The interview process is rigorous and dives deep into your skills, knowledge and competencies (situational). It covers telephone interview with the hiring manager, written exercise and panel interview (5/6 members of the leadership team), with focus surrounding the leadership principles. You must therefore come prepared, ensuring that all your examples relate to the principles. If you can’t demonstrate financials, strategy and data decisions, you will fail. Amazon is obsessed about the aforementioned. Your behavioural skills should come out of your situational interview and talk specifically how it aligns to the principle you’re being asked.
Amazon has a peculiar culture and not only is your skills and knowledge important, but the panel must feel confident that you can fit it. Therefore, any experience around dealing with the same type of stakeholders should be drawn out in your application and demonstrated through examples.
Research the leadership principles, understand them and create 2/3 examples how they apply, focussing around create/implement strategy, drive decisions through data and the scalability.
Be prepared, the questions aren’t job specific, but the best recommendation is to apply it as though it’s job specific. Read between the lines of the interviewer, seek clarification then deliver.
I’ve rated the process as difficult because it’s testing and rigorous, but for the right reasons, and in total 5 interviewers (45 minute slot each). Even as a seasoned HR Leader, I found the process difficult in terms of the hurdles to jump through, but enjoyable and informative as it truly makes you think about your experience and how it aligns to the culture/company, determining whether this is right for you or not - in my circumstance - providing that you can demonstrate your experience through your responses, you should be fine.
Ask lots of questions, do lots of research as side-line questions were asked and come prepared, but just be YOU!
Good luck!
