Amazon Behavioral Interview: What to Expect, Examples & Prep Tips

The Amazon behavioral interview is composed of two parts:

The first part, which assesses your past work experiences and performance levels, and is similar to interviews at other companies.

Hiring managers will evaluate how you perform under pressure and handle difficult questions. They also might ask questions to check if your answers align with your resume.

However, the second part is entirely different. In this interview section, the interviewers will ask you about certain situations in your work history, how you dealt with them, and what you’ve learned from them.

They’ll expect you to answer using specific structure and methods (STAR, CAR, Leadership Principles). The interviewer won’t tell you how to structure your answers, but these have become standard on Amazon’s interviews, and they’re even mentioned on their official pages.

You can learn more about these techniques further down the page.

Amazon believes that to be a successful leader, one must deeply understand human behavior. Amazon behavioral interview questions aim to test candidates' ability to think on their feet, handle difficult conversations, and make decisions under pressure.

They evaluate job candidates based on their prior experiences through behavioral interviews. Tell me about a time when you… This common opening for these questions centers on soft skills like leadership, communication, cooperation, problem-solving, etc. In Amazon's situation, a focus will be placed on the 16 leadership principles, which we'll get into more quickly.

Preparing well for the behavioral interview is essential if you want to answer questions with assurance and differentiate yourself from the competitors. The outcome of your interview is influenced by your response and the "manner" in which you respond. Why does that matter?

It implies that you should organize your response so that the interviewers learn all the pertinent information. Additionally, you must be careful not to overshare! How can you get the ideal balance?

Use the STAR or CAR approach to break down your answers' format when responding to behavioral interview questions.

The STAR method is a way of answering behavioral interview questions that allows you to provide concrete examples of your skills and experience.

While in comparison, the CAR approach method is a way of answering questions that allows you to provide specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound examples of your skills and experience.

It should take about 2-3 minutes to answer each question.

The behavioral interviews at Amazon may ask you many questions about how you handled and overcame difficult circumstances in the past, like give me an example of a time when…

When responding to such questions, use the STAR technique to give recruiters the proper background, knowledge of the circumstance, and, most crucially, your insights and takeaways.

Let's analyze it:

Situation: Essentially, this section should address the "When, Where, and Why" of the circumstance. Recruiters should be able to get a good notion of the basis of your response from it.

What role did you play in the incident or circumstance? That is the task for this section.

Action: The "Action" section should outline your major action items and subsequent actions. It should try to provide the "What, Who, and How" of the circumstance for recruiters. Aim to explain your reasoning behind your choices and what made you choose a particular course of action.

Result: Discuss the outcomes of your actions as your final point. Include a list of the lessons the project or event taught you.

The CAR approach is another way to respond to behavioral inquiries. Context, Action, and Result, or CAR, are used here.

The STAR method and this approach are very similar. The "Situation" and "Task" components of STAR are combined to generate the "Context" in the CAR technique. The CAR technique leverages relevant instances from your previous experiences as lessons for future encounters.

Amazon’s Leadership Principles are a set of 16 guidelines that define the company’s culture and drive its decision-making. These principles emphasize innovation, customer obsession, and operational excellence. To evaluate whether candidates embody these values, Amazon uses behavioral interviews that focus on personal characteristics, decision-making styles, and problem-solving approaches.

The 16 principles are:

1. Customer Obsession
2. Ownership
3. Invent and Simplify
4. Are Right, A Lot
5. Learn and Be Curious
6. Hire and Develop the Best
7. Insist on the Highest Standards
8. Think Big
9. Bias for Action
10. Frugality
11. Earn Trust
12. Dive Deep
13. Have a Backbone; Disagree and Commit
14. Deliver Results
15. Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
16. Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

During the interview process, you will be asked questions designed to assess how you demonstrate these principles in practice. For example, a question such as “Which business offers the best customer support, and why?” is meant to evaluate your alignment with Customer Obsession, while a question like “Describe a project where you had to conduct extensive analysis” is used to assess your ability to Dive Deep.

Learn more about the 16 Amazon Leadership Principles

Ideally, you should have at least one story for each principle. However, if you only have a limited amount of time to prepare, focus on the principles that are most important to you or that you think will be most relevant to the position you're interviewing for.

Software Development Engineer (SDE)

• Tell me about a time when you identified errors in a project and what you did to rectify them?
• Describe a time when you had to use your coding skills to solve a difficult problem.
• Tell me about a complex algorithm that you have implemented.

Product Manager

• Describe a time when you had to manage a challenging product launch.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision regarding a product.
• What is your experience with the agile methodology?

Area Manager

• Describe a time when you had to manage a challenging project.
• What is your experience with leading and motivating a team?
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision regarding a team or project.

Amazon AWS

• Describe a time when you had to design a complex architecture.
• What is your experience with Amazon AWS?
• Tell me about a time when you had to troubleshoot an issue with a complex system.
  
  

The first step is to read the job description and requirements carefully. Then, research Amazon's business model and what they look for in their employees. Try to find out as much as you can about the role you're applying for, trying to create your own sample answer along with each question, so you can come as prepared as possible.

From there, you should learn about Amazon's culture and how it might differ from other workplaces. This will help you understand the company's values and what they're looking for in their employees. Amazon is known for being a customer-centric company, so it's important that you're able to demonstrate your customer service skills.

While your skills are important, Amazon is more interested in how you behave at work. This includes your attitude, work ethic, and ability to work well with others. Be prepared to talk about times you've exceeded or handled difficult situations.

During the interview, you'll be asked behavioral questions that require you to explain your thought process. This can be tricky, but it's important to remember that the interviewer is not looking for the right answer; they're looking to see how you think. So take your time and walk them through your reasoning.

Finally, be prepared for the interviewer to ask follow-up questions. They might dig deeper into a particular story or situation, so be ready to provide more details. If you get tripped up, don't worry; just take a deep breath and answer as best you can.

Yes, even if you're looking for a technical career, you should prepare for the behavioral interview. Even though your talents are crucial, Amazon is more concerned about how you would act in different professional situations. This encompasses your attitude, work ethic, and interpersonal skills. So be ready to discuss instances in which you overcame or managed difficult situations.

1. What does success look like in this role?
2. What are the biggest challenges someone in this role would face?
3. How would you describe the team/department culture?
4. What are the company's values?
5. What are the next steps in the interview process?
   
   

1. Remember that the interviewer is more interested in how you think than the correct answer. So take your time and explain your thoughts to them.
2. Get plenty of rest the night before the interview, so you're well-rested and can think clearly.
3. Eat a healthy meal before the interview, so you're not feeling sluggish.
4. Dress comfortably to feel good about yourself and focus on the interview.
5. Take some deep breaths and relax to feel calm and confident in the interview.
   
   

The behavioral interview is an important part of the Amazon interview process. To properly answer behavioral interview questions, you must study the role you're applying for, learn about Amazon's culture, and brush up on your skills no matter the role you're applying for.