From its humble beginnings as an online bookstore to its recent purchase of Whole Foods, Amazon dominates the retail landscape.
As a result, it’s no surprise the company has been on a hiring spree in recent months. Just last year, Amazon hired 110,000 employees and plans to grow its full-time U.S.-based workforce to over 280,000 in the next 18 months.
But even with the hiring frenzy, scoring a position at the company is no easy feat.
In fact, Amazon is one of the most sought-after employers in the U.S., according to LinkedIn’s list of the top companies of 2017. The company receives thousands of applications for each open position.
However, knowing what the company wants in new employees can help you get hired for a coveted position.
Merriam Park, Amazon’s director of university recruiting, spoke about how to land a job at Amazon in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
Her first insight: The company culture is laser-focused on customers, and that’s a trait they look for in new hires.
“It’s understanding that about us and researching how it manifests itself in how we operate,” says Park. “Everything we do makes a difference in added value to our customers.”
That’s something CEO Jeff Bezos points out himself. “Many companies describe themselves as customer-focused, but few walk the walk,” he says. “Most big technology companies are competitor focused. They see what others are doing, and then work to fast follow.”
By listening to customers, Amazon is able to give them what they actually want, says Bezos. An example of this is Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud service platform designed to solve a simple problem for customers: not having enough storage space.
Bezos says that “90 to 95 percent of what we build in AWS is driven by what customers tell us they want.” The service now has a valuation of $160 billion.
Amazon also looks to hire people who are able to solve complex issues. Park tells Cosmo that in interviews with the company, applicants should “focus on a problem and how to solve it” to show that they can deliver results.
“I encourage candidates to give examples that show how they can follow an inquiry and get to the root cause of something,” Park says. “Give an example of going above and beyond serving their customers’ needs.”
See also:
Facebook’s HR chief reveals how to get a job at the social media giant
CNBC managing editor reveals the 11 most common job interview mistakes
An Amazon recruiter reveals how to get a job at the online retailer