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Welcome to your guide…

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25 AMAZON OPERATIONS
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MANAGER INTERVIEW
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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For personal use only.

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Q1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to become an Operations Manager.
Sample Answer:
Thank you for inviting me to be interviewed for this Operations Manager position today. My name is xxx,
and over the last few years I have built up considerable skills and qualities that are a strong match for the
job description. I am a confident leader who can manage multiple tasks and projects whilst under
pressure. I am someone who always insists on the highest standards achievable and I will work tirelessly
to help my employer achieve their commercial objectives. I am a self-starter who will go out of my way to
learn things quickly. I am particularly good at analyzing unclear or ambiguous data and information to
make the right decisions, and I pride myself on delivering exceptional customer service. For example, in
previous roles, my senior managers would often praise me during annual performance reviews for the
way I increased customer satisfaction levels and repeat business. As one of Amazon’s Operations
Managers, I understand I will have many responsibilities and duties, all of which will need to be carried

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out with the utmost attention to detail. I am excited about the opportunity this role presents and if you hire

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me to work at Amazon, you have my assurance that I will be dynamic, forward-thinking, and focused on
the customer in everything I do.
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Q2. Why do you want to work for Amazon?
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Sample Answer:
One of the main reasons I want to work for Amazon is because you are the best at what you do. You
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have revolutionized e-commerce in many ways, and the way people now shop and buy both online and
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in-store is down to Amazon. I believe Amazon will be a place I can grow, where I can put my skills and
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experience to good use, and a place where I will be constantly pushed and challenged. I have personal
goals outside of work, and the only way I will achieve those goals is if I do an outstanding job for my
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employer. I have researched Amazon in detail in the build-up to this interview and the more I read and
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got to find out about the company, including the leadership principles, the more the role excited me.

Q3. Tell me about a time when you had to make a quick decision that was going to have a
significant impact on the business.
Sample Answer:
SITUATION: I was working in a previous role and a situation occurred whereby the decision I made
would have a massive impact on a sale we were going to launch online the following day. We had spent
many weeks getting ready for the online sale, and a lot depended on it. The day before the sale was due
to commence our website developed a serious problem whereby orders were not being processed
correctly.

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TASK: Customers were abandoning their online shopping carts and I needed to make a fast decision
without getting clearance from my senior manager who was on annual leave. It was my job to decide the
best course of action to take to ensure the website was back up and running by the following day in time
for the sale. The clock was ticking and I needed to act fast.
ACTION: After calling around several local IT companies for assistance, none of them were available at
short notice so I decided to use my initiative and look online. After an hour of searching, I managed to
find a trusted web developer via the outsourcing website Upwork.com who was available to do the work.
After checking his credentials, I permitted him to do the work after agreeing to a fixed fee cost. I then
stayed online chatting to him via the Upwork live chat facility to make sure he was making progress and
to answer any questions he had about the website.
RESULT: After 90 minutes of investigative work he had found the problem and resolved it. The issue

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was based on a problem with one of our website plugins that was causing a malfunction within the

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shopping cart. By acting quickly and decisively I was able to make sure everything was ready for the
following day's online sale.
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Q4. How do you build trust with other people?
Sample Answer:
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I build trust with people by being honest, transparent and by doing what I say I am going to do within set
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timescales. I build trust by setting high standards, leading by example, and by being consistent with
everyone I manage or come into contact with. For example, in previous roles, I had a reputation for being
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someone who could be relied upon and trusted to do a good job on time, and someone who others could
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rely on when things were getting difficult or challenging. Trust has many benefits in the workplace. It
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enhances teamwork and collaboration, improves efficiency, relationships and productivity, and it
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empowers effective decision-making. Trust is built over time and you have to prove to everyone you
come into contact with at work that you are capable of helping the organization achieve its goals.

Q5. What are the most important skills and qualities needed to be an Operations Manager at
Amazon?
Sample Answer:
There are twelve vital skills and qualities needed to be a competent Operations Manager for Amazon. In
no particular order, you must have EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS. After all, without
satisfied and loyal customers, Amazon would not have been so successful. You must be a STRONG
LEADER and possess exceptional ATTENTION TO DETAIL skills. An effective Operations Manager will

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do everything to exacting standards and in line with Amazon’s operational protocols and procedures. You
must be an outstanding COMMUNICATOR and be able to BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS with team
members, senior managers, and stakeholders. An effective Amazon Operations Manager will be good at
MANIPULATING DATA AND INFORMATION and then be able to use it to MAKE EFFECTIVE
DECISIONS that are in the best interests of the organization. You must be capable of WORKING AT
PACE and be able to HANDLE THE PRESSURE that comes with the role. Amazon is an innovative
company that always acts with speed, passion, and a focus on the needs of its customers and you must
be able to keep up with the pace of progression. Finally, you must be a STRONG DECISION MAKER,
possess outstanding PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, and have a GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS.

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Q6. What do you know about Amazon?

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Sample Answer:

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Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in his garage in 1994. Initially, it started as “Cadabra” selling books.
Jeff Bezos’ second name choice for the business was Relentless.com which still forwards to the Amazon
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website. The name Amazon was chosen because of its association with the Amazon river which
represented huge depth and volume. Amazon sells everything and it is obsessed with its customers. The
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Amazon logo with its smile from the letter A to Z represents its commitment to outstanding customer
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service. In 2004, Amazon turned a profit, and soon after it launched the Kindle which revolutionized the
way people now read books. The Amazon Kindle sold out within five and a half hours at a price of $399.
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Although Amazon operates all around the globe, its headquarters are in Seattle where an estimated
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40,000 or its 300,000 worldwide workforce live. Amazon has 14 leadership principles that are used every
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day by its staff to discuss new ideas or to find the best solution to challenging problems. More recently,
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Amazon has been branching out into physical stores including Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Amazon
Books, Amazon 4-star, and Amazon Go Grocery. Amazon’s constant ability to innovate and provide the
customer with what they need means its future will continue to be bright and successful.

Q7. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Sample Answer:
My strengths include my management and leadership capabilities and the fact that I will always deliver in
any role I undertake. I am renowned for delivering on time-sensitive projects to high standards and within
budget. I am a confident manager who makes difficult decisions and who holds his team accountable.
Other important strengths include my communication skills, my passion for customer service, and my

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levels of commercial awareness. I will work with my senior company executives to ensure all commercial
and operational objectives are met. My weaknesses include the fact that I find it hard to say no to people,
and I don’t like asking other people for help. Since I can remember, I tend to say yes when people ask
me for help or assistance, even if I can’t take on the extra work. However, when it comes to me asking
for other people’s help, I prefer to figure things out for myself which is not always the right approach to
take. I am the type of manager who believes there is always something new to learn and I will always be
open to constructive feedback from my seniors within this Operations Manager position.

Q8. Explain a time when you encountered a difficult problem. How did you solve it?
Sample Answer:
I was working on a project in a previous role with four other team members. Halfway through the project,

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one of our parts suppliers, unfortunately, went into administration. This setback had the potential to put

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back the project by up to three weeks. The problem was, the client whose project we were working on,

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had given us a definitive timescale for completion, which could not be put back under any circumstances.
We had to find a way to overcome this challenge and so we got together to brainstorm ideas. No other
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supplier in the immediate area was immediately available. However, I recommended that we widen our
search criteria online and eventually we found a supplier who was located internationally. That afternoon,
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I made contact with the supplier and we began negotiations. Although the parts they were going to
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supply for the project were going to cost us 10% more than we had budgeted for, we needed not to let
the client down. Three days later the parts arrived, and we worked around the clock to get the project
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completed on time and to the right standard.

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Q9. Tell me about your previous work experience?

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Sample Answer:
I have held three previous positions where I gained numerous experience, skills, and qualities that are a
match for this job description. I started out working in a customer service role where I was responsible for
helping customers, serving them, and looking for ways to upsell to increase profitability. I believe the
customer service skills I gained in that role will be of huge benefit working for Amazon. I then took on a
junior manager role in retail helping to manage the daily operations of a small store. I had to ensure the
store was safe, ready for trade, and liaise with suppliers and contractors to ensure the store was always
fully stocked. Finally, in my last role, I was a senior supervisor in a customer service call center. This was
a very busy environment to work in and I was responsible for ensuring all staff met customer service key

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performance indicators each day. Again, the experience of managing tight deadlines, managing staff,
and ensuring customer service standards were high will help me in this Operations Manager role.

Q10. Describe your management style?

Sample Answer:
My management style is a combination of different key elements that are designed to achieve results. I
am a firm Operations Manager who sets high standards. I am decisive in my decision-making and
somebody who expects their team to continually improve, evolve and develop. I achieve this by being
supportive of my team, but at the same time, I expect nothing but hard work and commitment from my
team members. I always strive to get the best from my team and will always deliver the best results for
my employer.

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Q11. Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline. How did you react and what did you do?
Sample Answer:
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I don’t like to fail, but if I do, I always take ownership, put things right, and above all, view it as an
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opportunity to learn, grow and develop. During a challenging and exciting project at work in a previous
role, I was part of a team of talented people who were working on the creation of a new product for an
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important client. The task required us to work together as a team and use our combined expertise and
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experience to create the product for the client within very strict timescales and specifications. The project
should have been a breeze, simply because we had done this type of work together many times before.
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We started as usual with the project manager giving the team the usual brief. I can remember thinking
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the brief was perhaps not clear enough for the specification required by the client, but I chose not to say
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anything, which ended up being a huge mistake. Part-way through the project, it became apparent we
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had missed a very important specification of the product, which ended up putting us two weeks behind
schedule. Although the client was forgiving and allowed us additional time to complete the project, we
had failed to deliver on our promises as a team. During the team debrief, I disclosed I had concerns
during the initial team briefing, but I chose not to say anything. I apologized for not doing so. As a team,
we learned a lot from that experience and moving forward the same mistake never happened again.

Q12. Give me an example of a time when your idea failed.

Sample Answer:
I was in a meeting discussing the launch of a new product. I came up with what I felt was an innovative
method for promoting the product to our previous customer database. My idea was to launch the product

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over three days by emailing our customer database to build up some excitement about the product which
would be officially launched on the third day. On the day of the launch, we would email our customers
with a 15% discount code for them to buy the product. Unfortunately, on the first and second day of
launch, we lost 20% of our subscriber list. I spent time analyzing why this happened and it was simply
down to the fact that the customers wanted to buy the product there and then instead of waiting three
days to receive the discount code. I learned a lot from that mistake and moving forward we always
launched a product on the same day that we offered our customers the discount code.

Q13. Tell me about a time when you managed to find a simple solution to a complex problem.
Sample Answer:
I was in a meeting in my previous job where the company’s sales figures were being discussed by the

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managers. Although the sales figures were healthy, there was concern amongst the group that the

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profitability was not as good as it should be, due to the marketing spend that was ongoing. At the end of

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the meeting, I decided to try and find a solution to this problem. I met up with the marketing team, and
they explained to me the bulk of the marketing spend was going on Facebook and social media adverts.
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After some investigative work, it became apparent that the team was not using Facebook tracking pixels
that are designed to measure the performance of the advertising spend. I quickly informed them of what I
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had found, and moving forward from that day on, the organization was able to measure accurately the
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marketing return on investment. This allowed us to cease adverts that were not giving us any return,
which in turn increased profitability.
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Q14. Tell me about your biggest accomplishment to date.

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Sample Answer:
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My biggest accomplishment is starting as a manager in my previous role and turning around an

underperforming team. I was managing a team of twelve people and the majority of the staff were
demotivated, they lacked training, and they lacked direction and leadership. To turn them around, I
assessed their performance, I conducted appraisals, I provided training and guidance, and I set each
member tasks that were aligned to the strategic goals of the business. I then provided motivational
guidance and coaching moving forward and I was firm in respect of the standards I expected from
everyone.

Q15. What’s your approach to the training and coaching of staff?

Sample Answer:

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I believe training and coaching should be aligned to the performance reviews I would conduct of my staff.
During any performance appraisal review, I will assess the strengths and weaknesses of each team
member, what motivates them, and provide timely and effective training to help them continually improve.
Training should also be aligned with the needs of the organization. For example, if there is a change in
organizational policy that staff needs to be prepared for, I will provide appropriate training. I also believe
training should be provided as and when a need is identified. For example, if there is a safety incident
within my team, it will be reported, and appropriate training provided so that it does not happen again.

Q16. What kind of KPIs would you use as our Operations Manager?
Sample Answer:
I would use the KPIs required by Amazon and the ones that are aligned to your strategic objectives. In

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my experience, the best operational Key Performance Indicators include the ones focused on the use of

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labor, operational margins, customer satisfaction rates, cash flow within the department, business

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process metrics, logistical timescales, customer order delivery rates, operating margins, effective and
timely training of staff, and customer lifetime value.
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Q17. Describe a time when your team was not as effective as it should have been.
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Sample Answer:
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When I first started working in a management role I made a mistake whereby I let my team get on with
their work without supervising them closely enough. I wanted to be a coaching style manager instead of
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being autocratic, and it was a mistake. My team soon slacked off and before I knew it the company
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owner called me in to complain about the lack of progress from my team. I felt terrible that I let the
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company and myself down. I immediately made the changes needed and took firm control of my team
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moving forward, giving clear instructions and guidance each day. I learned a huge amount from that early
managerial experience and it made me a much stronger manager moving forward.

Q18. Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision with limited information.
Sample Answer:
In a previous role, I was often required to make quick decisions without much information to hand. One
particular situation involved a client requesting important changes to a project we were working on for
them and they needed an answer within the hour. Normally, I would take the time to calculate a cost-
based exercise to determine the impact on our budget and the profitability whenever a client requested
additions or changes. However, this was not possible. I weighed up the risks of losing the client for future

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projects as they had already spent a considerable amount of money with us over the years. On that
basis, I agreed to the changes but reiterated there would not anymore. I only ever make quick decisions
if the risk of not doing is at the detriment of the organization I am working for. I will always balance risks
versus the benefits in any situation like this that I am presented with.

Q19. How would you balance client needs with business needs?
Sample Answer:
I would use the Amazon Leadership Principles in any decision that was made and balancing client or
customer needs with business needs would be the same. I would have a responsibility to be frugal but at
the same time provide outstanding customer and client service. I would always go out of my way to meet
the needs of the customer or client but I would also keep a close eye on costs, operational efficiency, and

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the use of resources. For example, if I was asked to help a client or deliver on a project for them and

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there was no benefit to the organization, I would politely decline. However, if there was a positive

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outcome for the organization that meant we could progress or increase profitability, then I would go all
out to deliver on the project. Balancing client and business needs a fine balancing act and you must use
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data and information, and your knowledge and expertise to make an appropriate decision.
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Q20. Give me an example of a time when you changed the viewpoint of a superior.
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Sample Answer:
SITUATION: I once disagreed with my boss about how to deal with a customer who had made a
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complaint. The customer was extremely irate, and they were demanding not only a replacement product
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but a full refund, too. This went again company policy and my senior manager was refusing to give in to
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their demands.
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TASK: Based on my experience, I felt we needed to meet the demands of the customer and so I saw it
as my responsibility to challenge my boss professionally and amicably.
ACTION: I explained to my boss in private how I felt that not agreeing to the customers’ demands, it
could potentially make the situation worse. The customer was threatening to speak to trading standards,
and they were also going to leave a negative review online. I explained that we had an opportunity here
to try and work with the customer to improve our service moving forward; something which I felt was
important.
RESULT: After a few discussions backward and forwards with my boss, he agreed with my approach to
dealing with the customer and I then managed to defuse the situation and make it work to our advantage
by working with the customer to improve our customer service standards.

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Q21. Tell me about a time when you used your initiative to solve a team management issue or
problem.
Sample Answer:
When I first started working as a manager in my previous role, I held an initial staff meeting soon after
starting. I was aware that there were several problems between some members of the team. The team
wasn’t working as effectively as I wanted it to, so we all discussed ways in which we could improve. The
actions of the team were starting to affect the team’s overall performance, so I decided to take the
initiative to resolve the issue. I facilitated the meeting and asked everybody to share their views and
opinions. I listened to each person individually and tried to encourage people to come up with solutions to
improve the team’s effectiveness. A positive point that came from our discussions was that people felt

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the previous manager didn’t hold enough meetings to talk about the problems we all face and how we

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could support each other as a team. Communication had been an issue up until that point. With

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immediate effect, I decided that we would hold bi-weekly meetings to discuss issues, gather and share
information, and look for ways that the tea could support each other in completing ad meeting our
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strategic aims and objectives. Since the initial meeting, the team has moved forward significantly and is
now working far more effectively.
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Q22. How would you manage underperformance in a team that you were responsible for?
Sample Answer:
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I have been in this situation before, so I have do have an example of how I motivate someone who was
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underperforming. A few years ago I joined a new team and one of the first tasks I undertook was to carry
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out appraisals with each team member. One team member, in particular, appeared disinterested and his
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attitude towards the team goals was poor. I started by trying to get to know what motivated him by asking
probing questions. It soon became clear that his skills, and more importantly his key strengths, were not
being utilized. I immediately assigned him to a new project that was based on his strengths and skillset. I
also gave him responsibility for overseeing the delivery of that particular project. I immediately noticed a
difference in his behavior and performance. After 4 weeks, he had completed the task successfully. He
delivered the task 2 weeks ahead of schedule. He went on to be an outstanding team member. As the
Operations Manager, it would be my responsibility to empower and motivate my staff and I would achieve
this by getting to know them individually and aligning tasks with their core strengths.

Q23. What is the difference between leadership and management?

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Sample Answer:
The difference between leadership and management is that leadership is inspiring, motivating, and
directing a team of people towards achieving a set goal, project, or target, whilst management is making
effective use of the resources, tools, and people you have at your disposal to achieve the same company
goal, project or target. I believe that to be effective, you need to have a strong balance of both leadership
and management skills within the Operations Manager role to be successful.

Q24. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Sample Answer:
I see myself working for Amazon, as a competent and professional Operations Manager, or even
perhaps having obtained advancement within your company to a senior level. Having researched

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Amazon in detail, you are an innovative and forward-thinking company that has exciting plans for the

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future. I see my career development and progression solely with your company and I am genuinely

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excited to work for you, if you feel of course, that I am a suitable fit for your team and organization.
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Q25. That’s the end of your Amazon Operations Manager interview, do you have questions for
us?
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Sample Answer:
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QUESTION – What are the immediate challenges for me in this role if I am successful
QUESTION – What are the plans for Amazon over the next five to ten years and how can I, as an
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Operations Manager, help you to achieve them?

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QUESTION – What advice would you give to a new Operations Manager working for Amazon if they
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want to excel in the role?

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How to Use These Interview Questions and Answers:

These interview questions and answers are intended to guide you in your preparation for your job
interview. These questions have been picked by the PassMyInterview team because we believe
that they are the best representative of what you will face in your interview.

The sample answers in this resource are collated from years of experience and research in the
recruitment sector. The answers confidently display the appropriate qualities and competencies
that the interviewer expects from successful candidates.

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Read the sample answers carefully, and take note of what skills and competencies they
demonstrate. You might notice that, when the question asks for examples, the answer uses the
STAR method to construct the response:

Situation. Start off your response to the interview question by explaining what the ‘situation’ was
and who was involved.

Task. Once you have detailed the situation, explain what the ‘task’ was, or what needed to be

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done.

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Action. Now explain what ‘action’ you took, and what action others took. Also explain why you
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took this particular course of action.

Result. Explain to the panel what you would do differently if the same situation arose again. It is
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good to be reflective at the end of your responses. This demonstrates a level of maturity and it
will also show the panel that you are willing to learn from every experience.
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In order to get the best possible results, apply this system to your own examples and experiences
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in working life. These sample answers are intended to inspire you to create your own responses
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to the questions.

Disclaimer:
PassMyInterview is not responsible for anyone failing any part of any selection process as a result
of the information contained within this resource. PassMyInterview and their authors cannot accept
any responsibility for any errors or omissions within this resource, however caused. No
responsibility for loss or damage occasioned by any person acting, or refraining from action, as a
result of the material in this publication can be accepted by PassMyInterview.

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Get more guides, books and training courses at the website www.How2Become.com.
IMPORTANT: All resources, products, content, and training from PassMyInterview is
intended for educational use only, as an aid to help you prepare and come up with your
own honest answers. You must not copy (plagiarise) these answers in your interview.
Instead, follow the guidance near the end of this pack under the heading “How To Use These
Interview Questions And Answers” and use these suggested answers as an educational aid
to help you generate your own unique and honest answers. PassMyInterview is not acting
in conjunction with, or associated with, any third-party organisation.

Copyright © PassMyInterview.com. All Rights Reserved.

For personal use only.

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