Amazon interview preparation
10 essential tips from recruiters at Amazon Ads
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How do you prepare for an Amazon interview?
Preparing for an Amazon interview requires focusing on several key areas: learning about the Amazon Leadership Principles, understanding the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method as a way to answer questions, and being curious about our work at Amazon Ads.
In this article, five of our most seasoned recruiters—with more than 30 years of combined experience hiring top talent at Amazon—share their advice on how to stand out at every stage of the interview process.
Whatever role you’re applying for, these practical tips will help you showcase your potential as a future Amazonian.
10 essential Amazon interview tips from recruiting experts
- Create an effective résumé.
Josh Wilhelm, a Senior Recruiter specializing in science roles, recommends a concise one or two page résumé focusing primarily on the last five years of work. “Think of your resumé as your ‘highlight reel’ that interviewers can refer to,” he says, emphasizing the importance of specific data points and accomplishments over generic job descriptions. - Learn about the Amazon Leadership Principles.
“Before your interview, gain an understanding of the Amazon Leadership Principles and learn about Amazon’s culture and processes, including our Working Backwards philosophy,” Josh continues. “You should also learn more about the organization’s work on the Amazon Ads website and research the people you'll be meeting with.” - Understand the Bar Raiser's role.
Annika Cheever, a Senior Client Lead for design recruiting, advises candidates to learn about the role of the Amazon Bar Raiser, an objective interviewer who helps ensure Amazon's hiring standards. She tells candidates, “Be aware that your Bar Raiser might not be from the same industry as you. Be prepared to go a bit deeper with explanations, especially when you’re talking about technical concepts.” - Master the STAR method for the Amazon interview.
At Amazon, we ask behavioral interview questions to evaluate candidates against the Amazon Leadership Principles. The STAR method is the preferred way to answer these questions. Annika recommends creating a document with eight or nine strong examples from previous work experience. “Format each story using the STAR method and map them to specific Leadership Principles. Some stories may overlap with multiple principles, and that's perfectly fine.” - Provide detailed answers.
Lindsey Morris, a Senior TA Strategist, warns against staying too high-level when answering questions. She adds, “It’s important that you use ‘I’ rather than ‘we’ statements and provide specific details about your personal contributions on the project you’re describing. We want to learn about you and your achievements.” - Use data and metrics in your interview.
“At Amazon, we love data!,” says UK-based Senior Recruiter Greg Ogle-Royffe, who recruits sales employees. "Be specific; highlight both the scope and the impact of the work you've been doing. Through data points, you can paint a really clear picture for the interviewers about the results you were able to drive.” - Draw from diverse experiences.
Dipsha Ghatak, a Recruiter on the Artificial General Intelligence team, encourages candidates to share examples from different life stages. "We’re looking for people who bring diverse experiences to Amazon," she says. “Examples from previous roles, college projects, or even school days can demonstrate the breadth of your capabilities. Don’t restrict yourself to talking about only your current role.” - Share your growth moments.
Josh reveals that Amazon welcomes learning about candidates' failures. He advises, “Don't shy away from discussing challenges and how you've grown because of them. At Amazon, we’re expected to fail and improve.” Lindsey adds that Amazon values candidates who can be "openly self-critical and self-reflective" in their interviews. “Don't be afraid to discuss situations where you could have done things differently,” she recommends. - Show curiosity.
At Amazon, we want to hire people who will be really excited by the work. Greg suggests that candidates “come prepared with thoughtful questions about the role and organization; it shows a genuine motivation for the opportunity and Amazon." Greg notes that every interview has time built in for candidates to ask questions: “It’s your opportunity to interview Amazon and find out if the role is right for you.” - Ask strategic questions during your technical interview.
During technical interviews at Amazon, asking clarifying questions demonstrates problem-solving skills and ensures that you're addressing the right issues. Lindsey suggests, “It's often a good idea to treat the interviewer like a customer. Fully fact-find and gather details before you dive into an answer to avoid going down a route that the interviewer isn’t looking for.”
Finally, Lindsey shares her bonus tip for candidates: "Try eating a banana before your interviews! It provides a good, slow release of energy—particularly helpful during a busy day.”
Interview preparation FAQs
This article tells you how to prepare for your interview, including understanding the Amazon Leadership Principles and answering questions using the STAR method.
This is entirely up to the individual, but we encourage you to give yourself enough preparation time to feel confident going into the interview process. This article shares useful interview preparation advice from a recruiting manager.
Since all candidates are evaluated on the Amazon Leadership Principles, a good way to prepare is to consider how you’ve applied these principles in the past. You will not be evaluated on every principle, but try to have examples for as many as you can.
Each candidate’s interview experience will differ slightly depending on the role, but you’ll meet with a number of Amazonians (between two and seven). They’ll likely be managers, team members, or stakeholders from related teams. One of your interviewees will also be a Bar Raiser. Each session usually lasts between 45 minutes and an hour. Learn more about what to expect at your Onsite interview.
Your recruiting team will help you prepare for your technical interview. You can also find more information about topics that will be covered on the Amazon.jobs interview preparation pages for software developers.