how to answer why aws?

In this article, we’re going to give you four actionable steps toward crafting the perfect answer to the question, “why do you want to work for Amazon?”.

“Why Amazon?” is one of the most common behavioral interview questions asked in Amazon interviews across roles, so it is very important to prepare an answer that will set you apart.

Our first tip: do your research!

Let’s jump right into it.

Amazon is a fast-paced company that has very high expectations of its employees. At Amazon, you’ll be addressing complex problems, working with the best of the best, and optimizing technology that serves billions of people.

Interviewers ask “why Amazon?” to test whether you’ve got the motivation to last in this kind of environment. If your Amazon interviewer senses that you are not motivated enough, or if you’re motivated for the wrong reasons (i.e. just a paycheck), then they will be unlikely to push your application further.

Interviewers also want to get an idea of how well you’ve researched and prepared for the interview. As Amazon is a highly data-based company, they’re looking for employees who know how to put the work in and make major decisions based on analysis.

Coming to the interview with well-researched and specific reasons as to why you want to work for Amazon shows them that you’re the profile they’re looking for.

Here are the components of a great answer:

Finally, before moving on to the next step, take some time to review common mistakes that candidates make when answering this question.

Now that you’ve got an understanding of why interviewers ask this question, as well as a few tips on how to answer it well, let’s get started on crafting your answer.

The first thing you should do is learn about Amazon. As we mentioned in our tips, now is a good time to reach out to people from Amazon to get an idea of what the company is like.

In addition to the networking, do some research about Amazon’s culture and values. Here are a few general resources to get you started:

You’ll also want to tailor your answer to the position that you’re applying to. If you’d like more information about top tech roles at Amazon, including practice questions and preparation tips, take a look at one of our interview guides:

Once you’ve got an idea of the company as a whole, you’ll need one or two more specific details about Amazon that you can use to customize your answer.

One key part of landing your dream job at Amazon is showing your alignment with the company’s 16 leadership principles. Interviewers like the Bar Raiser are frequently assigned one or multiple leadership principles to focus on per round, meaning that you’ll encounter them at every stage.

So, when answering the question “why Amazon?”, it’s a good idea to get a head start on the leadership principles by bringing up one or two that inspire you.

We’ll get more into how to use these to craft your specific answer in the next section, but for now, go through the list below and pick one that resonates the most with you. Think of examples from your own past and your experience with Amazon that highlight this principle.

If you're not already familiar with Amazon's leadership principles, here is the full list:

The biggest detail that sets Amazon apart from other tech companies, especially in the interview process, is their emphasis on the leadership principles we went over above.

However, there are other unique facts about Amazon that you can use to make your answer as specific to Amazon and as personal to you as possible.

Here are a few of them:

By this point, you should have put together a list of three distinct reasons for why you would like to work for Amazon. It can include some of the facts we listed above, reasons from your personal experience, people you’ve networked with, or other facts you’ve found in your own research.

Now that you have the list, write out exactly how you plan on answering the question, “why Amazon?”

Once you’ve written your answer out, don’t forget to edit it as well. Make sure that you are stating the most relevant information, without too many extra details. The answer should take no longer than one minute to say out loud.

To give you some inspiration, we’ve included an example below. Note that it is specific to Amazon, takes no more than one minute to recite, and highlights the candidate’s skills without bragging.

This is the last step to prepare your answer to “why Amazon?”. You should now have an answer written out and edited down to the most pertinent information.

It’s time to practice speaking through your answer, so that you’re able to recite it naturally, without missing any key details.

Here are two steps to prepare for this:

First, recite your answer out loud and time yourself, if you haven’t already done so. Make sure to edit your answer down if it is longer than one minute.

Keep practicing until you are able to speak through your answer without referring to your written notes. You should be able to hit each of your main points smoothly, without sounding too rehearsed.

Finally, once you’ve memorized your answer, record yourself reciting it. Watch it back, and make note of your body language and places where you may be stumbling through important details.

Repeat this process until you’re able to answer the question enthusiastically, with engaging body language and a smooth response.

Lastly, try out your answer in an interview setting by doing mock interviews.

Starting with friends or peers will help you polish your answer, practice answering follow-up questions, and get some early feedback.

• Research the company.
• Prepare to talk about specific accomplishments.
• Train yourself to handle adversity.
• Keep in mind that interviewers are writing everything down.
• Don't skip fundamental questions.
• Be Honest and Tell them if you don't Know.
• Get as detailed as you can.

One of the most commonly asked questions in the Amazon interview process is, "Why do you want to work at Amazon?" For such a large tech company, spinning an answer on the spot just won’t do.

So, below, we explore the titular question and provide you some good, useable examples of exactly why you’d want to work at Amazon.

Most people are aware of the top-notch salaries paid to techies working at Amazon, but the salary isn't going to carry you through this question. Actually, referencing the remuneration package is likely a good way to shoot yourself in the foot.

Interviewers asking the "Why Amazon?" question want to see motivation beyond the money. They want to understand what drives you and how well you’ll slot into the Amazon ecosystem.

So, it's best to go into the question with a prepared answer that focuses on your feelings and emotions toward the role.

This provides the perfect opportunity for you to talk about your goals, your expectations, and your personal values and how they relate to Amazon's principles.

There are plenty of examples of good responses to the "Why Amazon?" question, and we're going to explore some of those further down. However, in starting to think about a model answer, you ideally want to touch on topics such as:

Unprepared candidates may simply divulge that they regularly order products through the Amazon website. In reality, Amazon does far more than ecommerce. AWS (Amazon Web Services) is the world's most commonly used cloud platform. Amazon Alexa is the most popular smart home speaker in the US.

Any good answer to the "Why Amazon?" question will include reference to Amazon's leadership principles, of which there are fourteen. You shouldn't try to incorporate every single principle into your answer, as it'll lengthen your answer to the point that it's unreasonably long. Instead, try to memorize at least three or four of the principles and work them into your answer.

To help give you an idea of what Amazon considers to be important, we've outlined their leadership principles below. For each of these, you’ll find Amazon’s take on what exactly makes a great leader in each area:

That’s a lot of ground to cover, which is why you should be identifying those three or four principles that you can master and turn into a winning answer. Here are a few quick examples of how that might be done; we’ll provide more detailed sample answers to the “Why Amazon?” question further down in this post.

Hopefully, you should now have now got a strong idea of what essential qualities and experiences Amazon values. With that in mind, let’s move on and look at how to answer the “Why Amazon?” interview questions in more detail.

Before going through with your Amazon interview, you need to spend some time preparing an answer for this question so that you know what to expect. Proper preparation is key to succeeding in an interview of this calibre, and we strongly recommend not going into this interview unprepared.

Leaving yourself a week or so, if possible, consider the following points ahead of your scheduled interview:

Before you start plotting your model answer, it’s a good idea to take a look at some sample answers that you might give. Below, we’ve written out some example answers to the “Why Amazon?” question.

We’ve focused on a few key roles within the business and the potential answers that each may give to this key question. Pay attention to the boldened sections, where we’ve clearly signposted to one of Amazon’s key principles.

“I'm interested in joining the Amazon team because I have strong experience in IoT technology and think that there is huge potential for innovation in this market. This is why I feel inspired by Amazon’s focus on inventing and being curious. In my last role, I applied my experience in machine learning and artificial intelligence to launch a new, customer-focused discounts app in the ecommerce space.

Ultimately, I think that Amazon’s broad market presence will give me a lot of exposure to all levels of a business operation. I think that taking a deep-dive approach to the industry is important, as it lets you see the bigger picture. It's important to be aware of not only your immediate role and responsibilities, but also how those products or services are performing and pleasing or disappointing consumers.”

“I want to work for Amazon because I’m ready to take the next steps in my career and understand that Amazon values ownership. In my last role, I spearheaded a project to improve CTR through our website. I had to wear numerous hats, including business analyst, product owner, and scrum master, but the outcome led to a 200% increase in sales through our website funnel. It’s my hope that I can apply that same level of dedication to helping drive business strategy at Amazon.

I’ve also got extensive experience in producing and communicating MI reports with senior stakeholders. Amazon believes that great leaders are right, a lot, but I think that having strong MI data to help drive decisions is essential. That’s why I work hard to earn trust with key stakeholders, ensuring that they have the information they need to make key business decisions.”

“I decided that I wanted to be a Product Manager when I noticed the closeness that this role has to consumer products. Customer obsession is important to me, as it drives innovation and improvements in the products that we use every day.

In my last role, I saw a lot of success, regularly hitting key deliverables on-time and to-budget. I largely hired the team, participating in the interviews myself, as I believe it's important to have high standards and develop the best project team possible. As such, I had the resources I need to succeed time and time again.”

As I mentioned, a good answer should be specific to Amazon. It should capture an emotional response that is rooted in Amazon’s leadership principles, values, and products. Let’s take a look at a few sample answers to the “Why Amazon” questions. I will outline why each are a good response.

I want to work at Amazon for three main reasons. First, I admire that Amazon values customer obsession. I believe that putting the customer first leads to better product and software. I am eager to design products that meet real human needs, and I like that Amazon puts that first. For example, I value that AWS is accessible at an enterprise and personal level so that analytics are available to anyone.

Secondly, a lot of my career has been devoted to creative applications of machine learning, which you can see throughout my resume. I am interested in Amazon’s use of machine learning and its unique position in the market. In my last role, I was always seeking new ways to implement ML technologies but felt that the culture didn’t make space for that. That’s why this team excites me. They are looking for new collaborative ideas.

Lastly, a former co-worker now serves as a Product Manager at Amazon. She has told me all about the ongoing learning opportunities she had there, and I am eager to be immersed in a workspace that values my learning and development.

I am interested in working at Amazon because I want to help this division of Alexa develop new business opportunities in the realm of voice recognition. This is a topic that excites me on a personal and professional level. In fact, I did my Master’s research thesis on new uses of Big Data in voice recognition software. That’s why I was drawn to this role specifically.

More broadly, I am attracted to Amazon’s culture of diving deep and taking ownership. I see a lot of value in taking projects seriously and trying to find clever ways to improve results as a team. These are some of the values I implement in my work, and I’d like to join a team that is already reaching for those standards.