As the largest online retailer in the world, it’s little surprise that Amazon is one of the most desirable places to work on the planet. But first you have to get past those tough Amazon interview questions.
Because it is so all encompassing, multi-faceted and layered, selling a mind-boggling array of products through processes at the leading edge of retail & e-commerce, digital marketing, SEO, coding and software engineering, it pays to do your homework if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in the fortunate position of being asked Amazon interview questions!
There are a host of typical Amazon interview questions that appear on line, many of which, user-submitted, have been compiled on a database by the careers advisory website Glassdoor.com. Not only will you have to sharpen up your verbal reasoning, algebra and arithmetic skills, but you also need to immerse yourself in the company culture.
The process is lengthy, and usually begins with a phone interview; and then, if that goes well, an on-site interview with a hiring manager and some team members.
Members of the company who have spoken about their experiences online state bluntly that the best way to prepare is to thoroughly research the company, particular its ethos and culture, and also to forensically study core HR interview questions and typical queries that arise in all interviews.
Glassdoor’s index is a great place to start, and there are a host of other sources online that share these Amazon interview questions. You could also invest in a copy of John Rossman’s great The Amazon Way. So, if you have an Amazon job interview coming up, study these questions carefully. Carefully and thoroughly gearing your responses to these Amazon interview questions, foregrounding your own skills, thoughts and experiences and anything else that helps raise your application to the top of the pile.
1. Why Amazon?
By general consensus, this is most common question that any prospective candidate can expect to be asked during an Amazon interview. Do your research. There is no excuse for tripping up on this one!
2. Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?
3. Who was your most difficult customer?
4. If your direct manager directed you to do something you disagreed with, what would you do?
5. What is the worst mistake you ever made?
6. Do you know our CEO? How do you pronounce his name?
7. What is the angle between the hour hand and minute hand in an analog clock?
8. Describe what Human Resource means to you.
9. How do you detect whether or not a word is a palindrome?
10. How would you introduce Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an elevator pitch?
11. Are you willing to work on your feet for ten hours, four days a week?
12. “Here’s a string with numbers from 1-250 in random order, but it’s missing one number. How will you find the missed number?”
Search Quora and computer science portal GeeksforGeeks for breakdowns of typical algorithmic and mathematical questions, as well as expert advice on solving the questions.
