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Amazon Brand Specialist Mock Interview

Question 28 of 30 for our Amazon Brand Specialist Mock Interview

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Question 28 of 30

Amazonians listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. Talk about a time when you had to critique someone else's work.

"(Situation & Task) At University XYZ, our final grade depended on an in-depth brand marketing case study. The professor asked us to pair up with one other student to complete this final assignment. The fellow student I collaborated with was one that I had not yet had the opportunity to work alongside, so I was excited for the chance to make a new connection. Early into the assignment, I noticed that she was really good at the research portion of the assignment but seemed to fall short on tasks that required more communication, such as exploring and building a brand strategy. (Action) Rather than bring my thoughts to her immediately, I decided first to observe her notable strengths. Feedback or criticism can be hard to deliver, especially when it's a peer, so I wanted to make sure that my observations of her work were timely and constructive. A week into our project, we met to review our outline and begin building the presentation in more detail. In this meeting, I took the opportunity to start the conversation with her regarding strengthening her communication and strategy input. First, I told her that I was very impressed with her research skills and explained that I was excited to learn stronger research methods. I then mentioned that communication was also a significant factor in being a successful business marketing professional. I noted a couple of areas where I felt her work fell short of our professor's expectations. I offered to show her what I would have done instead. I took the time to explain my reasoning and supported my feedback with examples from other case studies we had visited during class. She expressed that she had been aware of her shortcomings and was thankful for the honest feedback. Together, we worked on boosting her abilities in strategy and communication. We also worked on improving my research abilities. (Result) The rest of the project went smoothly. We each gained new and improved skills and developed a mutual respect. In the end, we received a top grade and were both proud of our success. If I am chosen as a Brand Specialist with Amazon, I will earn the trust of my coworkers, leaders, and those I eventually lead by being observant, listening carefully, speak candidly, and delivering feedback respectfully. At the same time, I will remain appropriately self-critical and willing to improve continually."

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How to Answer: Amazonians listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. Talk about a time when you had to critique someone else's work.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Amazon job interview.

  • 28. Amazonians listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. Talk about a time when you had to critique someone else's work.

      How to Answer

      Amazon's 11th Leadership Principle is 'Earn Trust.' This principle states, 'Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team's body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.'

      When critiquing someone else's work, it's important that you first build a foundation of trust so that you can earn the right to deliver feedback. While building this trust, it's also essential that you can look at your own work and results with a critical eye. By building open workplace relationships, you help yourself, your co-workers, and your company to succeed.

      The interviewer wants you to 'talk about a time when...' means that your response requires some storytelling. Amazon asks that when you answer behavioral interview questions like this one, 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.

      Answer Example

      "(Situation & Task) At University XYZ, our final grade depended on an in-depth brand marketing case study. The professor asked us to pair up with one other student to complete this final assignment. The fellow student I collaborated with was one that I had not yet had the opportunity to work alongside, so I was excited for the chance to make a new connection. Early into the assignment, I noticed that she was really good at the research portion of the assignment but seemed to fall short on tasks that required more communication, such as exploring and building a brand strategy. (Action) Rather than bring my thoughts to her immediately, I decided first to observe her notable strengths. Feedback or criticism can be hard to deliver, especially when it's a peer, so I wanted to make sure that my observations of her work were timely and constructive. A week into our project, we met to review our outline and begin building the presentation in more detail. In this meeting, I took the opportunity to start the conversation with her regarding strengthening her communication and strategy input. First, I told her that I was very impressed with her research skills and explained that I was excited to learn stronger research methods. I then mentioned that communication was also a significant factor in being a successful business marketing professional. I noted a couple of areas where I felt her work fell short of our professor's expectations. I offered to show her what I would have done instead. I took the time to explain my reasoning and supported my feedback with examples from other case studies we had visited during class. She expressed that she had been aware of her shortcomings and was thankful for the honest feedback. Together, we worked on boosting her abilities in strategy and communication. We also worked on improving my research abilities. (Result) The rest of the project went smoothly. We each gained new and improved skills and developed a mutual respect. In the end, we received a top grade and were both proud of our success. If I am chosen as a Brand Specialist with Amazon, I will earn the trust of my coworkers, leaders, and those I eventually lead by being observant, listening carefully, speak candidly, and delivering feedback respectfully. At the same time, I will remain appropriately self-critical and willing to improve continually."

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