When I'm preparing people for their interviews I usually run them through some basic interview questions first, and one of these is "Why do you want to work here?"Pretty standard question, right?I think so, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't have a great answer.
I've been working with a lot of people applying to Amazon lately — they are definitely on a hiring spree — so I've been collecting examples of answer to "Why do you want to work at Amazon?"
I'm going to show you some of them here in the hopes that you can learn how to answer this question well.
Example answers to "Why do you want to work at Amazon?"
Here's a few answers. I've made comments on them 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:
Bad points:
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 Amazon can give me an only opportunity to exploit these topics and even helping Amazon to open a new business opportunity."
Good points:
Bad points:
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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 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:
Bad points:
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 and marketing 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."
This is a good answer now. It is probably longer than I would use myself, but it worked for him. He has what I think of as a "professorial" personality, so numbering his answers and giving a lot of detail seems natural for him. If one of your interviewing weaknesses is that you don't seem smart enough or competent enough when you speak, you can try using numbered lists like this.
A VP of Product's Answer:
"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.
In this article I've given you some sample answers to this important question. It's a very common question asked at the beginning of interviews, so you definitely need to have a good answer prepared.
Jennifer Scupi is the founder of Interview Genie, where the Amazon recruiters refer their candidates. She’s an interview coach who’s worked with thousands of clients preparing for job interviews. They appreciated her honest feedback and say it’s obvious she used to be a teacher because she’s good at explaining the best way to approach answers. Her clients have landed roles at FAANG companies like Amazon, Fortune 500 companies, startups, and more.
For more advice about Amazon interviews, visit herAmazon resources pageor read herbook about Amazon behavioral interviews.
If you need to prepare for your interview, let’s get started. See theInterview Genie servicesorschedule a consultation.