Amazon Interview Questions and Brilliant Answers (50 Questions, 2024/25 Edition)

One can easily get a headache preparing for their interview in Amazon. Internet is full of information (often conflicting) about what’s the interview process at Amazon like, and how to succeed and get the job. Group interviews, video interviews, one of one, bar risers, external recruiters, AI... you name it.

At the end of the day, however, regardless of the process, the people (or robots) who interview you, the number of interview rounds you have to pass, and how difficult or stupid it all may seems, the bottom line is always your answers to their questions. And that’s what I am going to help you with. Without too much talking, let’s have a look at some questions and how to deal with them.

Q: Why do you want to work at Amazon?

Hint: In an ideal case, you should refer to two things in your answer. First one is explaining what you like about Amazon, something that makes the company special in your eyes. But you shouldn’t say just that they are the biggest online retailer or a leader in innovation, or that they placed second on the list of best employers in the States. Try to pick something specific that will make your answer stand out.

For example a certain technology they have in place and you’d like to work with, or a certain product, software, platform you’d love to help develop, because you see the potential and value for the final customer.

Alternatively you can talk about your loyalty to their brand. You do your shopping with Amazon, you bought their stock when you had some cash, you are a customer of AWS, or you self published a book on their platform, etc. Basically you see the huge positive impact Amazon as a company has on your life as a customer, and you’d love to work for such an organization, helping other customers to benefit from the services of the company.

The second thing you should refer to is your career plan. What role does the position you try to get with Amazon has in your life? Perhaps you did a similar job, but with the second best company—because everyone is second best to Amazon (at least you should say so in the interviews :)). And now you feel ready to work with the best. Or you have a certain position on your mind, or a certain thing you’d like to work on in the future (ideally with Amazon), and the position you try to get with them right now will allow you to do so, either immediately, or in a few years time. They should get an impression that you know exactly why you want to work for Amazon, and not for Google, or for another tech giant.

Sample answers:

– When I saw a job opening in your Amazon Kids & Family team, I immediately knew I found the right match for my experience and professional interests. I would love to help you develop meaningful digital experiences for families, and I have experience with working on consumer facing, digital products across a variety of mediums. This job fits perfectly into my career plan, and is a next logical step after everything I have done up to this point.

What’s more, I have heard just the best things about the working environment in Amazon from both your former and present employees—some of them belong to my professional circles. I know you expect a lot from the workers, but that’s exactly what I am looking for in work. I’d love to move forward, to push my limits, to get better in what I do. That would definitely be possible in the amazing team of people you have in place here.

(more sample answers in the eBook, see below).

Q: What do you consider your greatest weakness as [name of the position you try to get with Amazon]

Hint: This is a tough question, because you should pick something important—a weakness that matters for the job. Or at least that’s what they say… You have a few options for a good answer.

First one is claiming to have no significant weakness as a manager, programmer, warehouse operative (or any other position you try to get with Amazon) —and that’s exactly the reason why you chose the particular job (and not another one). However, you should always elaborate on such an answer to not look overconfident. Mentioning some weaknesses you have outside of the job is a good idea.

Second option is picking a weakness that matters (this depends on a position you apply for, and should be straightforward for you to see such weaknesses). Again, you should elaborate on your answer, ensuring the interviewers that you try to improve on your weaknesses, following your desire to be successful in this profession, and to do the most for the customers of Amazon.

The third option, a rather creative one, is saying that you can’t really tell and have to do the job for a few weeks first, to see in which areas you struggle. This makes sense only if you haven’t had a similar job before. You should elaborate on your answer even in this case, saying that you are sure you’ll struggle in some areas, because nobody is perfect, and you will need some time to get into the groove. But you believe in your learning abilities, and your motivation will surely help you to improve on your weaknesses.

Sample answers

– I do not want to sound overconfident, but I do not think I have any major weakness as a project manager. I had some before, for example not communicating things clearly to my subordinates, expecting that everyone would understand what they were supposed to do.

But I improved on this weakness a lot, and now try to get my message over personally to all key workers in the project, and to ensure they understood it correctly. If I thought I still had this weakness, I would not dare to apply for a job with Amazon. This is the first league and I cannot afford such a weakness. However, I struggle with physical labor, and I am not that excellent in speaking in front of big audiences—that’s my last fear…. In my opinion though, these things do not matter much for a project manager.

(more sample answers in the eBook, see below)

Q: What do you like most about Amazon? What do you like least?

Hint: Try to focus mostly on the things you like, but do not forget also the second part of the question: something you dislike. Amazon strives for innovation. Every day is a day one for their CEO. They want to move forward, and need to see areas for improvement to see how they can improve as a company.

Alternatively you can opt for a funny answer (and a witty one at the same time), saying that you do not like only one thing about Amazon: that you do not work in the company—at least not yet. I’ve talked with a job applicant for a position in a warehouse who opted for this answer. They said that it helped them to break the ice and they were hired right on the spot…

When talking about things you like, instead of products or services you can try to focus on company values, their leadership principles, and things that make Amazon stand out from their competitors. Do not hesitate to praise them a lot—all hiring managers enjoy words of praise…

Sample answers

The thing I like the most about Amazon is the unceasing effort you guys put into everything. I mean, your brand is so strong, the customer experience is flawless, you are dominating the market in more than on way. And yet you still work 60+ hours a week, strive to better things that to an eye of an outsider may seem perfect already. It is this endless pursuit of improvement and perfection I love about Amazon, and it attracts me a lot to your place. Perhaps the only thing I dislike is the fact that I do not work for you at the moment. But maybe this will change after the interview…

(more sample answers in the eBook, see below)

Q: What’s the most innovative idea that you have implemented?

Hint: Amazon strives for constant improvement, and therefore they value people who can bring new ideas onboard, people who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, suggesting new ways of handling old processes, or even entirely new processes. Try to talk with enthusiasm about any innovation you implemented, and to not forget to specify the goal you followed with your idea, and whether the results met your expectations.

It’s not a problem if they didn’t, because not being afraid to fail while trying something new is also highly valued at Amazon. If this is your first job application, you can talk about an innovative idea from school, or from your personal life (hobby, anything).

Sample answers

– The most innovative idea I implemented in my last job, and I faced a lot of opposition for it, was shortening the shift for warehouse operators from 8.5 to 7 hours. I felt we needed some competitive edge due to the situation on the job market, and, doing my analysis and questioning the employees, I felt that they could actually be even more productive with the model. Nobody from my superiors liked the idea, because no other company in the field implemented such a model.

But I wanted to give it a shot, I presented my arguments, and eventually manage to get a green light to test it for three months. I set clear KPIs and monitored everything. And while the productivity hasn’t improved, people actually managed the workload, and our company became more popular for job applicants, because many people liked the idea of starting at 6am and ending at 1pm, without a lunch break. My superiors considered the idea too disruptive, and eventually returned to the old model, which was a bit disappointing to me but I accepted their decision. Anyway, I am looking for a job in a company that supports innovation and isn’t afraid of brave ideas. I believe that Amazon meets this criteria perfectly…

Difficult, or easy?

It hasn’t been so hard up to this point, has it? It hasn’t, because you saw the sample answers, and I also picked questions belonging to the easier ones they use at Amazon (easier than the rest, but not necessarily easy). Let’s try to handle the following questions, without my help:

Why did you leave your last job? Why do you want to leave your present job to work for Amazon?
How do you imagine a typical day in work here, at this position?
Which Amazon leadership principle do you resonate most with, and why?
Give me an example of a time when you showed initiative.
Tell me about a time when you coached someone.
Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
Give me an example of when you received criticism. How did you respond to the information?
Tell me about a time you had to comply with a policy or procedure that you did not agree with.
Tell me about a time you stepped up into a leadership role.
Describe a time when you sacrificed short term goals for long term success.
What does quality mean to you?
Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn’t want me to know?
What can you offer us that someone else cannot?
….

Well, it may get a bit more complicated now. Hopefully the headache isn’t coming back :). Anyway, if you want to simplify and streamline your interview preparation, here’s what I have for you:

Brilliant answers to fifty questions you may get in your job interview with Amazon.
Latest update: November 2024, reflecting the latest trends in the interview process at Amazon.
Several sample answers to each question (2 to 6), so you can choose one that reflects your values and experience (including answers for people with no previous working experience).
Instant download, .PDF format (you can read it on any device (mobile, kindle, PC, tablet), and you can easily print it, which is allowed with this download.
Secure and simple checkout with PayPal, you can pay with your credit/debit card, or with your PayPal account, without sharing your card details with anyone.
Price: $29, one time payment, no hidden fees or upsell. 60 days risk free money back guarantee.
Click the checkout button below to proceed to the payment.

(After the payment you will be directed back to our website to download your Amazon Interview Guide. You will also receive a download link and instructions to your email, just to ensure that you will get the eBook without waiting, even if the redirect fails)

Not convinced yet? Let me tell a bit about myself

Matthew Chulaw

I’ve worked in international recruitment, interviewing, and interview coaching since 2008.
Currently I run one of the biggest and most popular websites in the sphere of interview coaching and preparation, InterviewPenguin.com, with millions of visitors each year (check the website out to see the content quality).
Published over 30 different eBooks for different jobs and careers over the years, with a refund rate of less than 1%. And grateful to Jacob that I can also present this specific eBook on his website, to his great and intelligent audience.
While I never worked at Amazon (if I did work for them, I would not be able to publish this eBook, because you sign an NDA and cannot share publicly anything about their interviews and hiring process), I know enough people who worked and interviewed at Amazon, on both sides of the pacific… So you do not have to be afraid about the relevancy of the information. The eBook has been updated a few times as well, to reflect the latest trends in the interview process at Amazon.

Anyway, enough about me. I do not need to interview with Amazon… It’s your career that matters, so back to the eBook: Get it know, simplify and streamline your interview preparation, and get that dream job with Amazon.

With the risk-free 60 days money back guarantee, you really have nothing to lose (if you don’t like this eBook for any reason, or no reason at all, just let us know (sent and email at sales[at]jobinterviewat[dot]com) within 60 days and you will get a full refund).

That’s it! Enjoy the eBook and any personal question, you can always reach me at matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com .

To your success and great career with Amazon

Matthew

* Note from Jacob: Matthew Chulaw is a guest author for JobInterviewAt.com . I decided to offer him a space to promote his eBook here since I find it a great product and valuable for our audience. All guarantees that we offer with my other services (mainly risk-free 60 days money back guarantee) are applicable to the product. In any case, if you think it is not an appropriate content, please send your feedback to jacob[at]jobinterviewat[dot]com. Thank you, Jacob Gates, your interview coach.