21 Amazon Behavioral Interview
Questions & Answers

How to Answer Amazon’s Behavioral Interview Questions

The most effective way to answer Amazon’s behavioral interview questions is to use the STAR method. Sometimes, this is referred to as the STAR technique.

The STAR method is a useful way to structure your answers to common behavioral interview questions that ensures you cover all areas that are being assessed. First, let’s explore what the STAR method is and how you can use it to answer Amazon’s tough leadership principles interview questions.

WHAT IS THE STAR METHOD?

The star method consists of the following four elements:

• SITUATION
• TASK
• ACTION
• RESULT

SITUATION – Begin your answer by briefly explaining what the situation was you were faced with. There’s no need to go into great detail here, but make sure you give the hiring manager an overview of the situation you had to deal with.

“I was faced with a situation in a previous role where I needed to respond to a customer complaint.” 

TASK – The next stage of the STAR method is to give details relating to the task that needed to be done. Again, you do not need to give in-depth details relating to the task, but it is important that you show an awareness of what you need to do.

“The task here required me to listen to the customer, ask relevant questions and quickly get to the bottom of their complaint.”

ACTION – The action element of the STAR method is usually the part that is the most detailed. Here, you will give details about the action you took and the action others took to complete the task.

“I started off by listening to the customer carefully. I let them speak and I allowed them to vent their frustrations. I then asked them questions to ascertain exactly what had happened. Whilst they were talking I used effective listening skills to make them feel valued. Once they had finished speaking I apologized for the problem and told them what I planned to do to put things right. I then double-checked to ensure they were satisfied with my proposed course of action.”

RESULT – The final stage of the STAR method is to reveal the results following your actions. It is a good idea to make sure the result is positive following your intervention.

“At the end of the call, the customer thanked me for my understanding and for my quick actions in resolving their complaint. I then spoke to my manager to explain what had happened and I gave him my recommendations for ensuring the same complaint did not happen again.”

As you can see from the above information, the STAR technique or method is a brilliant way to ensure you give specific, detailed answers to Amazon’s behavioral and leadership principles interview questions!