Amazon interview: Repeating stories?
Tactical question on interview prep: While answering behavioral questions, is it okay to use the same story to bring out different traits of leadership principle? E.g. If I've discussed a project with Interviewer 1 to show customer obsession, can I use the same project to demonstrate ownership while speaking to another interviewer? Curious to understand whether (and how) different interviewers speak to each other about a candidate. Thanks.
I told the same story and got declined. The process is a joke. More than half of every interview is to talk about bs leadership. It’s to find the best liar and political one. Some questions are for sure many people don’t really have anything to talk about.
Given the context: I have 2 years exp. interviewing for sde 2. 5 interviews + 1 lunch. They all ask the same set of questions or barely rephrased ones. I told I was asked the question, the interviewers were all “ok” with me telling it again. The most boring and bs interview I’ve ever had. When I asked them back questions, they barely answered well or avoid it. I guess if they apply the same bs on themselves, they will also fail. Technical questions are a joke comparing to other FANG I went to. For those interviewing, they DO spend more than half every interview for this bs, so if you don’t have other options, do prepare for the bs. Good luck!
I got the same question 4 times (conflict with coworker related) Used the same story 3 times and got an offer.
Seems unlikely. Interviewers almost never have overlapping LP assignments.
That’s what I thought. I asked the recruiter. It turns out the conflict/disagreement scenario can apply to demonstrate multiple LPs. So they were likely assessing different things
My recruiter and leader of the technical prep phone call both strongly pointed out that you should not repeat a story. In my onsite, I was having trouble coming up with a story that I hadn’t already used and, when I mentioned that, he just skipped the question rather than have me tell him.
Well I guess my recruiter wasn’t that nice to tell me not to repeat. But even so I don’t have 6 different stories for the same set of questions. I call it bs for sure. Whatever, happy with other FANG I’m going to. No idea why Ad would move from Uber to Amazon. The vibe at Amazon day one is really meh comparing to other top companies hq.
Please elaborate on "leader of the technical prep phone call"
Better to tell an interviewer you were asked the same question twice than answer it twice. Also, if you always rely on the same story to make every point, it raises the question have you done only one thing; or do you only have one good example of when you weren’t a jerk to work with; etc etc
If you get the exact same question, you definitely should mention that and let the interviewer decide if they want to change it. It’s ok to use the same story for 2 interviews, but I wouldn’t use it 3 times..
In my opinion, depends on the job level. Level 5 and below you can get away with repeating stories. Level 6 and above, if you repeat stories it is assumed that you don’t have enough experience to be competent at that level. I’m an L6 HM and BR.
Right on, Agreed!
If you're still really new in the industry (less than say 3 years experience), you can't be expected to have different stories for everything. If you're a more seasoned candidate of 10+ years of experience, it's expected that you've done more than one thing where various leadership traits emerged. Before you interview, you should write down the LPs and write down an example for each. The value in this exercise is that you'll remember things you wouldn't just recall on the spot.
Asked my recruiter the exact same question, she said try to come up with different stories
It's ok the reuse a story but don't use the same example more than twice. It's a red flag if everyone hears the s example for different LPs
Have at least 3 stories ready that showcase leadership principles. I had 2 stories per LP ready.
We have 14 lps so you had 28 stories?
Same story, different perspective