How To Ace The Why Amazon Question Like No One Else Will

Summary

The video provides guidance on how to answer the 'Why Amazon?' question during both phone screens and panel interviews at Amazon. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring your response to your personal motivations and the specific business unit you are applying for. The video also outlines key universal aspects of Amazon, such as leadership principles, unique ways of working, and the expectation of raising the bar. For phone screens, concise answers are recommended, while for panel interviews, the focus should shift towards a brief synthesis, moving quickly into leadership principle discussions.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The question 'Why Amazon?' is crucial for interviews at Amazon and should be tailored to the individual's truth and motivations.
• 📞 For phone screens, the question aims to gauge a candidate's motivation and fit for Amazon, focusing on whether they will be a long-term asset to the company.
• 🏢 The complexity of 'Why Amazon?' arises from the company's vast业务范围 and diverse business units, each with unique characteristics and stages of maturity.
• 📝 Amazon's leadership principles are a universal truth across the company, serving as the DNA that unites all Amazonians.
• 📈 Amazon's unique ways of working, including document writing and flat organizational structure, are key to its operations and should be considered in a candidate's answer.
• 💪 The concept of a constantly raising bar is inherent to Amazon's culture, where the goal is continuous improvement and growth.
• 🌱 Businesses within Amazon can be in states of 'build,' 'scale,' or 'optimize,' and understanding which state a unit is in can help tailor a candidate's answer.
• 👥 It's essential to research the specific team you're interviewing with to understand its history, goals, and challenges.
• 🗣️ During phone screens, keep the answer to 'Why Amazon?' concise, aiming for 6-10 sentences to allow time for other questions.
• 🏁 In panel interviews, the 'Why Amazon?' question is more of a warm-up, as the decision to hire is based on leadership principles and potential for growth, not just motivation.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of asking 'Why Amazon?' during an interview?

The main purpose of asking 'Why Amazon?' is to understand the candidate's motivation for joining Amazon, whether they have the right reasons, and if they are likely to be a good long-term employee.

Why is it important to have a personalized answer for 'Why Amazon?'

It's important to have a personalized answer because there is no one-size-fits-all response. The answer should reflect the candidate's truth and genuine reasons for wanting to join Amazon.

What are the differences in answering 'Why Amazon?' between a phone screen and a panel interview?

In a phone screen, the question is used to gauge the candidate's motivation and reasons for joining Amazon. In a panel interview, the question serves more as a warm-up and is not the primary factor in the hiring decision, as the candidate's motivation should have been established earlier.

What are the three universal truths about Amazon that a candidate should consider in their answer?

The three universal truths are the leadership principles that serve as the DNA of Amazon, the unique ways of working including document writing and meeting structures, and the constant raising of the bar, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.

Why is it suggested to keep the same answer for 'Why Amazon?' if asked in multiple phone screens?

Keeping the same answer ensures consistency and shows that the candidate has a clear and well-thought-out motivation for joining Amazon, which is important for the interviewers to assess.

What does Amazon look for in a candidate's understanding of its business diversity?

Amazon looks for candidates who understand that it operates in many different sectors and that each business within Amazon could be a standalone entity, and that the candidate can articulate why they are interested in a specific unit or team within this diverse landscape.

How should a candidate prepare to answer 'Why Amazon?' for a panel interview?

A candidate should synthesize their previous answer from the phone screen into a concise 2-3 sentence response and then quickly move on to discussing the leadership principles, as the panel interview focuses more on these aspects.

What is the significance of the leadership principles in Amazon's culture?

The leadership principles are the DNA of Amazon, ensuring that all Amazonians speak the same language and understand each other's expectations, which is crucial for effective communication and collaboration.

How does the structure and hierarchy, or lack thereof, in Amazon influence its operations?

Amazon's flat structure and minimal bureaucracy allow for agile decision-making, which is fundamental to its unique ways of working and contributes to its ability to innovate and respond quickly to market changes.

What should a candidate do to understand the team they are interviewing for?

A candidate should do their homework on the team, speak to their recruiter for insights, understand the team's history, goals, and key challenges, and consider how they align with the team's needs and direction.

How can a candidate effectively communicate their answer to 'Why Amazon?' during a phone screen?

A candidate should aim for a concise and clear response, ideally within 6 to 10 sentences, to encapsulate their motivation and reasons for joining Amazon without overwhelming the interviewer.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Understanding Amazon's Interview Process

The script discusses the importance of personalizing answers to interview questions at Amazon, emphasizing that there is no single correct answer. It highlights the differences in answering strategies between phone screens and panel interviews. The speaker suggests considering Amazon's leadership principles, unique ways of working, and the concept of a constantly raising bar as universal truths across the company. The script also touches on the diversity of Amazon's business units and the importance of understanding why you would want to join a specific unit or team.

05:01

📈 Amazon's Business Maturity and Team Dynamics

This paragraph delves into the different stages of business maturity within Amazon: the build state for new businesses, the scaling state for established ones, and the optimization state for mature businesses. It advises candidates to identify the state of the business unit they are interviewing for and why they find it appealing. Additionally, the paragraph stresses the importance of researching the specific team, including its history, goals, and challenges, to tailor the interviewee's answer to the 'Why Amazon?' question. The speaker also differentiates the phone screen and panel interview processes, noting that the panel is more focused on leadership principles and long-term potential rather than motivation.

Keywords

💡Phone Screen

A 'Phone Screen' is an initial interview conducted over the phone to assess a candidate's qualifications and interest in a position. In the context of the video, it is the first stage where Amazon seeks to understand a candidate's motivation for joining the company. The script mentions that some teams have one phone screen while others have two, emphasizing the importance of a consistent answer to the 'Why Amazon?' question across these screens.

💡Panel

A 'Panel' in this context refers to the final stage of an interview process at Amazon, where a candidate is assessed by a group of interviewers. The video script explains that the panel is more focused on the candidate's potential for growth and adherence to Amazon's leadership principles rather than their motivation for joining, which should have been established in the phone screen.

💡Leadership Principles

The 'Leadership Principles' are the foundational values and behaviors that guide decision-making and culture within Amazon. The script describes them as the 'DNA of Amazon,' indicating their central role in the company's operations and the importance of candidates understanding and aligning with these principles.

💡Ways of Working

'Ways of Working' refers to the unique practices and methodologies that Amazon employs, which are considered peculiar or unique to the company. The script mentions document writing, meeting structures, and a flat organizational structure as examples of Amazon's ways of working, which are integral to the company's functioning and a candidate's fit within the organization.

💡Bar Raising

'Bar Raising' is the concept of continuously improving and setting higher standards within Amazon. The script explains that every new hire should be better than 50% of the people at their level, ensuring the organization's constant growth and improvement. This concept is used to illustrate the expectation for both new and existing employees to keep developing themselves.

💡Maturity of Businesses

The 'Maturity of Businesses' within Amazon refers to the different stages of development that Amazon's various business units can be in, such as 'build,' 'scale,' and 'optimize.' The video script uses this concept to advise candidates on how to tailor their 'Why Amazon?' answer based on the maturity state of the business unit they are interviewing with.

💡Build State

'Build State' is one of the maturity stages of Amazon's businesses, where a new business is being established from scratch. The script suggests that candidates should consider whether they are interested in being part of a team in the build state and how this aligns with their career aspirations.

💡Scale

In the context of Amazon's business maturity, 'Scale' refers to the stage where a business has its basic structures in place and is focused on rapid growth. The script implies that candidates should understand the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling a business within Amazon.

💡Optimization

'Optimization' is the stage where Amazon's mature businesses focus on refining their operations to maximize efficiency and value extraction. The video script uses this term to highlight the different types of challenges and growth opportunities available to candidates in more established business units.

💡Team

The term 'Team' in the script refers to the specific group within Amazon that a candidate is interviewing to join. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the team's history, goals, and challenges to tailor the candidate's 'Why Amazon?' answer and demonstrate their fit for the team.

💡Competency Questions

'Competency Questions' are used in interviews to explore a candidate's past experiences and behaviors related to the leadership principles. The script mentions that decisions to hire are often based on a candidate's performance in answering these questions, indicating their importance in the interview process.

Highlights

The content discusses strategies for answering the 'Why Amazon?' question in interviews.

There is no single right answer; the best answer is based on personal truth and motivation.

Different approaches are needed for phone screen and panel interviews.

Phone screens aim to understand the candidate's motivation for joining Amazon.

The question 'Why Amazon?' can encompass the company's units, teams, and leadership principles.

Amazon's leadership principles are the DNA of the company and a common language among employees.

Amazon's unique ways of working include document writing, meeting structures, and a flat organizational hierarchy.

The concept of a constantly raising bar is a key part of Amazon's culture, expecting continuous improvement.

Amazon's businesses can be in different maturity states: build, scale, or optimize.

Candidates should identify the maturity state of the unit they are interviewing for and why it appeals to them.

Understanding the team's history, goals, and challenges is crucial for a tailored answer.

During phone screens, aim for a concise answer of 6 to 10 sentences to cover motivation.

Panel interviews focus on leadership principles and long-term potential rather than motivation.

At panel, the 'Why Amazon?' question serves as a warm-up rather than a decision-making factor.

For panel interviews, synthesize the phone screen answer into 2 to 3 sentences to facilitate a quick transition to leadership principle questions.

The importance of building rapport with the interviewer during the 'Why Amazon?' question in panel interviews.

The session concludes with the hope that the information provided is helpful for interview preparation.

Transcripts

okay so today's content is all about the

question that you may be asked either a

phone screen or a panel panel being the

final stage of interview at amazon

why amazon i'm going to try and talk you

through how you might come up with the

best answer for you it really is

important that it's the best answer for

you there is no one single right answer

it's got to be about your truth and

therefore i can't tell you the right

answer but i'm going to talk to you

about the factors that you would want to

consider when you're thinking about what

your answer is going to be

the also the other thing you want to

bear in mind is that how you answer this

question has to be quite different

between phone screen and panel and i'll

explain to you that as we go along but

we're going to start out with phone

screen and i have some notes with me

because this is quite complicated so i

apologize if i'm looking down

all right so phone screen

so some teams have one phone screen some

teams have two phone screens you might

be asked

both phone screens the same question

i'd encourage you to have the same

answer that you answer in both should

you have those two phone screens

so what they're trying to understand

when they do this is really your

motivation for joining amazon this is

pretty self-explanatory stuff i'm going

to go into now so are you joining for

the right reasons and should you join

the organization are you going to stick

around are you going to be a good

long-term employee and that's what

they're searching for in the initial

phone screen

but when they ask the question why

amazon the truth is it's a lot more

complicated in terms of a question right

that's just a shortcut to a couple of

different things those things are going

to be kind of why amazon but very

specifically why this unit

and maybe even why this team

and the reason why that is is

amazon if you step back and think about

it is

so many different things right so many

different businesses within amazon

pharmaceuticals groceries video

streaming

retail

cloud services it's hugely hugely

diverse and the truth is any one of

those businesses could be a business

unto itself with jeff as the ceo so why

amazon is almost a nonsensical question

because amazon is just so many different

things simultaneously

there are however a couple of truths

that are true of every single unit

within amazon regardless of which unit

is or what country it's operating in so

i'm going to talk you through those and

i'm going to suggest you think about how

those things relate to you and how you

feel about those things in order to be

able to formulate your answer to why

amazon

so the first truism is the concept of

the leadership principles okay

they are absolutely the dna of amazon

and every single amazonian will be able

to talk to every single other amazonian

and we'll probably do it anyway

and talk about the individual leadership

principles and know exactly what each

other mean it's absolutely the glue that

holds everything together and ensures

that everybody is speaking the same

language so that's one truism

the second truism that's universal of

everything in amazon is ways of working

there are very peculiar as amazon likes

to uh define them peculiar being unique

not strange um peculiar ways of working

that are so

fundamental to amazon so the first is

really around document writing and

meetings and how those meetings operate

the second really is about how

flat the structure is in amazon the

absence of kind of the complexity of

hierarchy in a um

attempt to minimize bureaucracy allowing

agile decision making so those are the

second that's the second thing that's

really true of wherever you are in terms

of an amazon business

and then the third thing that's always

going to be true of any amazon business

is this idea of the bar constantly

raising so the interview process is all

about making sure that everybody that

joins the organization raises the bar

they are better than

50

of the people at that current level at

that point in time because the goal is

that the entire organization is always

improving year after year so the bar

naturally raises as new people join the

organization and they are stronger but

the reality of that means that anybody

that's in the existing organization has

to also constantly be learning

constantly be growing constantly be

developing themselves so that is also

true of everywhere you are in amazon it

is always on a pathway of growth and

improvement wherever you are whoever you

are it's expected that you will

consistently be raising your own bar

okay so those are the three things that

are consistent about amazon regardless

of where you are but at that point it

starts to deviate because as i mentioned

at the beginning the businesses that

exist in amazon are hugely diverse

across different sectors and also in

terms of maturity

so the other thing that i think is

useful to anchor your answer in is in

the concept of the maturity of those

businesses

there are effectively three different

states that you'll find businesses in in

amazon

the first is kind of the build states

brand new businesses that are just

starting out in new sectors to amazon

where the task is to really build

something from scratch so that's that's

the first one

the second one then is about scaling so

businesses that are built they have

their basic structures in place they

have their teams in place they have

their product being shipped they have

their processes in place

now the task is to really scale that so

using processes the leadership principle

of invent and simplify to really make

sure that build that business kind of

explodes out the gate and is on that

steep growth trajectory so that's the

second type of business the third type

of business is optimization so those are

the businesses that are really mature

well established in amazon and really

the goal is to

optimize it to that nth degree to

squeeze out every single inefficiency to

get every single piece of value out of

it so those are three different states

that any business is likely to be in in

amazon so when you're thinking about

your why amazon question why for you

it's definitely worth identifying which

of those three states the unit that you

are interviewing for is in and then why

you as a candidate would find that

really appealing

okay so then the next thing to think

about is the team itself so you should

really do your homework about that team

speak to your recruiter you and your

recruiter have absolutely the same

agenda which is for you to get hired

they are absolutely in your corner on

this

so they will tell you anything they

possibly can as regards the team so find

out about the team history find about

the team and where they want to go find

out about their key challenges really

seek to understand the team that you're

going to be interviewing for and then

again think about yourself and why you

would want to

enter that team

okay

so

that's the kind of the key areas that i

think you should focus on when it comes

to phone screen

my only proviso is there is a lot of

information there right there's a lot to

cover and really the decisions are made

to hire or not hire a candidate based on

their performance in the competency

questions which is where we they explore

the leadership principles

so although you want to cover that

ground you probably want to cover it

relatively quickly so i'd recommend

aiming for maybe only six to 10

sentences to cover off that information

be clear be concise try and encapsulate

all of that but the goal really is to

land it land it concisely and then move

on so that the interviewer can cover the

leadership principles

okay

so that's on the phone screen piece

panel is slightly different and the

reason why panel is slightly different

is that there is in fact a policy in

place where an interviewer's assumed

view of your motivation for joining

amazon isn't meant to

define the higher or no higher

decision by the time you get to panel

the decision around are you coming to

interview for good reasons that will

mean that you want to stay long-term

should be done and dusted you shouldn't

have made it to panel if someone doesn't

think that's the case so at panel the

decision making is all around are you

raising the bar on the leadership

principles and are you going to have a

long-term potential career at amazon

because you've got plenty of growth

still in your capabilities

so

if you get asked this question is really

much more along the lines of a warm-up

question than it is about identifying

whether someone wants to hire you or not

hire you so treat it as such

i would take a view of you've already

kind of planned the answer because you

gave that answer in the phone screen

synthesize it up to maybe only two or

three sentences and get yourself into

the leadership principle questions as

quickly as possible a decision to hire

and not how you will not be made a panel

based on your answer to why amazon but

it's a nice warm-up question it's a way

of just kind of building that rapport

between you and your interviewer so

synthesize up what you'd already created

for phone screen two three sentences

done and dusted and move on to the

leadership principle questions that your

interviewer will then be asking you

okay

so that's it for today i hope that was

helpful and i will see you next time