Amazon Leadership Principles Mock Interview
Master 30 Amazon Leadership Principles questions covering Customer Obsession, Ownership, and Dive Deep scenarios.
Question 17 of 30
Tell me about the last time things didn't go according to plan.
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Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Your interviewer wants to determine how adaptable you are to change. How you answer could offer them insights into your project management skills and how well you plan for the eventual contingency. The situation you describe shouldn't necessarily result in failure unless it provided a great learning opportunity that granted greater success down the line. However, you do want to exemplify your professionalism, how resourceful you are, and how well-prepared you were for something unplanned.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Jeff Bezos once said, "If you're good at course correcting, being wrong may be less costly than you think. Whereas being slow is going to be expensive for sure." This advice applies here. When considering how you'd respond to this question, consider again incorporating the leadership principle, 'Bias for Action,' into your answer.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"Two months ago, I was getting ready to spearhead a project when three members of my team called out sick. Luckily, I planned extra time, as I always do, for contingencies such as this. When everything goes according to plan, I over-deliver. When things don't go according to plan, I meet my deadline at the bare minimum."
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