Acing the Amazon Bar Raiser Interview Process, Questions & Answers (2022)

The final interview at Amazon is called the “Bar Raiser Interview”. This is where someone outside of the hiring team (aka the “Bar Raiser”) asks you a number of questions. Here’s what it involves and how to ace it:

To get hired into a corporate role at Amazon, there is one person you absolutely need to convince. If they are not persuaded, you will not be hired.

In the final round, Amazon introduces a trained interviewer from outside the hiring team. They do not have the pressure of the hiring manager to fill the role quickly. They do have the power to veto your appointment. They are Amazon bar raisers and their job is to make sure you are better than 50% of Amazon’s current employees in the position you’re applying for.

In this article, we’ll look at how to ace your Amazon bar raiser interview process.

What Is a Bar Raiser at Amazon?

A bar raiser is trained to objectively assess whether interviewees match Amazon’s principles. They participate only in the final round of the interview process. To become a bar raiser at Amazon, you have to train in the bar raiser program. You can only enter the program by invitation from other bar raisers. Bar raisers exist to allow the company to make better long-term hiring decisions.

Amazon wants only employees who embody their 16 leadership principles:

1. Customer Obsession — work backwards from the customer’s needs in every circumstance.
2. Ownership — never say “that’s not my job” and always build long term value.
3. Invent and Simplify — look for new ideas from everywhere and simplify things to make them better.
4. Are Right, A Lot — work to disprove your beliefs but have good judgment.
5. Learn and Be Curious — constantly learn and take action to explore new opportunities.
6. Hire and Develop the Best — develop your team, mentor and support them.
7. Insist on the Highest Standards — make sure not to pass defects along the chain and expect very high performance of yourself and your team as standard.
8. Think Big — inspire great performance with a bold vision.