🎯 My job as a “Bar Raiser”? Protect Amazon’s standards. Say no to good. Wait for exceptional. (Note: I only used my veto 2x in 100+ interviews as the hiring manager and hiring team looked to “raise the bar.”)
After 100+ interviews, patterns emerged. The difference between rejection and offer wasn’t technical skills or experience. It was these 3 behaviors (and these can help anyone in getting their next job):
🎯 1. They Proved Impact, Not Activity
❌ Rejected candidates told me what they did.
✅ Hired candidates showed me what changed because of them.
One engineer listed 10 projects. Impressive résumé.I asked: “What happened after you left?”
😶 Silence.
The next candidate? Fewer projects, but:
📈 “Revenue increased 40%. The system still runs my code 2 years later.”
At Amazon, we called this Deliver Results. In any interview, it’s your proof of value.
🧩 Try this: For every achievement, add: “Which meant…” or “So that…” → “I redesigned the workflow” becomes“…which cut processing time by 3 hours daily.” ⏱️
💪 2. They Owned Their Failures (Completely)
I once rejected a candidate with perfect technical scores. Why?
When asked about failure, they blamed:
👥 their team
⏳ the timeline
💸 the resources
The next candidate? They owned a $9M mistake.“I made the wrong call. Here’s what I missed. Here’s what I changed.”
🔥 That person got hired — and promoted within 18 months.
🧠 Your move: Prepare your failure story using S-T-A-R:
📍 Situation
📍 Task
📍 Action (what you did wrong)
📍 Result (what you learned + applied)
No blame. No excuses. Just ownership and growth. 🌱
🔥 3. They Led Without the Title“That wasn’t my job” killed more candidacies than any technical gap. 🚫
The ones who got hired? They showed ownership beyond their role:
• 🔥 Jumped into fires without being asked
• 🧭 Influenced without authority
• ⚡ Made decisions with incomplete data
One candidate was a junior analyst. But she described leading a crisis response while her manager was out.“Someone had to decide. I decided.” 💥
Bar Raisers look for leaders at every level.So does every hiring manager worth working for. 🚀
⚡ The Bottom Line
💼 Your skills get you the interview.
🏆 These behaviors get you the job.
I’ve coached dozens through Amazon interviews since leaving. The ones who succeed don’t just prepare answers. They prepare evidence. 📂
Which of these would’ve helped you in your last interview? Or better yet, which one will you use in your next one?