5 Interviewing Tips From an Amazon Applicant Who Jeff Bezos Hired on the Spot

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I've learned that different people look for different things.

My strategy for interviews is to be curious and turn it into a two-way conversation as much as possible, more of a collaboration than question/answer. I try to imagine already working for the company, so I think of myself as a teammate. I reference other employees where I can, like "Jane Smith mentioned XYZ when I spoke with her the other day, and I find that very interesting because..." And a really great question to ask when you're prompted is "If I join the team and take on this role, then a year from now, what will success look like?" You can learn a surprising amount by engaging the interviewer and taking their lead, and often the recruiter will be able to prep you in advance, so you have some idea going in. If it's just for a pass, then you can mold your narrative to fit their expectations better. Ideally it would be a conversation to figure out how good of a fit it is.