend or acquaintance who works there are substantial.
Final Thoughts
Amazon’s rigorous interview process requires skill and extensive preparation. Make sure you know what to expect, what concepts you need to know to be a match for Amazon, and how to apply them to answer their infamous Amazon behavioral interview questions.
Focusing your time and energy on the right things can help you ace your interview and secure a dream job with a stable and reliable company.
Amazon Interview Questions FAQ
#1. Are Amazon interviews hard?
Amazon interviews are hard because of their rigorous evaluation process. Regardless of the position you are interested in, it is important to remember that Amazon aims to recruit the best candidates possible. Due to this, the process involves multiple stages. These stages are the recruiting screen, a first-round interview, and a final-round interview, which is also referred to as the “Loop interview.” The name comes from “looping” candidates through multiple interviewers during the process.
#2. How long are Amazon interviews?
Interviews can be quite lengthy, both in terms of the interviews themselves and the overall duration of the process. The interviews can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more. The interview process can last anywhere from 2-3 weeks to even months, depending on the position you apply for. Lower-level interview times are usually shorter, while higher-level positions, like software engineer or manager, are more lengthy.
#3. How do I apply for a job at Amazon?
You can apply for a job at Amazon through their jobs portal. They display all open positions and divide them into “Warehouse and Hourly jobs” and “Software Development” jobs. There is even an “Opportunities for Students” section. Visitors can look through various teams, job categories, and locations to find positions that best suit their interests.
#4. How do I succeed in an interview at Amazon?
Success in an Amazon interview comes from much preparation and proper research. Look into the company and its internal practices regarding the hiring process. Study their leadership principles and prepare yourself for their behavioral-based interview questions. Additionally, it is also beneficial to brush up on the specific skills relevant to the role you are applying for.
