Amazon Brand Specialists dive deep and stay connected to the details. Talk about a time when you leveraged data to solve a problem or make a decision.
Amazon's 12th Leadership Principle is 'Dive Deep.' This principle states, '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.'
As a Brand Specialist, you will spend time providing recommendations for your client's marketing and advertising campaigns. Your recommendations can help to promote new products, increase traffic, or boost conversions. For this reason, consider emphasizing the ways you dive deep into details such as data. Show the interviewer that you will provide sound advice to your clients by staying connected to the details based on proven data and metrics.
The interviewer wants to hear a story about a time you leveraged data to help you make a decision or overcome a roadblock. Amazon asks that when you answer behavioral interview questions, you try to follow the STAR answer method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
- Situation: Provide the contextual information the interviewer needs to know to make sense of your story.
- Task: Continuing to set the stage, give the interviewer an idea of your role and responsibilities in this story.
- Action: Next, offer a detailed description of the steps you took in this story.
- Result: Last, talk about the specific, measurable outcomes that resulted from your actions.
If you have work experience, it's best to provide an example from your professional life. If you are new to your career, consider an example from your post-secondary education, a team sport, volunteer commitment, or a club-based activity.
"When I was approaching my final year of High School, I started to research career path options, programs, and universities. For 3 months, I spent a few hours every week diving into my research, inputting my findings into spreadsheets, and comparing my findings. I looked at factors such as distance from my family home, each school's reputation, the success rate of previous graduates, notable alumni, tuition fees, overall state rankings, extra-curricular options, and more. I dove deep into the data until I came up with my top 5 university options. Then, I applied to each university with a highly tailored application that reflected the in-depth research I had performed. As a result of my hard work, I made a wise, calculated decision for my post-secondary career. Also, I was accepted into 4 out of 5 of my top choice schools because the decision-makers could see that I was a diligent and dedicated candidate. I appreciate that Amazon seeks Brand Specialists who dive deep, are willing to do the work and stay connected to the details. I am an individual who dives deep and frequently audits to ensure that I make wise decisions with a lasting, positive impact."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
When I started working as a Marketing Intelligence Specialist, I was responsible for Corporate Data Products such as Leased Line, VPN, Clouds, etc. Reports have consisted of only a few KPIs such as Revenue, Subscriber, and Average Revenue per User (ARPU). It was not possible to analyze revenue trends with these limited indicators.
I prepared an extensive excel file for every 4 segments in the region, city detail including the speed and grades of all the products. I also calculated some new KPIs such as Acquisition, and Churn. Bringing in new customers is up to 25 times as expensive as retaining your existing base. Churn is a powerful tool for building out your product roadmap and better understanding your customers. After the excel file, I visualized the data in an excel dashboard. With our new tool, I was able to figure out churn details, from which area, which city, and which speed, and accounts that are canceling. Product and sales teams were very satisfied with my work and used it to improve business and operation. My project was awarded by the company.
Marcie's Feedback
Awesome! Not only does this example describe a time when you leveraged data to help your company, but it also shows that you're proactive. It doesn't sound like anyone asked you to create this Excel file and dashboard with the additional KPIs - you did it because you believed it would be helpful. This will undoubtedly impress the interviewer. Great job!
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