Hey there! Take you heard? Amazon introduced two new leadership principles in 2021. Residue bodacious—if you're reading this, we've already updated the info you need to know down below! This article is part of our series on Amazon's interviews. For even more help, resources, and recently-asked Amazon interview questions, cheque out our complete Amazon Interview Course.

Ready to larn the ins and outs of Amazon's behavioral interview questions? It's no secret that getting a job at the big tech companies is challenging. Even for product managers with years of feel, the behavioral interview can be intimidating.

In a way, interview processes at companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are as famous as the companies themselves.

In that location are endless books geared at giving their readers a leg up on these interviews, such as Cracking the Amazon Interview and Are Y'all Smart Enough to Work at Google?

Amazon does things a piddling differently.

Applicants can expect to be asked a set of questions commonly referred to as behavioral interview questions.

Amazon puts an enormous emphasis on these questions as they strive to find candidates that will fit in with the company culture. Amazon relies much more on these questions than other FAANG companies similar Apple or Facebook, where technical skills are by and large weighed more heavily.

"I'd rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the incorrect person." - Jeff Bezos, Founder and Former CEO, Amazon

Behavioral questions are difficult to improvise on the spot, so it'd be wise to prepare for them ahead of time. This commodity will permit you to do just that.

Table of Contents

  • What are Behavioral Interview questions? — A quick introduction to Amazon behavioral interview questions and what they assess.
  • What is the STAR Method? — A framework for answering behavioral questions effectively.
  • What are Amazon's Leadership Principles? (with sample interview questions and answers) — A deep-dive into each of the 16 leadership principles Amazon uses to appraise candidates and 50+ recently-asked interview questions. Practise, and instance respond  including several mock interview videos.
  • Tips For A Successful Amazon Behavioral Interview

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What are the Amazon Behavioral Interview Questions?

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Before we get down to information technology, we should probably explain what exactly a behavioral interview question is.

These questions focus on your by beliefs and performance. Companies like to ask these considering they reveal quite a bit most you and assist predict job performance (at least in theory.)

Interviewers are looking to deduce your skillset, how you may perform as an employee, and how well you lot'll fit in with the Amazon workplace culture.

They too clue your interviewer into how you lot think. In Amazon's example, they are also looking for evidence of what they telephone call "Leadership Principles"—something we'll explain shortly.

Some examples of Amazon behavioral interview questions include:

  • Tell me about a time you solved a pain bespeak for customers. Watch Amazon PM answer to this question.
  • Tell me almost a time you came up with a simple solution to a complex problem. Watch Amazon Plan Manager'southward respond to this question.
  • Tell me about a fourth dimension when you lot raised the bar. Watch answer to this "Insist on the Highest Standards" interview question.

You'll find many more of these below.

What is the STAR Method?

Nether the 'Bias for Action' leadership principle, Jeff Bezos claims that: "speed matters in business."

This mental attitude extends towards their interviews likewise.

Your interviewer won't capeesh meandering anecdotes that seem to leap all over the place. They want y'all to be clear and concise, while withal demonstrating a depth of understanding with clarity of thought.

That's why Amazon isn't secretive about its encouragement of something called the STAR method.

The STAR method is a fashion of answering these types of questions in a succinct, yet, complete manner.

STAR stands for:

  • S - State of affairs
  • T - Task
  • A - Action
  • R - Results

So, for example, pretend your interviewer were to enquire y'all to answer 1 of the most common Amazon behavioral interview questions, "tell me nearly a time y'all had to brand a decision to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains."

You're advised to apply the STAR method to brand the well-nigh out of your answer without any rambling or confusing answers.

Explicate the Situation

You'd brainstorm by briefly describing the situation in which you lot had to brand such a determination.

What was the context, how'd you know you needed to make the decision, etc.

What Task Did You Piece of work On?

Elaborate on the necessary tasks involved with the decision to make short-term sacrifices.

Tasks are not deportment you took, but rather full general concepts.

What Activity Did You Take?

Different from tasks, what specific actions did you take for the task?

If your task was to learn more about user behavior, your actions may be phone calls or surveys sent via electronic mail to users.

Finally, talk nearly the results that came as a event of your actions.

In this case, you'd focus on long-term gains.

Sample STAR Interview Question Answers

Here'south a sample answer a member of the Exponent community gave to "Tell me about a time you made a mistake."

Situation: Let me tell you about a fourth dimension where a website I managed suddenly showed ho-hum performance. Our mistake was that information technology went unnoticed until a user reported the effect to management. Every bit a PM for that projection, I took full responsibility for the situation and worked with the engineering team to quickly resolve it.

Tasks: This error taught me the importance of focusing and monitoring non-functional requirements. That's in add-on to new characteristic development /adoption where I usually spend my time.

Action: Later on deploying the quick fix, I ensured that such a mistake doesn't go repeated. I did this by putting a good application management tool in place and set it upwardly to receive email alerts and necessary Pagerduty alerts when website behavior exceeds set thresholds/SLAs. I personally took the try to acquire the tool myself to farther clarify by issues and call out optimization areas to engineering.

Result: With that attempt, nosotros are able to show consistent page load times to be less than 3s. I besides shared my learnings with other PMs in my team in a brownish bag session and then they could besides benefit.

Using this method, your interviewer will learn a lot of useful information about you in a short amount of fourth dimension. This answer goes across what an HR manager might have even listed in the job description.

Behavioral interview questions tin frequently be directed at past situations that can be very complex, nuanced, or that require some context to fully understand.

But with the STAR method, y'all don't demand to worry about leaving anything of import out or wasting the interviewer's fourth dimension with a long-winded response.

What are Amazon's Leadership Principles?

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Employ every behavioral question to demonstrate alignment with Amazon's Leadership Principles.

Amazon is well known for its strict adherence to the management principles laid out by its CEO, Jeff Bezos. In fact, you'll likely come across references to some of these principles in the job description for the role you use to.

One of these is the famous 'Solar day i' mentality that surely had a lot to do with Amazon's jumbo success.

Just Day one isn't the just tenant that Amazon holds beloved. The visitor has 16 leadership principles, mostly written by Bezos himself and updated as recently as 2021, that its employees and the company overall are expected to uphold.

Amazon'southward 16 Leadership Principles: An Overview

  • Customer Obsession
  • Ownership
  • Invent & Simplify
  • Are Right, A lot
  • Acquire and Be Curious
  • Rent and Develop the Best
  • Insist on the Highest Standards
  • Recollect Large
  • Bias for Action
  • Frugality
  • Earn Trust
  • Dive Deep
  • Take Courage; Disagree & Commit
  • Deliver Results
  • Strive to be World's All-time Employer (New in 2021)
  • Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility (New in 2021)

Naturally, your interviewer will be listening closely to the examples of by performance you give in response to their behavioral questions, and how you've demonstrated these leadership principles.

As we mentioned before, Amazon behavioral interview questions may agree more weight than at other companies.

Which is fifty-fifty more reason to prepare for them ahead of fourth dimension.

Permit's review each in-depth.

Leadership Principles In Exercise: Examples of Amazon Behavioral Interview Questions

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Beneath, you'll find the short explanation of each leadership principle given by Amazon on their careers page. These principles will be present throughout the entire interview process.

Read each explanation thoroughly, as yous'll pick upward clues as to how your answers to behavioral questions will be scored. When you're set up, picket the expert mock interviews linked and so try your hand at a few sample behavioral interview questions compiled from past interviews.

i) Customer Obsession

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders starting time with the client and work backwards. They work  vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay  attention to competitors, they obsess over customers."

Lookout man an Amazon PM reply the Customer Obsession question: "Tell me about a time y'all solved a pain betoken for customers."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me almost a time when you had to deal with a very difficult customer."
  • "Describe a situation where you negotiated a win-win."

two) Ownership

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders are owners. They think long term and don't sacrifice long-term  value for curt-term results.

They act on behalf of the entire company,  beyond just their ain squad. They never say "that's non my job."

Watch an Amazon TPM reply the Ownership question: "Tell me most a time where you were dissatisfied with the condition quo."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me well-nigh a time you made a bold and difficult decision."
  • "Describe a tough situation in which y'all had to footstep into a leadership role. "
  • "Tell me nigh a tough conclusion y'all made during a project. "

3) Invent & Simplify

What does this mean at Amazon? "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 express by "not invented here." As we  practice new things, we accept that we may exist misunderstood for long periods of time."

Exercise questions:

  • "Tell me about a time where you came up with a unproblematic solution to a complex problem." Sentry an expert respond this "Invent and Simplify" question.
  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension when you solved a complex problem and how you lot went about it?"
  • "How exercise you handle roadblocks or obstacles?"

4) Are Right, A Lot

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and skilful instincts.  They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs."

Are Correct A Lot: Instincts

Watch Stephen, Exponent CEO and Google PM, answer the "Are Right, A Lot" Amazon Leadership Principle question, "Tell me about a time you lot made a decision based on your instincts."

To submit your ain respond for this question and get feedback, visit the answer in our interview question database.

View Answer

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me about a time yous made a conclusion based on your instincts." Watch an proficient answer this "Are Right, A Lot" interview question.
  • "Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without much client data."
  • "Tell me almost a time when you had to convince team members on something you proposed."

five) Learn and Exist Curious

What does this hateful at Amazon? "Leaders are never done learning and ever seek to improve themselves.  They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me nigh a skill you recently learned." Watch an expert answer this "Learn and Be Curious" question.
  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension you congenital out a procedure."
  • "Tell me nigh a time you lot exceeded expectations."

6) Hire and Develop the Best

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They  recognize exceptional talent, and willingly movement them throughout the  organisation. Leaders develop leaders and accept seriously their role in  coaching others. Nosotros work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms  for evolution like Career Choice."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me well-nigh a time yous had a conflict with someone. How did you resolve it and what did you acquire?"
  • "Tell me about a time when you fired someone."

7) Insist on the Highest Standards

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders take relentlessly high standards — many people may think these  standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar  and drive their teams to deliver loftier quality products, services, and  processes. Leaders ensure that defects practice not get sent down the line and  that bug are stock-still so they stay fixed."

Highest Standards: Raising the Bar

Sentry Stephen, Exponent CEO and Google PM, answer the "Insist on the Highest Standards" Amazon Leadership Principle question "Tell me almost a time when yous raised the bar."

To submit your own respond for this question and get feedback, visit the answer in our interview question database.

View Answer

Do questions:

  • "Tell me about a time when you raised the bar." Watch an expert reply this "Insist on the Highest Standards" interview question.
  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension y'all had to make a decision to make brusque-term sacrifices for long-term gains."
  • "Tell me near a time when you made a decision based on data and you were ultimately incorrect."
  • "Every bit a manager, how do yous handle tradeoffs?"

8) Think Big

What does this mean at Amazon? "Thinking small is a cocky-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and  communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think  differently and look around corners for means to serve customers."

Practise questions:

  • "Tell me about a time where you came upward with a uncomplicated solution to a complex problem." Picket an expert answer this "Recall Large" interview question.
  • "Tell me well-nigh your greatest success."
  • "Tell me nearly a time you were creative."
  • "Tell me about a time when y'all solved a problem innovatively."

9) Bias for Action

What does this hateful at Amazon? "Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and  exercise not need extensive study. Nosotros value calculated risk taking."

Practice questions:

  • "If yous take to work on five different projects, how do y'all prioritize?"
  • "How have you convinced others to take action? "
  • "How have you managed hazard in a project?"

10) Frugality

What does this mean at Amazon? "Accomplish more than with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness,  self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing  headcount, upkeep size, or fixed expense."

Do questions:

  • "Tell me most a time you turned down more resources to consummate a project."
  • "Tell me about a time you faced technical and people challenges at the same time."
  • "Tell me most a fourth dimension yous had to accomplish big results with very little budget."

11) Earn Trust

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders mind attentively, speak candidly, and care for others  respectfully. They are vocally cocky-disquisitional, even when doing so is  awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team'due south  body odor smells of perfume. They criterion themselves and their teams against the all-time."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me nigh a fourth dimension you made a mistake."
  • "Can you requite me an example of how you manage conflict?"
  • "How practice you earn the trust of your team members?"

12) Dive Deep

What does this hateful at Amazon? "Leaders operate at all levels, stay continued to the details, audit oft, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No job  is beneath them."

Practise questions:

  • "Tell me nearly a time when yous had a problem and you had to go through several hoops to discover the root crusade." Lookout man a former Google PM answer this "Dive Deep" question.
  • "Tell me about the nigh circuitous project you've worked on."
  • "How take you changed an opinion or management using data?  "
  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension when you were able to make a determination without having much data metrics in hand."

13) Accept Backbone; Disagree & Commit:

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they  disagree, even when doing and so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders  have conviction and are tenacious. They exercise not compromise for the sake  of social cohesion. In one case a determination is adamant, they commit wholly."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me nearly a time you disagreed with someone and how yous resolved information technology."
  • "Tell me about a time when y'all had a disagreement with your director."
  • "How you lot you manage difficult conversations?"

14) Deliver Results

What does this hateful at Amazon? "Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and evangelize them with  the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise  to the occasion and never settle."

Deliver Results: Tell me about your proudest projection

Scout Stephen, Exponent CEO and Google PM, respond the "Deliver Results" Amazon Leadership Principle question "Tell me about your proudest project."

View Answer

Exercise questions:

  • "Tell me about a time when you worked on a project with a tight borderline."
  • "Describe a challenging projection you worked on and why information technology was challenging."
  • "How do yous prioritize?"

15) Strive to be Globe'due south All-time Employer

What does this mean at Amazon? "Leaders work every mean solar day to create a safer, more productive, college performing, more than diverse, and more just piece of work environment. They lead with  empathy, take fun at piece of work, and make it piece of cake for others to have fun.  Leaders ask themselves: Are my fellow employees growing? Are they empowered? Are they prepare for what's next? Leaders have a vision for and commitment to their employees' personal success, whether that exist at  Amazon or elsewhere."

Do questions:

  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension when you had to motivate a squad later on a demoralizing event."
  • "Tell me about a time when an employee gave you negative feedback."
  • "Tell me about a time yous had to mediate a disharmonize."

sixteen) Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

What does this mean at Amazon? "We started in a garage, just we're not there anymore. Nosotros are big, we  bear upon the world, and nosotros are far from perfect. We must be apprehensive and  thoughtful about fifty-fifty the secondary effects of our actions. Our local  communities, planet, and future generations need united states to exist better every  solar day. We must begin each twenty-four hour period with a determination to make better, do  amend, and exist ameliorate for our customers, our employees, our partners,  and the world at large. And nosotros must finish every solar day knowing we can do even  more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and e'er exit  things better than how they plant them."

Practice questions:

  • "Tell me about a fourth dimension you had a problem and had to discover the real crusade."
  • "Depict a fourth dimension when your projection failed."
  • "Tell me about a time you were not satisfied with the status quo."

Desire more? Give these bonus practice questions a try:

  • Tell me almost a time when you took a calculated hazard.
  • Tell me virtually a time when you lot had to leave a task unfinished.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to piece of work with incomplete data or data.
  • Tell me about a time when you influenced a change by but asking questions.
  • Tell me about a time when you invented something.
  • Tell me about a time when you lot solved a trouble through just superior knowledge or observation.
  • Give me ii examples of when you did more than what was required in any job feel.
  • Tell me about a time you had to handle a crisis.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to make a quick determination that was going to have a significant impact on the concern.
  • Tell me about a time when you lot had a group conflict, and how did yous overcome this conflict?
  • Tell me nearly a state of affairs where you straight impacted customer satisfaction.

For even more on the subject, John Rossman wrote a remarkably helpful volume that explains in detail what each leadership principle is and why they're of import to Amazon's business philosophy. Give it a read, and yous should accept no problem impressing your interviewer with your articulate understanding of the leadership principles.

Tips For A Successful Amazon Behavioral Interview

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It must be remembered that unlike other questions y'all'd be asked, there are no right answers, per se.

That is, there can be endless right answers, every bit it's based on your personal experiences.

Still, in that location are several tips y'all tin can keep in mind to ensure the effective performance of your interview.

Exercise Your Inquiry

First and foremost, yous should do your enquiry on the general scope of the behavioral questions you may be asked.While you'll never know exactly what questions yous'll exist asked, looking over the following list should give you a good idea almost what yous're up confronting.

Tip: Amazon interviewers have been known to give "pop quizzes" on the leadership principles, then exist certain you tin recite them as well as effectively answer behavioral questions.

Begin Possible Situations

You should brainstorm possible situations from your previous experiences that y'all could utilize for these questions. If you read through our list of behavioral interview questions, you lot'll get a good sense of what answers employers are generally looking for. You tin use as a good starting betoken in your brainstorming.

Write the Situations Down & Flesh Them Out

After you've brainstormed relevant work experiences, write them downward and mankind them out so that you're not stumbling to recollect some of the details amongst the questioning. Make sure to write them downwards co-ordinate to the STAR method, as well, to make sure your answers are both curtailed and fully adult.

Study the Function Yous're Applying For

Given Amazon'south notoriously high standards for their hiring procedure, you should likewise do as much research as yous can about the role yous're applying for along with the work that the office's department/team actually does. Your interviewer is bound to ask questions aimed at evaluating if you're a culture fit, and your prior research will only assistance to make the best impression possible.

Not simply that simply your research regarding the role you're applying for can give you a practiced impression on the behavioral skills necessary for the job. And by extension, it can give you a good idea of the behavioral questions they may enquire regarding those skills.

Consult With an Exponent Motorbus

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  • Get an insider'south wait from someone who's been interviewed, got the offer, and worked at the companies y'all're applying at.
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A few of our coaches have fifty-fifty worked at Amazon, so yous tin trust that they know exactly what you need to do to prepare. If yous're interested, be certain to check out the profiles of former Amazon interviewers Abhishek Joshi, Sai Boddupalli, and Vichitra Kidambi to request a coaching session today.