Amazon may have a strong image of being “one of the world's largest e-commerce companies” and “a representative tech company,” but the reality is much more multifaceted. From our marketing methods to our internal communications and decision-making processes, we have a unique culture that embodies the "Amazon-ness." In this article, we will not delve deeply into the famous Leadership Principles (LP), but rather focus on the unique culture and customs that are not often talked about, and try to understand the kind of human resources that Amazon is looking for.
The target audience is people in their late 20s who have been in charge of marketing at a Japanese consumer goods manufacturer. Although he had a track record in brand marketing at a major domestic company, he decided to advance his career at Amazon because he wanted to learn business in a more global field and with a sense of speed.The biggest question for such a person is whether or not he or she fits Amazon's culture, and how to demonstrate this in an interview.
In this article, we will reconsider Amazon's frequently mentioned keywords such as "customer orientation" and "ownership" from a more specific and unique perspective, and introduce ways to effectively demonstrate that you are a good fit for Amazon. In particular, I would like you to grasp the key points of “translating the branding and customer experience knowledge cultivated at a Japanese consumer goods manufacturer to the Amazon style.”
“Day 1” spirit: always act like a startup
When talking about Amazon's culture, the concept of "Day 1" is surprisingly important. This message is to “always act as if you were a startup on day one” and means that even as your company grows, you will not lose your sense of speed and desire to take on challenges.
If you work at a Japanese consumer goods company, you may tend to avoid adventure by using already established frameworks and payment flows because your brand is established. However, Amazon is characterized by a strong culture in which “even if you fail, you just have to learn.” In fact, new attempts are encouraged.
Interview preparation tips
– Among the marketing measures you have undertaken so far, are there any stories in which you tried something new? It will be more persuasive if there are stories of companies acting without fear of change, such as using SNS experimentally on a limited budget or reviewing outdated promotional methods and converting them to digital. – Let's organize what we learned as a result of running the project beyond existing frameworks, along with specific numbers. Surprisingly, Japanese companies are also implementing such initiatives, so the trick is to explain them by linking them to the "Day 1 Mindset."
“Two pizzas suffice for a team”: Small-scale, highly efficient organization management
At Amazon, we have a culture of not making teams too large and allowing small groups of people to work independently to speed up decision-making and facilitate innovation. As the phrase “Two-Pizza Team” suggests, this unique idea is rooted in the idea that each team should have as many people as two pizzas.
This idea is a system to maintain startup-like footwork as much as possible even if it is a huge company. For those with no experience working in a foreign company, you may recall the experience of departments you belonged to that had dozens to hundreds of people and decision-making was slow. At Amazon, it's the exact opposite, so the key is whether or not you can actively enjoy a flexible working style.
Interview preparation tips
– Have you ever had the experience of forming a small group within a large organization and implementing measures in a short period of time? For example, when launching a campaign for a new product, we created a small team of elite people to manage the project. – If you have a case study in which your idea was discussed with a small group of people and quickly implemented, it would be easy to demonstrate that you understand Amazon's “Two-Pizza Team” culture. – If you can talk about the merits and difficulties of “achieving results without a large team,” it becomes more realistic.
"Working Backwards": The process of working backwards from the goal
In Amazon's product development and marketing, a method called "Working Backwards" is famous. This is an approach that starts with the customer experience, envisions an ideal goal, and then works backwards from there to assemble development and measures.
In Japanese consumer goods marketing, this may be similar to the method of delving into the brand vision and consumer insights before solidifying the product concept. However, in the case of Amazon, they have a unique culture of “writing press releases first.”
Interview preparation tips
– When conducting brand marketing, if you have experience of first clarifying the goal image and then creating measures backwards, you will be familiar with “Working Backwards.” – Specifically, it would be a good idea to talk about an example of working backwards while keeping in mind the future customer experience, such as creating a complete image first (for example, imagining the scene in which the consumer will experience the moment they pick up the product). - In Amazon's style, by talking in detail about “what your ultimate goal was from a customer perspective,” you can give the interviewer the impression that you have “a background in working backwards.”
“Disagree and Commit”: Even if there are differences of opinion, once a decision has been made, we will do everything in our power to do so.
One of the concepts that is often talked about on Amazon is "Disagree and Commit." This is the behavioral principle of fully committing to a final decision once it has been made, even if there are conflicting opinions during the discussion.
In the case of Japanese companies, there is often a strong culture of following the decisions of superiors, but at Amazon there is a lot of discussion that goes beyond hierarchical relationships, and when your opinion doesn't match yours, it's important to know how to argue with respect and change your mind if you get results.
Interview preparation tips
– Have you ever had the experience of daring to express an opinion that conflicts with your superiors, or of coordinating the interests of different departments? At that time, he was not completely satisfied with the final conclusion, but after making the decision, he invested resources beyond his own position. – You can demonstrate to the interviewer that you are a good fit with Amazon's culture by showing both your “logical thinking and opinion exchange process” as well as your “flexibility and teamwork that spares no effort in cooperating after a decision is made.”
“Frugality”: Maximize results with minimum resources
Another thing that is surprisingly little known is Amazon's important culture of "Frugality" (an attitude of frugality and eliminating waste). Despite being a huge company, they have a strict policy of not wasting resources unnecessarily, such as on office furniture and travel expenses.
The marketing departments of Japanese consumer goods manufacturers sometimes run extravagant campaigns and large-scale events to build their brands. However, at Amazon, there are many cases where a mindset of “aiming for the maximum return with the minimum budget” is more strongly required.
Interview preparation tips
– Even in situations where a large budget is not available, stories of effective sales promotions using customer insights and examples of high ROI achieved through ingenuity are very effective. – Prepare an anecdote about how your ideas and analytical skills led to success even with limited resources. If you specifically show data and actual values (sales increase rate, cost reduction rate, etc.) here, the interviewer's evaluation will increase.
Tips for highlighting your strengths the Amazon way
In short, the type of person Amazon is looking for is someone who enjoys change. Although Amazon is a large company, like a startup, it emphasizes speed and continues to take on challenges in a variety of fields, so motivation to take action and produce results is essential.
For example, for those who have worked in marketing at Japanese consumer goods manufacturers, their strengths are often their “delicate care for brands” and “skills for thinking deeply about customer experience.” If you don't know about Amazon's culture, you might think that it's just a foreign company that's all about being aggressive, but in reality, it's a company that thinks thoroughly about customer satisfaction.
Interview preparation tips
– When talking about your experience in understanding customers through brand management, it is more likely to attract the interest of Amazon interviewers if you talk about real-life customer experiences, such as “I specifically picked up consumer feedback and made improvements,” rather than just talking about numbers and achievements. – Even in promotions, if there are examples of strengthening online customer contact points (using SNS and digital advertising operations), it can show compatibility with Amazon's data-driven marketing. – Emphasizing the desire to “give up the stability of a large company and take risks” gives a sense of the Day 1 spirit and innovation orientation.
Summary: Understand Amazon's culture and use your uniqueness as a weapon
So far, without delving into the Leadership Principles (LP), we have introduced some of Amazon's unique culture. Day 1 spirit, Two-Pizza Team's small-scale approach, Working Backwards' customer perspective, Disagree and Commit's commitment, and Frugality's frugality - all are essential keywords when talking about the type of human resources Amazon is looking for.
Many people from Japanese companies are good at taking a delicate approach to consumers and customers. You may feel worried about whether you will fit into Amazon's culture, but in reality, simply translating your strengths into "Amazon-specification" can turn your business into a great source of appeal.
“Prepare specific examples and emphasize your experience of achieving results in a small team.” “Be aware of Working Backwards and share backward-thinking thinking with customer experience as the goal.” “Use conflicting opinions constructively and demonstrate a firm commitment to the final decision.” “Introduce your achievements in cost-effective marketing, along with figures.”
If you approach the interview with these points in mind, it will be easier to get the candidate to think, “This candidate could succeed at Amazon.”
Establish your own style with GCAP AMAZON and get closer to a job offer
Although Amazon is a huge company, it is a rare entity that maintains a unique culture. Proper preparation and research are essential in order to successfully translate your experience into an Amazon-style interview.
Therefore, we recommend the GCAP AMAZON service. – We provide thorough support from application screening to interview preparation so that even those with no experience working in a foreign company can feel at ease. – Together with a professional coach who deeply understands Amazon's culture (a former Amazon employee, a foreign HR manager, and a career advisor specializing in international companies), we provide know-how to convert your stories into the "Amazon language" and maximize your strengths. – Provides specific advice on how to combine branding and customer understanding skills unique to Japanese companies with data-driven verification.
We are not just a “career move school for international companies”, but we will update “your strengths” to a form that will work on Amazon, and support you until you succeed in the interview. We also offer free interviews, so if you have any concerns about whether you can really succeed at Amazon, please feel free to contact us.
If you want to make the marketing skills you've cultivated even more successful in the global market, understand Amazon's culture and start preparing to boldly promote your areas of expertise. This step will help you advance your career as a marketer who can go beyond the boundaries of a major domestic company and become a world-class marketer.
Author
Global Career Incubator Co., Ltd. CEO Shinichi Ikawa
Biography: Entered the business world after working for the Ministry of Defense (National Class I) and the Australian Ministry of Defence. After working at a major real estate company, he started a real estate venture and experienced management and recruitment at a domestic fund, domestic business company, and overseas tech company before founding our company.
Developed a career accelerator program based on my experience as a corporate manager and hiring manager. We specialize in foreign-affiliated, bilingual, and senior talent, and support individual career advancement and corporate organizational strength and efficiency.