2/25/2020 How to answer the interview question, "Why do you want to work at Amazon?

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question, "Why do
you want to work
at Amazon?"
When I'm preparing clients for their interviews I
usually run them through basic interview questions
first, and one of these is "Why do you want to work
here?" 

Pretty standard question, right?  Yes, but you'd be

surprised at how many people don't have a good Categories
answer. 
Academic interviews

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2/25/2020 How to answer the interview question, "Why do you want to work at Amazon?" — Interview Genie

"Tell me about yourself" is the most common Amazon interviews

question asked in interviews, and "Why do you
want to work here?" is a close second. Behavioral questions

ESL candidates
Sample answers to Interview basics

"Why do you want Questions and

to work at answers

Amazon?"
CONTACT
Here's a few answers that I've made comments on ME
so you can see why the answers are good or bad.

A Finance Manager's Answer:

"Amazon is one of the leading global online

retailing companies with 136 bn USD Net Sales and
is 12th on the Fortune 500. In the past four years
its doubled its sales. Such a fast growing company
and a pioneer in the internet retail sector is a place
I’d like to work."

Good points: 

• Numbers: 136 billion, 12th, 4 years (numbers

are good for everyone to include)

• Money: $136 billion (good for a finance

person to talk about)

• Awareness of company's market position

Bad points: 

• A bit short

• Needs more specifics about why he wants to

work there. For example, how could it help his
career? How specifically could he contribute to
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2/25/2020 How to answer the interview question, "Why do you want to work at Amazon?" — Interview Genie

this fast-growing company? And I don't want to

hear "This would be a great opportunity for
me" or "Amazon is such a great company if I
work there it would really help me." I want
specifics.

Here's an improved version:

"Amazon is one of the leading global online

retailing companies with 136 bn USD Net Sales and
is 12th on the Fortune 500. In the past four years
its doubled its sales. It's such a fast growing
company and a pioneer in the internet retail sector,
so it's a place I’d like to work because I know I'd
have a chance to [do something related to your job -
pick the most challenging part of your job and
something that you know you will have to do in the
new job and say that]." 

Tip: There is no right answer to this question, but

avoid general statements like "this is a great
company." If you want to say you like it, that's okay,
but say why. And don't just say because it's
"innovative" or "disrupting" everything. Everyone I
work with uses those two words in their first
attempt. Don't say the same thing as all of the
other candidates. Trust me, they already know
they're innovative and disruptive. 

An Engineer's Answer:

"My current job is great, but I think that I can

increase a lot my skills working at Amazon by
sharing ideas with other talented engineers and
solving challenges in a bigger scale. Also, I always
wanted to extend my Master degree research
project regarding home automation, smart meters
and Big Data, and I think that the Alexa Division at

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Amazon can give me an only opportunity to exploit

these topics and even helping Amazon to open a
new business opportunity."

Good points:

• Very very specific. This answer is better at the

start than the previous answer because he is
so specific about the home automation thing.

• Sells himself. He talks about how he did this

research project on a cool topic, which is a
good way to use this answer to bring up
something he wants the interviewer to focus
on (his research experience).

Bad points:

• Weird English. It's not terrible, but it's a bit off

and so it distracts me.

• It's all about him. "I think I can increase my

skills" - "my research project" - "can give me
an opportunity." Do you really think they care
what they can give you? No. They want to
know what you can give them. He does include
that this can help Amazon exploit a new
business opportunity, but he adds this last.

• How does the Alexa division relate to his

research project? He needs to spell this out. It
may not be obvious to a recruiter or HR
manager why Alexa relates to home
automation and smart data. Many technical
people think that everyone understands their
projects, but in general only the other
technical people do, and recruiters and HR
people (probably your first interviewers) may
not.

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Improved version:

"I'd like to work at Amazon because I think I can

help the company open a new business
opportunity in the area of home automation [it
would be better to be even more specific here and say
what niche exactly in home automation it would fill].
Since the Alexa division is working on home
automation, I can extend my Master's research
project regarding home automation, smart meters
and Big Data. [Again, it would be better to be more
specific and say what idea you have in this area.]

A Sales Manager's Answer:

"Amazon is the most customer-centric and

innovative company in the world and I want to be
part of the movement that is Amazon."

You can use an answer this short if you have a

stellar resume and a hugely charismatic
personality. Otherwise, I would put a bit more
effort into it. 

I would never even attempt to use this, but it

worked for him (no, I'm not even kidding, he did get
the job, but he had a really strong personality and
could say this without it seeming like a joke).      

A Senior Product Manager's

Answer:

"I want to work for Amazon for several reasons: 1.

The most important reason I want to work for
Amazon is for the kind of impact I can create.
Amazon has disrupted every industry it has set its
foot in, from the way we shop, Amazon prime, the
way we buy grocery and fresh produce, Amazon
fresh, to cloud computing – AWS. 2. Also, I've spent
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a decade in consumer goods industry working in

leadership roles in sales and marketing so I can see
that Amazon is in a very interesting space at the
intersection of speed and reach. The possibilities
are huge. 3. It was during my time in a FMCG
organization that I developed passion and curiosity
to learn and understand consumer behavior and
creating marketing strategies to delight customers.
It is really about putting yourself in the shoes of the
consumer to win their trust and confidence. 4. At
work I enjoy diving deep and staying connected to
details. And from what I have learned Amazon is a
very data driven company. 5. Versatility has been a
hallmark of my career. I excel at immersing myself
in new industries and applying that knowledge to
deliver above average results."

Good points:

• Good content

• Clear structure. I love it when people have a

few points and then number them. Although I
hate it when they say, "First, I'd like to talk
about..." but then never say "Next, I'd like to
talk about...." If you have a "first" you have to
have a "second" or a "next."

Bad points:

• Too long - it took me 1 minute 15 seconds to

read this, which is not necessarily too long for
an answer, but it is too long for the answer to
one of the basic questions like this one. If
you're answering a behavioral question and
have to tell a story, it's fine to go over 1
minute.

• Not focused enough/too many ideas. I like all

of these ideas individually, but when said all
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together they make me lose my focus. What

am I supposed to focus on?

• If you're applying for a PM role, you need to

talk about making products or selling
products. Use the actual words "product" or
"selling products" or "marketing strategy for
products." Don't assume everyone will know
that when you talk about your experience in
sales it can translate to "selling products." I
know this may seem like it is so obvious that
you shouldn't need to say it, but interviewers
like to hear words they are looking for. In a PM
interview, they want to hear about "products."

Improved version:

"I want to work for Amazon for 3 reasons. 1. The

most important reason I want to work for Amazon
is that the possibilities for creating products that
have a huge impact are great. I've spent a decade
in the consumer goods industry working in
leadership roles in sales and marketing so I can see
that Amazon is in a very interesting space at the
intersection of speed and reach and so whatever
products they sell are going to have a good chance
of succeeding. 2. At work I enjoy diving deep and
staying connected to details, and from what I have
learned Amazon is a very data driven company so I
could use data if I worked there. 3. It was during my
time in a FMCG organization that I developed
passion and curiosity to learn and understand
consumer behavior and creating marketing
strategies to delight customers. It is really about
putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer to
win their trust and confidence and I would have a
chance to do that on a broad scale at Amazon."

A VP of Product's Answer:
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2/25/2020 How to answer the interview question, "Why do you want to work at Amazon?" — Interview Genie

"Amazon is the most exciting and dynamic

company in the world now in my opinion. It always
puts the customer first and isn't afraid to take risks
and innovate. It seems like they're really blue sky
thinkers, so nothing is off limits, and I want to work
in an atmosphere like that."

I like this answer. It seems like it might be too

short, but it actually isn't if it comes from a great
communicator who can say this confidently. The
person who used this answer has a confident
demeanor, a calm personality, and excellent
experience and education and so doesn't need to
do a lot of selling himself in his answers. 

I offer several interview coaching packages, one of

them tailored specifically for Amazon job candidates.
If you’re looking for an Amazon interview coach, email
me at jennifer@interviewgenie.com to schedule a free
15 minute consultation or an interview coaching
session. I’m also happy to create a custom interview
coaching package that fits your needs. 

If you'd like more ideas about how to prepare for

your Amazon interview, read these:

How to answer leadership principle

questions in an Amazon interview — general
overview

How to use the STAR method to answer

behavioral questions

How to answer Amazon behavioral questions

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