Amazon Job Interview Process with Sample Questions and Answers

This post provides exhaustive information on what to expect at the Amazon job interview process to help you better prepare for it.

It also presents sample questions and answers to help you know the questions to expect and how to answer them correctly.

Please, read on:

The Amazon interview process is usually demanding but they always follow a pattern and this makes the preparation easy.

Amazon Job Interview Process

The following are the various stages in the Amazon job interview process:

1. The screening call

This is done by the internal recruiter and is to last between 45 and 60 minutes.
This session is filled with several questions concerning your career, starting from your first ever handled position to the latest, and you are expected to answer in the STAR format.

THE STAR FORMAT:

“S” stands for the situation and this should explain the work you were given to do.

You should be specific and detailed in your explanation, and it is better to not generalize your job description.

“T” for the task.

This simply means you should state the goal you were to achieve.

“A” for action.

Here, you should talk about all the actions you took to reach your goal.

Not something your team did as they are interested in what you did and not your team.

“R” For result.

This should be positive and your choice of situation should end well.

Do not be ashamed to take credit for the input you made and be as detailed as can be.

In this step, you might not get enough response to tell if they were pleased with your achievements or not, but you must give it your best shot sticking to the STAR method.

2. The interview with your potential direct manager

This guy is usually nice and the reason is that he needs to hire someone because the person hired works at his end.

And this is where you get to ask questions about the job, the company, and their expectations.

3. The written test

This is for certain positions and the STAR format comes in handy again. You are given a writing test to go home with and submit after one week.

Remember to be as detailed and precise as possible, including numbers where necessary.

4. Final interview

This is sequential and is concerning the position being interviewed for (if the position was level eight, it means the number of interviews would correspond to level number – eight).

You would likely meet interviewers from other departments and in such a case you must be mentally prepared for an intense session.

It is to test whether you can fit in the environment and has nothing to with the job you are being hired for per se.

They are testing your leadership skills.

5. The hiring meeting

Here, all the interviewers gather in one room to debate who should be hired. This stage is out of your league.

6. The offer meeting

This is if you got the job. You will be sent a salary offer based on the response you give the HR when they demand to know your current salary and what your expectations are.

This is either over a phone call or in person.

7. Reference check stage

This is done by phone call and does not exceed 20mins. And this is only necessary if you were hired for a position above level five.

It is to demand a former boss and colleague or more depending on the position.

Amazon Interview Sample Questions and Answers

Knowing what to expect in an Amazon interview gives you an edge and that is why we have some sample questions and answer to help make the interview a walkover:

1. Correctly pronounce the name of Amazon CEO?

It is correctly pronounced as “bay-zohs” and not “bee-zos”.

2. If you came from another planet outside earth, how would you solve a problem on earth?

Here, the interviewers want to know if you can think outside the box. A good answer would look like:0

While we experienced a downturn in the number of demands from our clients because of the economy, I suggested that we diversified by taking our product to a completely different location where their economy was fine and the result was incredible.

3. How would you handle a disagreement with your boss’s choice?

“I was assisting my colleagues in their assigned duties and my supervisor thought I was being overly involved and demanded I faced my work squarely.

I insisted that the success of my colleagues and I was to the company and if helping them do their tasks was going to build the company’s name then I shouldn’t be restrained for looking out for my company’s success”.

4. When have you apologized for your mistakes?

You do not want to say you have never made a mistake, a good response should show how you do not think highly of yourself when you are obviously in the wrong, for example, the time when you couldn’t meet a deadline.

5. How would you deal with finding out your friend stole from the company?

“I would not allow emotions to affect my judgment; I would consider the felony and put my commitment to the company first by reporting it through the appropriate channel.”

6. Who would fit as your most difficult customer ever?

“I once had a customer who was extremely timid and had problem making a clear choice of what to purchase but refused to take the options that were suggested”.

Your emphasis should be on how you managed calmly and didn’t worsen the situation.

7. Have you ever gotten mad at your boss or a client and left the scene in rage?

“I have a reasonable self-control. One time when my boss shouted at me for a customer’s mistake in the presence of the customer, I felt embarrassed and underrated but I made sure to stay calm until the issue was resolved”.

The emphasis should be that you didn’t feel apathetic but you managed to keep your mood in check.

8. How do you manage to stay motivated?

I encourage myself as I get ready for work by saying words like “I can be better”, “I am smart and I am capable to take on any task”.

I make sure my working tools are ready and I encourage my colleagues by staying happy because that way, I am motivated when I see them work.

9. How did you handle feeling overwhelmed?

Here, the interviewers want you to know your mental strength. An ideal response should be like, “I take cognizance of my feeling before I take a long air”.

“I always take it as a matter of priority to take some time off to rest whenever I feel stressed out and take each task one at a time.”

10. What is your reaction to missed deadlines?

You can say: “My reaction when I didn’t meet up with deadline is, “I’m sorry; I do my best to identify the cause so I can avoid it next time”

11. What happens when you are given a queer task?
12. If you are caught in between two superiors, how would you safely navigate?
13. When criticized, what has been your first response?
14. What measures would you put in place to make positive changes?
15. When a superior asked you to sabotage the company’s policy, what would you do?
16. How did you manage excess work?
17. How would you work when the materials needed were unavailable?
18. If you were given a task by your manager that was outside your scope, what would you do?
19. How do you improve and prioritize customer’s satisfaction?
20. When have you ever had to disagree with a client’s feedback?

Good Questions you can ask Interviewers in an Amazon Job Interview Session

There are some questions you can ask the interviewers in an interview session at Amazon to properly guild your expectations peradventure you get the job, they are:

1. How would my performance and successes be measured?
2. What are the topmost behavioral skills for this job?
3. What is the paraphernalia for this position?
4. How many hours do I have to work daily?
5. How do the company measure the growth of their employees
6. How does my role solve the problems the company is currently facing?
7. Why does love working for Amazon?
8. Are there possible traits I have shown that might disqualify me from getting hired?
9. How long before I get a raise or get promoted
10. How long does the hiring process take?

Conclusion

The tips and samples questions and answers given above do not by any means say you would be successful at the Amazon interview, but they give you an idea of what to expect.

They give you an edge over a couple of others who do not know what an interview process at Amazon is.

They make the Amazon interview process a lot easier and increase your chances of being successful.