Amazon Interview Questions
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Question 2 of 54
We seek to hire highly ambitious people. Where would you like your career with Amazon to take you?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Your interviewer expects you to have some vision or trajectory of where you would like to take your career if you are hired for this position. Before your interview, research all the potential opportunities a career at Amazon could offer you and revise your long-term career goals accordingly. Jeff Bezos is a visionary who promotes a culture of visionaries focused on their long-term goals and being adaptable in how to accomplish those goals. "Willingness to be long-term oriented and willingness to be misunderstood, willingness to fail, those cultural traits are important contributors to what we have built at Amazon." Talk to the interviewer about your career ambitions specifically related to this role and their organization.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"One of the reasons I was so excited to interview with Amazon is because of the endless growth opportunities you offer your high-performing employees. My biggest ambition is to be awarded a management role in the next three to five years. I am happy to begin at the Tech U level and work my way up until your team believes I am ready."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"What interests me most about your company is that there are so many options for career growth. Ideally, I would like to earn my way into a team lead role, then a division manager position in the software development department. Of course, I understand that this will take many years of dedication and hard work."
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.
"I would like to work my way up through management, preferable into Human Resources, perhaps in the Cloud Division. There seem to be some great people who work there, and they seem to be doing some amazing things there. It is where Amazon's current CEO came from, after all."
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Anonymous Answer
What interests me most about your company is that there are so many options for career growth. Ideally, I would like to earn my way into a software development manager role, then to a next-level position in the software development department. Of course, I understand that this will take many years of dedication and hard work.
Rachelle's Feedback
Good personalization! What will it take, specifically, for you to earn this promotion? (i.e., additional coursework?)
Anonymous Answer
I see enormous opportunities for growth at Amazon, which hires the best people in the industry. I want to reach a technical leadership level within two to three years. I understand that it will take a lot of learning and effort, but I am ready to apply my efforts to reach the goal.
Rachelle's Feedback
This answer is a great start! When it comes to the additional learning and efforts you will need to reach this goal, I recommend including a few specifics. Including more detail will show the interviewer that you have put significant thought into achieving this career growth with Amazon.
Anonymous Answer
One of the reasons I am so excited to interview you is the endless growth opportunities Amazon offers its high-performing employees. I want to be a team lead soon, and my biggest ambition is to be a manager. I am happy to begin in a Business Analyst role and work my way up until the team believes that I am ready. I understand that this will take many years of dedication and hard work, but I want to grow with the company.
Rachelle's Feedback
Great use of the Mock Questions example answers! I like how you have personalized these to make them your own.
Anonymous Answer
I am targeting a management role in recruitment within the next 5 years. After that, I would like to transition into a senior role in HR. I am also open to relocation, as discovering multiple cultures is one of my drives.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a solid start to this response. You've laid out a clear timeline, demonstrating that you've truly considered your career path. You can further strengthen your response by telling the interviewer about the leadership expertise or HR management skills you hope to gain from each role as you grow in expertise.
Anonymous Answer
One of the reasons I was so excited to interview with Amazon is because of the endless growth opportunities that you offer your high-performing employees. My biggest ambition is to be awarded a management role in the next 3-5 years. I am happy to begin at the level I applied for and work my way up until your team believes that I am ready.
Amanda's Feedback
Wonderful response! You've related why you want to work for Amazon and how you see yourself progressing. Make your response even stronger by talking about the skills you have that will help you progress along this path such as strong team leadership, communication, or problem-solving, and how you plan to improve those skills along the way.
Anonymous Answer
What interests me about Amazon is that its operations in the APAC region are large enough to be managed locally. I want to become one of the region's strategic leaders within AWS.
Marcie's Feedback
It's great that you've pinpointed a clear goal that you'd like to achieve at Amazon. Why does the role of a regional strategic leader interest you? Can you talk a bit about how you plan to reach this level? Emphasize your desire to be ambitious since this is what the interviewer will be seeking.
Anonymous Answer
I realize I need to learn the role first. In a couple of years I would like to be a team lead.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! Why do you aspire to become a team lead? Have you enjoyed managing others in the past and look forward to doing this again? If so, mention this. The goal in answering this question is to show your passion for the industry and that you're motivated and ambitious to grow within the company. Do this by providing more details and an explanation of why you aspire to be a team lead one day. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
I'm honored that colleagues approach me for advice on personal matters as well as work. Many tell me in private that when I speak out at a team meeting that I'm expressing the same thoughts that they themselves have but hold back from saying. I think with these attributes and once proven myself to Amazon and my colleagues my value as a customer-focused team player, I would explore a career path that would allow me to lead and mentor the upcoming generation of Amazonians. The managers and leaders whom I have most respected led by example, and I would like to honor them by becoming one of those leaders myself and carrying on the tradition of passing on the torch.
Marcie's Feedback
Fantastic. Wanting to move up into positions where you can lead and mentor others is great, and the interviewer will no doubt be impressed by your desire to help others and be a voice for them. This is a strong response. Excellent job!
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