 Leadership Principles

Next, dive into our Leadership Principles. We use our Leadership Principles every day, whether
we're discussing ideas for new projects or deciding on the best approach to solving a problem. It is
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 consider how you’ve applied
the Leadership Principles in your previous professional experience.

 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 judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse
perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

 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.

 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.

 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 driving 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

Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There
are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.

 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.

 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.

 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
  Behavioral-based interviewing.

Our interviews are rooted in behavioral-based questions which ask about past situations or
challenges you’ve faced and how you handled them, using Leadership Principles to guide the
discussion. We avoid brain teasers (e.g., “How many windows are in Manhattan?”) as part of 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 behavioral-based 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 did you take a risk, make a mistake, or fail? How did you respond, and
how did you grow from that experience?
 Describe a time you took the lead on a project.
 What did you do when you needed to motivate a group of individuals or promote
collaboration on 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, your focus should be
on the question asked, ensure your answer is well-structured and provide examples using metrics or
data if applicable. Reference recent situations whenever possible.

 STAR answer format.

The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based 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 toward?

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 behavior. 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 in the process. Keep in mind, some of Amazon’s most successful programs 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.

 Tips for great answers.

Practice using the STAR method to answer the behavioral-based interview questions
listed above, incorporating examples from 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 with greater detail. Select examples that highlight your unique skills.

Have specific examples that showcase your experience, and demonstrate that you’ve
taken risks, succeeded, failed and grown in the process.

Specifics are key; avoid generalizations. 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.

 Tips before you head in.

Be prepared to explain what interests you about the role you’re interviewing for and the
team (or teams) you’ll be meeting with.
When answering questions, be concise but detailed. We realize 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 are 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
given limited information.

For some roles, we may ask you to complete a writing sample. Why? At Amazon, we
don’t do PowerPoint or any other slide oriented presentations. Instead we write
narratively structured memos and silently read one at the beginning of each meeting in
a kind of “study hall.” These papers 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 format is a
necessary skill.

We aim to hire smart, 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 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 recruiting
point of contact.

 Interview day.

Check in: Arrive 15 minutes early, and check in for your interview. Have your
government-issued photo ID ready (e.g. driver’s license, passport).

Location: Detailed instructions will be sent to you via email. Some of our offices are
dog-friendly. Let us know if you need any accommodations or have allergies.

Dress code: Comfortable and casual; while some positions in our fulfillment centers
may limit certain clothing for safety reasons (such as the need to wear closed-toed
shoes), most of our offices are filled with people wearing everyday clothes. We're
interested in what you have to say, not what you are wearing.
What to expect: Interviews will be a mixture of questions and discussions regarding
your previous experience and challenges you've encountered. Be ready 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 third party from another
team). All interviewers will assess potential for growth beyond the position you’re
interviewing 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.

Resume or CV: Interviewers will have a copy, but feel free to bring one as well.

Duration: Each interview session usually lasts from 45 minutes to an hour.

Lunch: We will provide lunch if your interview is scheduled during the lunch hour. Let
recruiting 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 interviewing for a technical role, be prepared to white board.

Virtual interviews: If you've been asked to do a virtual interview, you will likely need
to download Amazon Chime, our tool for video conferencing (step-by-step
guide here). If you're presenting, you will need to download Chime to your desktop.
The meeting ID# will be emailed to you by your recruiting point of contact. For optimal
sound quality, use a headset with a microphone.