Next, dive into our Leadership Principles. We use our Leadership Principles every day, whether we're discussing ideas for new projects or finding the most effective solution to a problem. It’s just one of the things that makes Amazon peculiar. All candidates are evaluated based on our Leadership Principles. The best way to prepare for your interview is to think about how you’ve applied the Leadership Principles in your previous professional experience.

Leadership Principles

Our interviews are based on behavioural questions which ask about past situations or challenges you’ve faced and how you handled them, using the Leadership Principles to guide the discussion. We don’t use brain-teasers (e.g., “How many windows are in Manhattan?”) during the interview process. We’ve researched this approach and have found that those types of questions are unreliable when it comes to predicting a candidate’s success at Amazon.

Here are some examples of behavioural questions:

• Tell me about a time when you were faced with a problem that had a number of possible solutions. What was the problem and how did you determine the course of action? What was the outcome of that choice?
• When have you ever taken a risk, made a mistake or failed? How did you respond and how did you learn from that experience?
• Describe a time when you took the lead on a project
• What did you do when you needed to motivate a group of individuals or encourage collaboration during a particular project?
• How have you leveraged data to develop a strategy?

Keep in mind, Amazon is a data-driven company. When you answer questions, you should focus on the question asked, ensure your answer is well-structured and provide examples using metrics or data if applicable. Refer to recent situations whenever possible.

The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioural interview question by discussing the specific situation, task, action and result of what you're describing. Here’s what it looks like:

SITUATION

Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. Give enough detail for the interviewer to understand the complexities of the situation. This example can be from a previous job, school project, volunteer activity 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? What was your particular contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about a project. Let us know 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 behaviour. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Provide examples using metrics or data if applicable.

Consider your own successes and failures in relation to the leadership principles. Have specific examples that showcase your expertise and demonstrate how you’ve taken risks, succeeded, failed and grown over the course of your career. Bear in mind that some of Amazon’s most successful programmes have risen from the ashes of failed projects. Failure is a necessary part of innovation. It’s not optional. We understand that and believe in failing early and iterating until we get it right.

• Practise using the STAR method to answer the behavioural interview questions listed above and incorporate the Amazon Leadership Principles
• Ensure each answer has a beginning, middle and end. Describe the situation or problem, the actions you took and the outcome
• Prepare short descriptions of a handful of different situations and be ready to answer follow-up questions in greater detail. Select examples that highlight your unique skills
• Give specific examples that showcase your experience and demonstrate that you’ve taken risks, succeeded, failed and grown over the course of your career
• Specifics are key: avoid generalisations. Give a detailed account of one situation for each question you answer and use data or metrics to support your example
• Be forthcoming and straightforward. Don't embellish or omit parts of the story.

• Interview preparation for tech roles (e.g. software development engineer, technical programme manager) can be found here
• Unsure if you've applied for a technical role? Reach out to your recruiting point of contact

• Be prepared to explain what interests you about the role you’re being interviewed for and the team (or teams) you’ll be meeting with
• When answering questions, be concise but detailed. We realise it’s hard to gauge how much information is too much versus not enough. An effective test is pausing after your succinct response to ask if you’ve provided enough detail or if the interviewer would like you to go into more depth
• Follow-up if you need clarification. If you’re asked a question, but are not given enough information to provide a solid answer, don’t be shy about asking for more information. If additional context is not available, focus on how you would attempt to solve the problem with only limited information
• For some roles, we may ask you to complete a writing sample. Why? At Amazon, we don’t use PowerPoint or any other slide-oriented presentations. Instead we write narratively structured memos and silently read one at the beginning of each meeting. These documents generally range from one to six pages and articulate the project goal(s), approach to addressing it, outcome and next steps. Given this unique aspect of our culture and the impact these papers have on what decisions we make as a company, being able to articulate your thoughts in written form is a necessary skill
• We aim to hire intelligent, thoughtful and customer-obsessed people. Reflect on what motivated you to pursue a career with Amazon and be prepared to share your thought process. Although “Why Amazon?” is a standard question, it’s not just a 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
• We try to leave a few minutes at the end of each interview to answer questions you might have, but if we don’t get to all of them, please don’t hesitate to ask your recruitment point of contact.

• Check in: arrive 15 minutes early to check in for your interview. Have your government-issued photo ID ready (e.g. driving licence, passport)
• Location: detailed instructions will be sent to you via email. Some of our offices are dog-friendly. Let us know if you have any special requirements or allergies
• Dress code: comfortable and casual. While safety clothing - such as closed-toed shoes - is required for some positions in our fulfilment centres, most of our office staff wear everyday clothing. We're interested in what you have to say, not what you’re wearing
• What to expect: interviews will be a mixture of questions and discussions concerning your previous experience and the challenges you've encountered. Come armed with detailed examples — concise, structured answers are ideal
• Interviewers: depending on the role, you will meet with anywhere from two to seven Amazonians. They will likely be a mix of managers, team members, key stakeholders from related teams and a “Bar Raiser” (usually an objective interviewer from another team). All interviewers will assess potential for growth beyond the position you’re being interviewed for and focus on evaluating how well your background and skills meet core competencies, along with how they relate to Amazon’s Leadership Principles. We recommend approaching each of your interviews the same way rather than trying to tailor answers to the interviewer’s role. Interviewers will often be taking notes on their laptops. It’s important that they have precise notes of their time with you to share with other interviewers
• CV: interviewers will have a copy, but feel free to bring one as well
• Duration: each interview usually lasts from 45 minutes to an hour
• Lunch: We will provide lunch if your interview is scheduled during the lunch hour. Let recruitment or your lunch buddy know if you have any dietary preferences
• Amazon Non-Disclosure Agreement: All candidates must sign our standard Non-Disclosure Agreement. If you're unable to print and sign prior to your arrival, we'll have a copy available for you
• Technical roles: If you're being interviewed for a technical role, be prepared to use a whiteboard
• Virtual interviews: If you've been asked to do a virtual interview, you will probably need to download Amazon Chime, our video-conferencing tool (step-by-step guide here). If you're presenting, you will need to download Chime onto your desktop. The meeting ID# will be emailed to you by your recruitment point of contact. For optimal sound quality, use a headset with a microphone.

• Some teams at Amazon incorporate role-specific exercises or online assessments into the interview process. You will be notified if you are required to take a test
• Confirm or book arrangements if your interview requires travel. Your recruiting point of contact will either set up your travel arrangements, or put you in touch with our travel agency to help you coordinate travel details and hotel stay.
• An expense report should be submitted after your visit. Your recruitment point of contact will provide details on where and how to submit your report. Fill in your form clearly and ensure scanned receipts are legible - this will help prevent reimbursement delays
• If you have any special requirements, questions or concerns, please contact us: we are committed to making reasonable provisions for all individuals
• After your interview, be on the lookout for a quick post-interview survey via email. It is important for us to know how we did so we can continually improve our interview process. We really value your input
• Expect to hear back from recruitment within five business days following your interview. If you don't, feel free to give us a nudge.