Behavioral Interview: Assess Alignment with Amazon Leadership Principles (Data Scientist, Technical Phone Screen)

Scenario

You are interviewing for a Data Scientist role where customer impact, ownership, and data-driven decisions are critical. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure concise, metric-backed answers. Emphasize leadership principles (e.g., Customer Obsession, Ownership, Dive Deep, Bias for Action, Earn Trust, Deliver Results).

Instructions

• Keep answers focused (60–120 seconds each).
• Quantify outcomes (e.g., % lift, $ impact, p-values, latency reduction).
• Highlight your role, trade-offs, and learnings.

Questions

1. Who was your most difficult customer, and how did you handle the situation?
2. Give an example of a time you did not meet a client’s expectation. What happened, and how did you rectify it?
3. When supporting many customers, how do you prioritize their needs?
4. Tell the story of the last time you had to apologize to someone.
5. Describe a time when you had to leave a task unfinished and why.
6. Tell me about a project with unclear responsibilities—how did you proceed?
7. Give an example of a simple solution you delivered for a complex problem.
8. Tell me about a time you were wrong and what you learned.
9. Describe a time you mentored or developed someone.
10. When did you take a calculated risk and what was the outcome?
11. Tell me about an unpopular decision you made and how you gained support.
12. Describe a time you pivoted strategy when you were 75% through a project and still delivered results.
13. Give two examples when you did more than what was required in any job.
14. Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager—how did you handle it?
15. What is your proudest professional achievement and why?

Hints

• Use STAR; tie actions to customer impact and business metrics.
• Reference relevant leadership principles explicitly when natural.
• Use data, experiments, and measurable outcomes to support your story.