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.”
• Tell me about one of your projects where you put the customer first
• Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer
• Which company has the best customer service and why?
• Describe a time when a customer asked you for one thing, but you knew that they needed something else
• Tell me about a time you solved a pain point for customers
• "Describe a situation where you negotiated a win-win."
• Who was your most difficult customer?
• Tell me about a time when you didn't meet customer expectations. What happened, and how did you deal with the situation?
• How do you go about prioritizing customer needs when you are dealing with a large number of 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.”
• Tell me about a time you did something at work that wasn't your responsibility / in your job description
• Tell me about a time when you went over and above your job responsibility in order to help the company
• Tell me about a time when you had to make an important decision without approval from your boss
• How would you make Amazon.com better?
• "Tell me about a time where you were dissatisfied with the status quo."
• "Tell me about a time you made a bold and difficult decision."
• "Describe a tough situation in which you had to step into a leadership role. "
• "Tell me about a tough decision you made during a project. "
• Tell me about a time when you took on a task that was beyond your job responsibilities.
• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a task with unclear responsibilities.
• Tell me about a time when you showed an initiative to work on a challenging project.
Bias for action“Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.”
• Tell me about a time you had to change your approach because you were going to miss a deadline
• Tell me about a time you had to make an urgent decision without data. What was the impact and would you do anything differently?
• Tell me about a time when you launched a feature with known risks
• Did you come across a scenario where the deadline given to you for a project was earlier than expected? How did you deal with it and what was the result?
• "If you have to work on 5 different projects, how do you prioritize?"
• "How have you convinced others to take action? "
• "How have you managed risk in a project?"
• Provide an example of when you took a calculated risk.
• Describe a situation when you took the initiative to correct a problem or a mistake rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
• Tell me about a time when you required some information from somebody else, but they weren't responsive. What did you do?
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.”
• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker or manager and how you approached it
• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with your team but decided to go ahead with their proposal
• Tell me about a time your work was criticized
• "Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone and how you resolved it."
• "Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with your manager."
• "How you manage difficult conversations?"
• Describe a time when you disagreed with the approach of a team member. What did you do?
• Give me an example of something you believe in that nobody else does.
• Tell me about an unpopular decision of yours.
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.”
• Tell me about a time you solved a big problem in your company
• Tell me about a time when you had a plan but ran into some obstacles. What did you do about it?
• Tell me about at time you re-designed a process and why
• What is the most innovative idea you've ever had?
• "Tell me about a time where you came up with a simple solution to a complex problem."
• "Tell me about a time when you solved a complex problem and how you went about it?"
• "How do you handle roadblocks or obstacles?"
• Describe a time when you found a simple solution to a complex problem.
• Tell me about a time when you invented something.
• Tell me about a time when you tried to simplify a process but failed. What would you have done differently?
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.”
• Tell me about a time when you used a lot of data in a short period of time
• Tell me about a project in which you had to deep dive into analysis
• Tell me about the most complex problem you have worked on
• "Tell me about a time when you had a problem and you had to go through several hoops to discover the root cause.”
• "Tell me about the most complex project you've worked on."
• How have you changed an opinion or direction using data?
• "Tell me about a time when you were able to make a decision without having much data metrics in hand."
• Tell me about the most complicated problem you've had to deal with.
• Give me an example of when you utilized in-depth data to develop a solution.
• Tell me about something that you have learned in your role.
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.”
• 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?
• Tell me about a time you applied judgment to a decision when data was not available
• Tell me about a time that you failed at work
• Tell me how you deal with ambiguity
• "Tell me about a time you made a decision based on your instincts."
• "Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without much customer data."
• "Tell me about a time when you had to convince team members on something you proposed."
• Tell me about a time when you effectively used your judgment to solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time when you had to work with insufficient information or incomplete data.
• Tell me about a time when you were wrong.
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.”
• Tell me about the most challenging project you ever worked on
• Tell me about a time when you had to handle pressure
• Tell me about a time when you had two deadlines at the same time. How did you manage the situation?
• How do you prioritize tasks in your current role?
• "Tell me about a time when you worked on a project with a tight deadline."
• "Describe a challenging project you worked on and why it was challenging."
• "How do you prioritize?"
• Describe the most challenging situation in your life and how you handled it.
• Give an example of a time when you had to handle a variety of assignments. What was the outcome?
• Tell me about a time when your team gave up on something, but you pushed them to deliver results.
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.”
• Tell me about your most significant accomplishment. Why was it significant?
• Tell me about a time you proposed a non-intuitive solution to a problem and how you identified that it required a different way of thinking
• What was the largest project you've executed?
• "Tell me about a time where you came up with a simple solution to a complex problem."
• "Tell me about your greatest success."
• "Tell me about a time you were creative."
• "Tell me about a time when you solved a problem innovatively."
• Tell me about your most significant professional achievement.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a bold and challenging decision.
• Tell me about a time when your vision led to a great impact.
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.”
• Tell me about a time you provided feedback that was helpful to a peer
• Tell me about a time you hired or worked with people smarter than you are
• Tell me about a time you stepped in to help a struggling teammate
• Who is your best employee / resource, and what makes them the best?
• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with someone. How did you resolve it and what did you learn?
• Tell me about a time when you fired someone.
• Tell me about a time when you mentored someone.
• Tell me about a time when you made a bad hire. When did you figure it out, and what did you do?
• What qualities do you look for in potential candidates when making hiring decisions?
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.”
• Tell me about a time you successfully delivered a project without a budget or resources
• Tell me about the last time you figured out a way to keep an approach simple or to save on expenses
• When managing a budget, what are some ways you get more out of less?
• "Tell me about a time you turned down more resources to complete a project."
• "Tell me about a time you faced technical, and people challenges at the same time."
• "Tell me about a time you had to accomplish big results with very little budget."
• Describe a time when you had to rely on yourself to complete a task.
• Tell me about a time when you had to be frugal.
• Tell me about a time when you had to rely on yourself to complete a project.
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.”
• Tell me about a time you taught yourself a skill
• Tell me about something you learned that made you better at your job
• Tell me about your biggest career failure and what you learned from it
• "Tell me about a skill you recently learned."
• "Tell me about a time you built out a process."
• "Tell me about a time you exceeded expectations."
• Tell me about an important lesson you learned over the past year.
• Tell me about a situation or experience you went through that changed your way of thinking.
• Tell me about a time when you made a smarter decision with the help of your curiosity.
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.”
• Tell me about the most successful project you've done
• Tell me about a project that you wish you had done better and how you would do it differently today
• Tell me a time that a goal was hard to achieve. What did you learn from that?
• How would you improve this [project on your resume] if you had more time?
• "Tell me about a time when you raised the bar."
• "Tell me about a time you had to make a decision to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains."
• "Tell me about a time when you made a decision based on data and you were ultimately wrong."
• As a manager, how do you handle trade-offs?
• Tell me about a time when you were dissatisfied with the quality of a project at work. What did you do to improve it?
• Tell me about a time when you motivated others to go above and beyond.
• Describe a situation when you couldn't meet your standards and expectations on a task.
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.”
• Tell me a piece of difficult feedback you received and how you handled it
• How do you earn trust with a team?
• A co-worker constantly arrives late to a recurring meeting. What would you do?
• "Tell me about a time you made a mistake."
• "Can you give me an example of how you manage conflict?"
• "How do you earn the trust of your team members?"
• Describe a time when you had to speak up in a difficult or uncomfortable environment.
• What would you do to gain the trust of your team?
• Tell me about a time when you had to tell a harsh truth to someone.
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.”
• Tell me about a time that you went above and beyond for an employee
• Tell me about a time you saw an issue that would negatively impact your team. How did you deal with it?
• How do you manage a low performer in the team? How do you identify a good performer in the team and help in their career growth?
• "Tell me about a time when you had to motivate a team after a demoralizing event."
• "Tell me about a time when an employee gave you negative feedback."
• "Tell me about a time you had to mediate a conflict."
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.”
• Tell me about a time when you made a decision which impacted the team or the company
• Tell me about a decision that you made about your work, and you regret now
• Tell me about a time when you failed to do the right thing
• "Tell me about a time you had a problem and had to discover the real cause."
• "Describe a time when your project failed."
• "Tell me about a time you were not satisfied with the status quo."
