I was contacted by an Amazon recruiter about a job opportunity and asked to respond to a few standard behavioral questions. I then received a follow up call to interview with the hiring manager. I agreed and the interview was scheduled. The hiring manager called about 10 minutes late but was very apologetic and explained that she was on a business trip and had to find an available space to conduct the interview. I was very professional and understanding as I have been in business for a while and know something about multi-tasking. Furthermore, she was calling me from what I believe to be her company issued cell phone which makes it easier to travel and conduct business.
The interview started out well with your typical standard type of questions. My advice would be to spend time researching the company and be prepared to explain why you are interested in Amazon. I spent an entire day researching the company so I was able to clearly express my thoughts about the organization's vision, mission, and most importantly, its customer-centric focus, something Amazon feels strongly about. The next couple of questions were about my background and work experience but I didn't get too far before the call was suddenly dropped. I waited about ten minutes to get a call back and finally received a from the hiring manager, again apologizing and explaining that her phone lost power and she needed to find a different office with an outlet. I thought it was odd that she would not check her cell phone's battery life before the scheduled call. After all, they asked me to be prepared for a 45 minute call and I made sure my phone was powered up and plugged in during the call.
Again, I said no problem and remain focused on where we left off. I noticed that she lost track of where we left off so I politely restated her last question to make sure she was ready and I then continued with my answer. The rest of the interview continued with no distractions and consisted of your standard behavioral type questions focused on past workplace experiences. For me, this was probably one of my best interviews because I was really prepared. That being said, I did not hear back about the position. Sometimes interviewing well doesn't mean you'll get the job. These managers know something about their organization's culture and who will be the best fit. The most important thing is not to take it personally and view each opportunity to interview as a learning experience. Eventually you will find the right job!
