What are Amazon answers?

"Amazon Answers" refers to the responses you give during an Amazon interview, particularly to questions that evaluate both your technical skills and your alignment with Amazon’s Leadership Principles. To succeed, your answers should demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and reflect the key values that Amazon looks for in candidates.

Types of Amazon Answers

1. Behavioral Answers (Based on Leadership Principles)

Amazon places a strong emphasis on its 14 Leadership Principles, and many of the questions you’ll be asked are designed to evaluate how you’ve demonstrated these principles in past experiences.

Example Questions and Answers:

• Question: “Tell me about a time when you took ownership of a project.”

• Answer: "In my previous role, I was tasked with leading a product launch. The project faced multiple setbacks, including a tight deadline and resource limitations. I took ownership of the situation, created a detailed project plan, and reallocated team resources to focus on high-priority tasks. Through constant communication and leadership, we successfully launched the product on time, resulting in a 15% increase in sales in the first month. This experience demonstrated my alignment with Amazon’s principle of ownership."

• Question: “Give me an example of when you showed customer obsession.”

• Answer: "While working as a customer success manager, I noticed that several clients were experiencing similar issues with our product. Instead of treating each case separately, I analyzed the root cause and worked closely with the product team to implement a feature that addressed this recurring issue. By prioritizing the customer's needs, we not only improved customer satisfaction but also reduced support tickets by 30%. This aligns with Amazon’s customer obsession principle, as I always strive to improve customer experience."

Tip: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. Focus on specific examples where you demonstrated qualities like ownership, bias for action, customer obsession, and problem-solving.

2. Technical Answers (Coding and Problem-Solving)

For technical roles, Amazon assesses your ability to solve problems efficiently. Your answers should reflect strong knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and system design (for senior roles).

Example Coding Problem:

• Question: “Write a function to find the longest substring without repeating characters.”
• Answer (Python):

def longest_substring(s):
    start = 0
    max_length = 0
    char_index = {}
    
    for end in range(len(s)):
        if s[end] in char_index:
            start = max(start, char_index[s[end]] + 1)
        char_index[s[end]] = end
        max_length = max(max_length, end - start + 1)
        
    return max_length

Here, the candidate demonstrates:

• A solid understanding of sliding window techniques.
• Clear communication of the logic behind their code.
• Time and space complexity optimization.

Example System Design Question:

• Question: “Design a scalable URL shortening service like bit.ly.”
• Answer: "To design a URL shortening service, we need to ensure that the system can handle a high volume of requests while generating unique short URLs. I would start with a database for storing the mappings between original URLs and their shortened versions. We can use a Base62 encoding to generate short unique keys. The system would also need a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple servers. For scalability, I would implement caching to store frequently accessed URLs, and use a distributed database like DynamoDB for high availability. Additionally, I’d ensure that the service is fault-tolerant and can handle URL expirations efficiently."

Tip: Break down your system design answer into components (database, caching, load balancing, fault tolerance) and explain your choices in a clear and structured way.

3. Bar Raiser Answers

During one of your onsite interviews, you’ll be evaluated by a Bar Raiser—a senior Amazon employee who ensures that Amazon hires only the best candidates. Your answers in this round should demonstrate strong leadership qualities and a long-term fit with Amazon’s culture.

Example Bar Raiser Question:

• Question: “Tell me about a time when you had to make a quick decision with incomplete information.”
• Answer: "In my previous role, I was managing a critical project when we faced a sudden outage due to a database issue. Although I didn’t have all the information at the time, I quickly assessed the situation, communicated with stakeholders, and made the decision to roll back the recent deployment. This minimized downtime and allowed the team to investigate the root cause without further disruption. By acting swiftly and taking responsibility, I demonstrated bias for action and ownership."

How to Craft Strong Amazon Answers:

1. Understand the Role and Culture: Tailor your answers to fit Amazon’s Leadership Principles and the specific requirements of the job.
2. Use the STAR Method: Structure your behavioral answers around real examples and clearly explain the results of your actions.
3. Practice Technical Problems: Be prepared to solve coding problems efficiently while explaining your thought process.
4. Show Ownership and Leadership: Especially during the Bar Raiser interview, focus on examples that show you take initiative, solve problems, and think long-term.

By preparing strong answers in both technical and behavioral areas, you can significantly increase your chances of success in an Amazon interview. To practice and refine your answers, consider using resources like Grokking Modern Behavioral Interview and Grokking the System Design Interview from DesignGurus.io. These can help you master both the technical and cultural aspects of the interview process at Amazon.