Inside the Debrief: The 3 Questions Every Amazon Bar Raiser Is Really Asking
Most Amazon (and other) job applicants prep for the wrong thing.
They memorize STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) stories. They rehearse Leadership Principles until they're polished.
But Bar Raisers aren't grading your prep. We're answering three questions โ and if any answer is "no," you're out!
๐ญ. "๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ?"
Translation: Are you better than 50% of people currently in this role at Amazon?
This isn't "can you do the job?" It's "will you make the team better?"
โ What gets you hired: Clear evidence of repeated impact. Not what you did โ what changed because of you.
โ Fail pattern: Competent but flat stories. You did your job, but you didn't innovate or lift others.
๐ฎ. "๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐?"
Translation: Do you have strong judgment under pressure?
Amazon moves fast. Things break. We need people who own the chaos, not collapse under it.
โ What gets you hired: High-quality decisions with limited data. Evidence you built mechanisms that scale.
โ Fail pattern: You say "we" too much. You describe the following direction, not navigating uncertainty.
๐ฏ. "๐ช๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป?"
Translation: Do I trust you?This isn't about likability. Would I trust you to own a major initiative? Do you "earn trust" in how you talk about failures and tough calls?
โ What gets you hired: Humility, clear thinking, no blame-shifting. Ownership of outcomes even when results were mixed.
โ Fail pattern: Deflecting, rambling, or throwing others under the bus.
๐ก The Hard Truth
Bar Raisers aren't just gatekeepers. We're culture shapers.
If the answer isn't a clear yes to all three, it's a no.
Your rรฉsumรฉ gets you the interview. These three questions decide if you get the offer.
๐ฌ Which of these three is your weakest right now?
โ
๐ฅ I'm Howardโ an executive coach and former Amazon Bar Raiser who helps high-achieving professionals navigate what's next.
๐ Ring my profile for more.
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