How to Answer: As part of our HR team, you will play an essential role in bringing the world's most innovative people to Amazon. What does innovation in recruitment mean to you?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Amazon job interview.
4. As part of our HR team, you will play an essential role in bringing the world's most innovative people to Amazon. What does innovation in recruitment mean to you?
The Goal
The interviewer wants to know how you view innovation in your work as a Recruiter. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that your idea of innovation in recruitment is a match for their HR team and the overall workplace culture at Amazon.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 24th, 2022
Pro Tip
Amazon references innovation thoroughly in workplace culture documents which you can find online. Because innovation is an often misused word, with room for interpretation, it's essential to understand what innovation means to Amazon.
Amazon's Leadership Principles include 'Invent and Simplify,' which says that true leaders should expect and require innovation and invention from their teams. This principle states, "Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by 'not invented here.' As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time."
Amazon believes that being innovative means being aware of new ideas and never allowing limitations through the 'we don't do that here' mentality. Be prepared to talk to the interviewer about how you have embodied this way of thinking in the past.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 24th, 2022
How to Answer
As an Amazon Recruiter, your job will be fast-paced and ever-changing. Your approach to recruiting top talent will change with economic ebbs and flows, workforce legislation, global happenings, and other trends related to human resources.
Show the interviewer that you remain up to date on trends and changes in the recruitment world. You could even name one innovation that has been piquing your interest recently.
If you would like the interview to have a more conversational tone, feel free to ask the interviewer, in return, what they believe to be one exciting innovation in recruitment as of late.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 24th, 2022
Answer Example
"I believe that innovation in recruitment means looking beyond the initial hire and diving deeper into where each person's potential could take them in the future. Amazon believes that innovation means being externally aware, looking for new ideas from everywhere, and never giving in to limiting beliefs. Innovation in recruitment includes initiatives such as upskilling our existing human resources and helping people move around in the company rather than pinning them to one department or function for years. I understand that Amazon has invested heavily in upskilling initiatives for its employees. This factor is highly innovative and exciting. I look forward to learning more and contributing to Amazon's innovative talent attraction and employee development strategies."
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 24th, 2022