A Senior Engineer's Guide to the Amazon Leadership Principles Interview

How to approach an Amazon Leadership Principles interview

Table of Contents

1. Amazon Leadership Principles Explained

What are Amazon’s Leadership Principles (LPs)?

In a nutshell, Leadership Principles (LPs) are the 16 values Amazon cares the most about.

1. Customer Obsession

Customer obsession is about giving the customer what they want before they know they want it.

Example “Customer Obsession” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business.
• Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company.

2. Invent and Simplify

Amazon rewards risk-taking.

Example “Invent and Simplify” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs.
• Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution.

3. Learn and Be Curious

Curiosity drives learning.

Example “Learn and Be Curious” questions:

• Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable.
• Give me an example of something that you've worked on to improve your overall work effectiveness.

4. Insist on the Highest Standards

Every day is day one.

Example “Insist on the Highest Standards” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult customer or user.
• Tell me about a time when you used external trends to improve your own company's products or services.

5. Deliver Results

Amazon values getting to the optimal outcome as soon as possible.

Example “Deliver Results” questions:

• Could you tell me about a time where you were working on a project where you were working with another person.
• Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks.

6. Dive Deep

Decisions must be made based on data.

Example “Dive Deep” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you had to communicate a change in direction that you anticipated people would have concerns with.
• Tell me about a time where you were thrown into a project where you had no experience in.

7. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

Verbalize your disagreements but commit to taking action.

Example “Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit” questions:

• Give me an example of a time you committed to a group decision even though you disagreed.
• Tell me about a time where you disagreed with a coworker because you believed the decision they wanted to make was wrong for the customer.

8. Ownership

Take accountability and take pride in your work.

Example “Ownership” questions:

• Describe a time when you took on work outside of your comfort area.
• Describe a situation where you made an important business decision without consulting your manager.

9. Are Right, A Lot

Know your stuff and assert your point backed by data.

Example “Are Right, A Lot” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you did not effectively manage your projects.
• Tell me about a time you wouldn’t compromise on achieving a great outcome.

10. Think Big

Amazon values huge ambition and large bets.

Example “Think Big” questions:

• Give an example of a creative idea you had that proved really difficult to implement.
• Tell me about a time when you encouraged a team member or organization to take a big risk.

11. Bias for Action

Encouragement to produce and act quickly.

Example “Bias for Action” questions:

• Give me an example of a calculated risk that you have taken where speed was critical.
• Tell me about a time where you were the first one to take action on something.

12. Frugality

Cutting costs is valued by Amazon.

Example “Frugality” questions:

• Tell me about a time you pushed back on a deadline.
• Give me an example of how you have helped save costs.

13. Earn Trust

This LP is about showing cooperation and understanding.

Example “Earn Trust” questions:

• Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague or manager.
• Describe a time when you needed to influence a peer who had a differing opinion.

Preparation for your interview

1. Get familiar with the Leadership Principles.
2. Practice using specific examples.
3. Focus on clear communication and your individual contributions.

High-level strategy to frame your Leadership Principles interview

• Put customer obsession above all else to convey your fit within Amazon’s culture.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not enough impact or metrics in your examples.
• Falling into a trap of justifying rightness during conflicts.
• Not focusing enough on individual contributions.
• Saying Leadership Principles out loud, rather focus on demonstrating them through your experiences.

Tips for crafting effective behavioral interview responses

-2. Frame your answers around customer obsession.

• Use metrics and impact to strengthen your responses.