How behavioral interview questions are rated at Amazon

In Amazon interviews, the interviewers use a company-wide scale with four ratings to rate interviewees. The ratings are:

• hire

• no hire

• strong hire

• or strong no hire

Basically it’s like getting a letter grade - A, B, D, and F - and you need to get an A.

How do they decide what rating to give you?

After they’ve interviewed you, they rank your abilities in two categories, leadership principles and competencies.

You will need to be familiar with the way Amazon uses leadership principles in their interviews. The leadership principles they’re rating you on will vary by job. If you’re going to manage people they’ll ask you about “Hire and Develop,” for instance.

How do they rate you on the leadership principles exactly? Let’s say that the leadership principle “Customer Obsession” is an important component of the job you’re going for (maybe it’s an Account Manager role). The interviewers will note and then discuss with each other how you do on that component.

If the job requires “Customer Obsession” and you meets the requirements but don’t exceed them, you’ll be considered average. If another candidate rates higher in that category, you’ll lose to that person in that category.

The competencies they use will depend on the job as well (you may have a coding category or not, for instance).

What will get me the highest rating?

What exactly will get you a “strong hire” - the “A” grade?

There is no one answer to this question, but many of my blog posts are dedicated to helping you formulate answers that will lead to positive outcomes.

• know the leadership principles and have stories about yourself that demonstrate you embody these principles

• know the requirements for the job

  Read the job description carefully and form a strategy for each of the items mentioned in it. If it mentions a technology you’ve had limited exposure to, take the time to research it. Telling the interviewer that you don’t have a lot of experience in that area but that you researched the topic for the interview sends a strong signal to the interviewer of your professionalism and preparedness.

• showcase your accomplishments

  Help the interviewer see how great you have been and will be.