AMAZON JOB INTERVIEW PREPARATION GUIDE
Thank you taking the time to speak with us.
The below tips are intended to enhance your candidate experience.
Amazon—a place where builders can build. We hire the world’s brightest minds and offer them an
environment in which they can invent and innovate to improve the experience for our customers. We want
employees who will help share and shape our mission to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.
Amazon’s evolution from Web site, to e-commerce partner, to development platform, is driven by the spirit of
invention that is part of our DNA. We do this every day by solving complex technical and business problems
with ingenuity and simplicity. We’re making history, and the good news is that we’ve only just begun.
Work hard. Have fun. Make history.
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 in-person interview.
Interview tips:
Know what interests you about Amazon and the team 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 groups and how they all interact with each other will give you more contexts around the role and will likely prompt deeper conversations and provide a richer interview experience.
Please be prepared to answer in-depth business questions.
Ask questions! Be collaborative in the interview process. We also want to learn what it would be like to work with you on a day-to-day basis in our open environment.
Working at Amazon http://youtu.be/SpXMWRiR3iE
Our Leadership Principles
Amazon currently employs more than 100,000 people around the world. Our Leadership Principles are the foundation of our culture and guide each Amazonian. Whether you are an individual contributor or a manager of a large team, you are an Amazon leader.
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 business judgment and good instincts.
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.
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
We try not to spend money on things that don’t matter to customers. Frugality breeds resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.
Vocally Self Critical
Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. Leaders come forward with problems or information, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
Earn Trust of Others
Leaders are sincerely open-minded, genuinely listen, and are willing to examine their strongest convictions with humility.
Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, and audit frequently. 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.
