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During the interview process, Amazon puts a premium on its unique cultural values and 14 leadership principles.

And when you're interviewing for a manager position at Amazon, you can bet they attach even greater importance to them. Therefore, they will carefully evaluate whether your characteristics and experience align with these appreciated (yet unconventional) principles.

But the interview is not the only thing you'll face as part of the hiring process. For most of the manager positions, such as Area Manager, Graduate Area Manager and Operations Manager, you'll be invited to take an initial online assessment.

This online test consists of Amazon’s Virtual Job Tryout and the Amazon Work Style Assessment. Passing them is mandatory to advance to the next recruitment stage – the phone/video and in-person interviews.

Let’s dive into each of these assessments.

The Amazon Virtual Job Tryout – What to Expect and How to Dominate It

On this assessment, also named Manager in Operations, you’ll get a feel for the types of situations Amazon’s managers to encounter every day, and Amazon’s recruiters will get to see how you handle these situations.

The Virtual Job Tryout takes about 45 minutes to complete, and it requires a calculator, pen/pencil, and scrap paper.

The Amazon Manager in Operations Virtual Job Tryout consists of 5 sections:

  • Lead Your Team: A Situational Judgment Test in which you’ll be presented with typical work scenarios that Amazon’s managers face every day. Then, you’ll have to choose your response from four possible options.
  • Manage Your Day: A prioritizing task in which you’ll need to arrange activities and duties according to their urgency.
  • Run Your Area: You’ll need to analyze data presented in various reports and to make quick decisions. These reports are similar to the data used by managers in operations in Amazon.
  • Tell Us Your Story: In this Biodata section, you’ll be asked to tell about your background and work experiences.

Here’s a question you’ll most likely encounter on this test section:

One of my strengths is my ability to motivate and inspire others

A. Strongly agree
B. Agree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Somewhat disagree
E. Disagree
F. Strongly disagree

How would you answer this?

When answering such questions, always keep in mind Amazon’s 14 leadership principles. Amazon expects its managers always to motivate, develop, and inspire other associates, so the preferred answer will be A or B.

  • Describe Your Approach: A personality test that evaluates your preferred style and approach to work.

Amazon's looking for candidates who think and act fast and complete any task swiftly and accurately. Therefore, when doing this online assessment, don't take your time and try to work as quickly as possible (while staying accurate, of course).

How to Prepare for Amazon’s Virtual Job Tryout?

The best way to prepare for these assessments is by practicing questions that resemble the ones you’ll see on the real tests. Knowing how to answer these unconventional questions in advance can help place yourself in Amazon’s top candidate’s list.

The PrepPack™ you’ll find on this page includes everything you need to ace these assessments, from practice questions to interview prep expert tips (to get you ready for the in-person interviews as well).

The Amazon Work Style Assessment – How to Master this Tricky Work Style Survey

This assessment is a type of personality test with a 5-point Likert Scale. It’s used by Amazon to assess characteristics essential to succeed within its unique culture. The Amazon Work Style Assessment consists of 38 questions and is untimed. However, most people complete it in about 15 minutes.

You’ll be presented with different statements, and you’ll need to rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with them. Each statement will have five answer choices.

The following is a statement you’ll likely encounter on the actual Work Style Assessment:

I have a difficult time being productive when I am under pressure.

A. Strongly Disagree
B. Disagree
C. Neither Agree nor Disagree
D. Agree
E. Strongly Agree

What do you think is the right answer here?

As with the previous assessment, try to answer all these 38 statements with Amazon’s leadership principles in mind. Amazon expects all its managers to put in work and stay productive under pressure (which is common during holiday seasons). So, in this case, the preferred answer is A or B.

How to Prepare for Amazon’s Work Style Assessment

As Amazon attaches great significance to this personality test, it’s essential to learn how to answer all the questions beforehand correctly. Using common sense and your beliefs is not always possible since the given statements are often unconventional and based on Amazon’s principles and cultural values.

On this page, you’ll find a proven practice pack (created by occupational psychologists) that will help you prepare for any question you’ll face on this assessment. You’ll learn the right way to answer each statement and skyrocket your chances to ace the test.

What to Expect on the Amazon Interview Process for Manager Roles?

Once you successfully pass the Amazon Virtual Job Tryout and Work Style Assessment, you’ll advance to the interview process. Usually, it consists of two stages:

  1. Phone/video screening interview that focuses on your past job experience and includes some behavioural questions. It’s highly recommended to answer these questions using the STAR Method, while basing your answers on Amazon’s 14 leadership principles.
  2. Those who pass the phone or video interview move on to the in-person interviews. These include 4 to 6 on-site interviews (may vary during the Coronavirus outbreak), which will be based on Amazon’s 14 leadership principles. Also, one of these face-to-face interviews will be the Amazon Bar Raiser.

To persuade your interviewers that you're the right person for the job, you must demonstrate high familiarity with these 14 core principles. Moreover, you should be able to give examples of how you used them in action during work situations.

And get ready, because the Amazon Bar Raiser interviewer will dive deep into your answers and examine every detail you provide.

So, to win this competitive interview process, you have to stay sharp, confident, and prepare for the unorthodox (and sometimes annoying) questions that they will throw at you. And the best way to do so is by practicing beforehand.

In the preparation pack found on this page, you will find a professional interview practice pack (produced by real psychologists). This practice will quickly prepare you for almost any interview question you might be asked, and dramatically increase your chances of success. Don't miss out!

The Amazon 14 Leadership Principles

Amazon’s interviewers base their interview questions on these 14 leadership principles. Make sure you know these by heart and learn how to implement them in examples from past work situations.

  • Customer Obsession: number one goal is the customer
  • Ownership: responsibility for your actions
  • Invent and Simplify: make it simple.
  • Are Right, A Lot: you're correct most of the time
  • Learn and Be Curious: never stop learning and always seek self-improvement
  • Hire and Develop the Best: quality over quantity
  • Insist on the Highest Standards: keep raising the bar
  • Think Big: think the big picture and not only about your job
  • Bias for Action: take action instead of sitting on the sidelines
  • Frugality: cost-effectiveness is key to a successful business
  • Earn Trust: respect is the number key to teamwork
  • Dive Deep: don't be afraid to give it your all
  • Have Backbone, Disagree, and Commit: if you don't agree, stick to it. Don't crumble under pressure
  • Deliver Results: if you don't show anything for your work, then there is a problem

Amazon Manager Assessment and Interview FAQ

What Is an Area Manager at Amazon?

As an Area Manager at Amazon, you will lead a team of Amazon Associates in a Fulfillment Center. Your primary focus will be coordinating your team to ensure that the highest levels of safety, quality, attendance, and performance are maintained throughout the shift. Additionally, you will need to ensure that your team has all the necessary tools to succeed in any task during the shift.

 

What Does an Operations Manager at Amazon Do?

Managers in operations work each day to improve and set new standards in speed and quality and ensure the company's products meet customers' expectations.

Managers spend their days working closely with Fulfillment Centers’ associates. They help them achieve their individual and team goals, monitoring process efficiency, and communicating with site leaders to prioritize the workflow.

Additionally, operations managers are responsible for training and developing associates and providing the help they need to succeed at Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers.
What Is a Tier 3 Associate at Amazon?

The Amazon Tier 3 associates (often called process assistants or PA) are mostly team leads or production assistant managers who run the department and supervise associates on a ground level. Essentially, they are supervisors with "boots on the ground."
What Do Amazon MBAs do?

MBA graduates are hired by Amazon to work as managers in a variety of departments, such as retail, product management, Fulfillment Centers, finance, and more. Amazon plans to hire more than 1,000 MBA employees and interns in 2022 in its attempt to find more recruits with a combination of business and tech skills.

To get hired, you first must pass the MBA online assessment comprised of the Amazon Virtual Job Tryout and Amazon’s Work Style Assessment. Then, you need to go through several in-person interviews, including that Amazon Bar Raiser.
What Should I Wear to An Amazon Area Manager Interview?

Wear comfortable and casual clothes. Note that some positions in the Fulfillment Centers may ask you to avoid arriving with specific clothing for safety reasons. Nevertheless, most of Amazon's office workers wear everyday clothing to work.

 

 

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