Top Amazon Interview Questions and Tips for 2023

Amazon is one of the biggest companies in the world with a revenue generation exceed $780 billion by 2024. Many aim to get at job at this US multinational technology company. Here we are listing the most frequently asked Amazon interview questions that you must prepare if you plan to sit in the interview round.

This blog will take you through how to prepare for an Amazon interview. We will cover the entire process with questions for both freshers and experienced and help you with useful tips.

Table of Content

• Amazon Interview Process
• Amazon interview questions for freshers and experienced candidates
• Interview Tips
• What not to do at the interview?

About Amazon Company

It is important that you learn about Amazon for interview since interviewers can test your knowledge about the company. This will showcase your interest in getting a job at Amazon. Here is a brief about the company.

Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and AI. It is the largest online retailer in the world. Many candidates are willing to get a job at Amazon but don’t know what to expect from their upcoming interview at Amazon.

We have created this article to inform you of what it looks like to get interviewed at Amazon. If you’re heading for an interview with the e-commerce giant, these Amazon interview questions and tips will help you ace it. 

Amazon Interview Process 2024

Amazon’s interview process for 2024 and beyond usually consists of four steps. The process may be different depending on which role you’re applying for.

How many rounds are in an Amazon interview?

There are four Amazon interview rounds. In this four-round Amazon interview process, each round lasts for 1 hour. Each round will begin with five minutes of introductions. You will have a 50 minutes interview. It will be followed by 5 minutes for any questions you may have for the interviewer. 

1. Online Application 

This step involves identifying opportunities at Amazon. In this step, you can apply for a job posting on their site, or a recruiter can reach out to you. Make sure you have your updated resume ready for this step.

2. Assessment 

This step involves evaluating the applicants consistently and equitably through online assessments. The role for which the candidate has applied decides the type and number of assessments. Broadly, Amazon assessments are divided into two categories: 

• Work Style Assessments [Time to complete: 10-20 minutes]

These assessments revolve around the culture and Leadership Principles of Amazon. You may be provided with some statements and asked to choose how much a statement represents your work style. 

• Work Sample Simulations [Time to complete: 20 minutes-1hour]

In this, candidates are given virtual tasks related to a specific position. For instance, candidates may be asked to make decisions based on Amazon’s Leadership Principles and demonstrate their problem-solving and interpersonal skills. The virtual tasks will depend on the role you have applied for.

Want to start a career in AWS? Read our blog to learn about Different Levels of AWS Certifications. 

3. Phone Interview 

This step ensures that your skills fit the position. You need to be ready to face some technical Amazon interview questions. You also get a chance to ask questions and make sure the position is what you’re looking for.

During this round of the Amazon interview process 2024, candidates may be asked questions related to Leadership Principles, behavioral-based questions, and technical questions (for tech roles like software development, artificial intelligence, and machine learning). 

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4. In-Person (Virtual or On-Site) Interview 

If you pass the above interview steps, you may be invited to an on-site or virtual interview. In case of Amazon interview process for freshers, experience-related questions will not be asked. You will meet more people at the company or online to discuss your skills and experience. In this step, your specific knowledge will be assessed. For instance, this round will assess your technical knowledge if you applied for a software engineer role or your strategy approaches for a project management role.

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Top Amazon Interview Questions for Freshers & Experienced Candidates (Non-Technical)

Now, we are through the Amazon interview process. This list of Amazon interview questions for freshers and experienced candidates does not include technical questions. 

Amazon Interview Questions for Freshers

Let us first look at some of the most important and frequently asked Amazon interview questions for freshers with answers.You can face in your interview process.

Q1. Tell me about yourself.

Q2. Why do you want to work for Amazon?

Q3. What are your short and long-term career goals?

Q4. Who is the CEO of Amazon?

Q5. Which Amazon leadership principle do you connect with most?

Q6. What metrics do you consider important for growth?

Q7. Can you describe your most difficult customer experience? How did you handle the customer’s needs?

Q8. Explain a time when you faced a crisis at work. How did you handle it?

Q9. Tell me about a time when you faced criticism and how you responded.

Q10. Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager. How did you resolve it?

Q11. What has been the most difficult professional situation in your life? How did you handle it?

Q12. Have you ever taken a decision you made based on your instincts?

Interview Questions for Experienced Candidates

The following Amazon interview questions are more ideal for experienced candidates. 

Q1. How do you go about persuading people?

Q2. Have you ever taken an unfamiliar project outside your expertise or job description? How did you handle it?

Q3. Can you tell me about a time you had to decide without all the data or options in front of you?

Q4. What would you do when you saw your close work colleague stealing?

Q5. How would you handle the situation if one of your colleagues wasn’t contributing their share to your work?

Q6. Can you explain a time when you created a poor customer experience and how you fixed it?

Q7. Explain a time that you dealt with a hostile customer.

Q8. How will you handle a situation if you’re given conflicting directions from two managers?

Q9. What would you do if you saw one of your coworkers being unsafe at work?

Q10. What is the worst mistake you have ever made? How did you fix it?

Q11. Can you tell me about the last time you had to apologize to someone?

Q12. Explain a time when you disagreed with the feedback you received. How did you handle it?

Q13. How would you solve problems if you were from Mars?

Q14. What is the most challenging thing about working with you?

Q15. Can you tell me about a time when you had to make a quick customer service decision without any guidance?

Q16. Have you ever handled a project outside of your scope of work? How was your experience?

Q17. Describe when you had to deal with ambiguity while making a decision.

Q18. Tell me about the qualities that will help you succeed with Amazon.

Q19. Have you ever missed a deadline? How did you handle it?

Q20. Describe an Amazon product or service as you would to a prospective customer.

Q21. What would you do if your manager asked you to do something that is against the policy?

Q22. Can you give an example of a time you took the lead on a project?

Q23. Have you ever shown initiative? Tell me about that time.

Q24. Have your actions ever directly impacted customer satisfaction? Tell me about that time.

Q25. Tell me about when you had to complete a project on a tight budget.

Q26. Have you ever used innovation to solve a problem?

Amazon Interview Tips | Planning & Preparing for the Amazon Interview

Dedicate some time before the Amazon interview. Preferably a month or two. Below is an example to get started on the preparation. 

Month 1

• Explore data structures and algorithms in detail, starting with the basics. You have B Tree in Data Structure and other data structures to know where they apply. 
• Explore sorting algorithms, circular link lists, doubly linked lists, singly linked lists, etc.
• Once you got the basic rights, start practising problems each day. Start with one each day.
• If there is some time, make sure to take up some free data structures and algorithms courses.

• Start practising more than one problem in a day.
• Start with mock interviews by reading or taking them without looking at the answers. Refer to coding interview questions or similar ones.
• Get into advanced concepts such as types of trees in the data structure.

Explore the popular Interview Preparation Courses

Month 2

• Keep revising what you have learned about data structures and algorithms. 
• Expand on learning graphs in data structure. Get started with learning the basic terminology, along with types and operations.
• Try solving advanced graph problems.
• Keep revising everything you have learned and practising, solving more than one simple to complex problem daily. The key is to draw the common patterns for each problem you solve. 
• Prepare more mock interviews. Look into behavioural interview questions mentioned in this blog, and practice answering them right. 
• Update your professional profile on your LinkedIn, preferably with certifications from data structures and algorithms courses. 

To practice problems, some sites have several coding challenges of different levels. LeetCode, CodeChef, Topcoder, Coding Ninjas, Kaggle, etc, are great. 

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While you learned what you should be doing in the first two months, here are some additional non-technical tips to not miss out on.

1. Update Your Resume

Tailor your resume for the Amazon job you are applying for. It will familiarize you with the job description and make you look like the perfect match. 

2. Research 

How do you know that you’re ready for your Amazon interview? Well.. the first step in preparing for an interview is research. Before the interview, you must thoroughly review the job description to refresh your memory about any must-haves. Next, visit Amazon’s official website and examine the company’s mission, values, statements, and recent achievements. It will give you insights into the company’s culture. 

3. Get Familiar with Amazon’s Leadership Principles

You must familiarize yourself with Amazon’s leadership principles, as interviewers may be willing to know how you have applied the leadership principles in your previous professional experience. 

Amazon uses leadership principles daily in discussing ideas for new projects while solving a problem, etc. They are 14 concepts that Amazon uses as its leadership principles: 

Customer Obsession	Think Big
Ownership	Bias for Action
Invent and Simplify	Frugality
Are Right, A Lot	Earn Trust
Learn and Be Curious	Dive Deep
Hire and Develop the Best	Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Insist on the Highest Standards	Deliver Results

4. Be Ready to Answer Unexpected Questions

You must prepare yourself with commonly asked Amazon interview questions and answers. While you could memorize the above Amazon interview questions and prepare their answers, that’s not the best way to go about things. What if an unexpected question comes up? How will you answer it? 

Many of Amazon’s frequently asked interview questions are behavioral questions. The interviewer may ask questions looking for examples of times you overcame challenges. You must practice answering questions with the Amazon leadership principles to answer any unexpected questions. 

5. Plan Your Answers Using the STAR Method

You can use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Results) to craft a reply to behavioral-based Amazon interview questions. This technique provides a structure for you to remember so that you can answer in the best possible way.

STAR method includes the following four steps:

• S – what was the Situation?
• T – what was your Task?
• A – What Action did you take?
• R  – explain the Result or outcome of your actions

When you answer questions, ensure your answer is well-structured and provide examples using numbers or data, if applicable. 

6. Be Ready to Tell What You Would Do Differently

Even if the story you shared was a success, the interviewer might want to know what you would do differently if you were in a similar situation again. If you think about this question beforehand, you will not have to struggle to respond during your interview.

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What not to do at Amazon Interview?

These are the things that you should avoid doing at the interview:

• Don’t Arrive Unprepared: Avoid going to the interview without thoroughly researching Amazon, its culture, and the specific role you’re applying for. Lack of preparation can reflect poorly on your interest and commitment.
• Don’t Overshare Personal Information: While some personal anecdotes can be used to answer behavioral questions, avoid sharing too much personal information that is unrelated to the interview. Stick to professional experiences and achievements.
• Don’t Neglect Behavioral Questions: Behavioral questions are crucial at Amazon. Don’t underestimate their importance and simply focus on technical aspects. Be ready to discuss your past experiences and how they demonstrate Amazon’s leadership principles.
• Don’t Lack Confidence: Confidence is important, but don’t come across as arrogant. Balance your confidence with humility and a willingness to learn and adapt.
• Don’t Ramble or Provide Irrelevant Details: Keep your responses concise and relevant. Avoid deflecting from the main topic or providing excessive details that do not directly answer the question.
• Don’t Interrupt or Disregard the Interviewer: Show respect for the interviewer by listening carefully and not interrupting. Wait for them to finish before responding.
• Don’t Focus Solely on Technical Skills: While technical skills are important, Amazon also values leadership principles and cultural fit. Don’t overlook these aspects during your interview preparations.
• Don’t Make Negative Comments About Past Employers: Avoid speaking negatively about your previous employers. Instead, focus on constructive and positive aspects of your experiences.
• Don’t Forget to Ask Questions: In the end, when given the opportunity, ask thoughtful questions about the role, team, or company. Not asking questions can signal a lack of interest.
• Don’t Ignore Follow-Up Emails: After the interview, promptly respond to any follow-up emails or requests for additional information. Ignoring these communications can be detrimental to your candidacy.

Questions to Ask the Hiring Manager

You may also get to ask some questions as your Amazon interview starts to wrap up. Take advantage of this opportunity as it allows you to learn valuable things that can help you decide if the job is right for you. You may ask company-specific questions to the interviewer. Below are some questions that you can ask: 

Q1. What do you expect from team members in this role?

Q2. What does a day in this role look like?

Q3. What qualities are needed to succeed at Amazon?

Q4. What defines success in this role?

Q5. How does this job role contribute to overall company goals?

Q6. What are the company’s core values?

Q7. Which other departments will I be closely working with within this profile?

Explore the top questions to ask in an interview

Conclusion 

Amazon interviews may seem challenging. But the above Amazon interview questions, tips, and a bit of preparation will help you crack it.

We hope this blog will help you have a great Amazon interview experience.