Amazon Brand Specialists have strong judgment and good instincts. Talk about a time when you made an unpopular decision that you knew was right.
Amazon's 4th Leadership Principle is, 'Are Right, A Lot.' This principle states, 'Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.'
Amazon leaders are not always right, but they often are. They use good judgment and make instinctually correct decisions. Failure is acceptable; however, Amazonians do not continually make the same mistakes. Choose a real-life example of a time when you stuck with a decision that may not have been of popular opinion, but you knew that you were right.
This behavioral-based question requires an answer with storytelling. 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.
"(Situation) Shortly after graduating from university, I took the role of Retail Manager at Department Store XYZ. I managed the accessories department, including fine jewelry, sunglasses, handbags, and small leather goods. Most of the accessories were by well-known labels such as Chloe, Marni, and Moschino, which rarely go on sale. (Task) Just before spring, I was instructed by the corporate office to open up a clearance section where a small selection from these luxury brands would go on sale. (Action) After the announcement of this spring sale, I heard some chatter about the department store's employees purchasing the best stock before becoming available to the customers. I knew that our head office put significant marketing dollars behind advertising the spring sale, and I felt that it would be a disservice to our customers if they arrived on the sale's opening day to find the product picked through. I contacted the Regional Manager and asked if the corporate office would consider making a policy against employees purchasing these clearance items until after the spring sale was closed to the public. (Result) The corporate office agreed, and the policy was announced to the employees, many of who were greatly disappointed. As an intuitive leader, I foresaw many potential conflicts, including customer complaints and arguments amongst the store employees, if we did not make a policy change. I had already seen the employees distracted by what they wanted to purchase at a deep discount, resulting in a lack of focus at work. Because I was keenly aware of the situation, I chose to take action and suggest an unpopular policy change. However, as the Store Manager, I needed to show loyalty to the company and ensure our customers were cared for. In this instance, I embodied Amazon's Leadership Principle of 'Invent and Simplify.' I showed backbone by committing to my stance, regardless of how unpopular the decision was amongst my team members. It did not take long for the team to understand the reasoning behind my actions, and we were able to get through the spring sale without conflict."
Unlock all 30 Amazon questions
Prepare for questions about brand metrics, catalog management, and Amazon's unique retail ecosystem.
Get Started