How to Prepare For Your Amazon Business Analyst Intern Interview
Applying to Amazon as a business analyst intern requires an interview process to test your suitability for the role. Questions will be drawn from behavioral and technical angles. While the interview is not very easy, you can pass it with the right preparation. This article has all the necessary information to prepare for the Amazon business analyst intern interview.
General Overview of Amazon Business Analyst Intern Interview
Some people start their careers at Amazon through internships. As an intern, you are under the supervision of a business analyst or intern manager and are assigned projects that you have to complete competently. Interviewing for the Amazon business analyst intern position will not be difficult if you’re adequately prepared.
If you cover the essential areas for behavioral and technical interview questions, you are in a good position to ace the interview. Amazon is a large business that serves people from all walks of life and is still expanding. It is a dynamic company where many people can develop their professional skills as interns and fulfill their career goals on various career paths.
Taking up any role at Amazon, even as an intern, requires ample preparation as you will be competing with many people who aspire to intern there.
Difference between Internship and Full-Time
As a business analyst intern at Amazon, you’ll typically be given 1-2 projects for the duration of your internship and various ad-hoc analysis requests. It’s a temporary position, so remember to make the most of it. Network and get to know your peers and key-decision makers.
Being an intern at Amazon is one of the best ways to start a business analyst career in the company. There are many benefits to working with Amazon that makes interning there a smart choice. As a full-time employee, you are expected to already be equipped with the hard and soft skills necessary to complete the job. FTE business analysts typically have 1-3 years of experience and are fairly fluent in SQL and occasionally python.
As an intern, you are not fully a business analyst per se. However, you will be expected to learn the bare requirements by the end of your internship.
Another difference between interns and full-time employees is that interns do not earn salaries as full-time as business analysts do. However, they get stipends to cater to their housing and living .
Interns are usually under supervision while full time employees are not. Also, interns can be promoted or retained to get full time jobs.
Round 1
This is the recruiter phone screen. It involves a series of questions drawn from behavioral and technical angles.
- Behavioral questions will be drawn from the Amazon leadership principles and your past experiences (e.g. why Amazon? Tell me about a time you solved a challenge with limited resources?).
- Technical questions will test your knowledge of languages such as SQL and software such as excel. (e.g. Write a query to find the employees with the highest salary by department?)
Round 2 (Final loop)
The final round is the most tasking and consists of sessions that last from 45 to 60 minutes each.
You will be asked behavioral questions based on your previous experiences and how well you handled tasks relating to your role. The aim is to ascertain your cultural fit for the job. Ample knowledge of Amazon and the leadership principles will help answer these questions.
Technical questions will be drawn from SQL, coding, Python, and so on. Brushing up your knowledge and practicing questions will be helpful.
How to Prepare for Amazon Business Analyst Intern Interview
Behavioral
Some of the questions you will answer during your interview to become a business analyst intern at Amazon are behavioral. These questions are usually about Amazon’s leadership principles. They are meant to examine your cultural fit and suitability as a business analyst intern at Amazon.
Most Common Questions & Examples w/ Solutions
- Why Amazon and why this role?
- Answer: Amazon’s business growth and impact are compelling and motivating. I like to intern at a dynamic company that puts customers first and offers a lucrative environment for workers to grow.
- Tell me about a time you failed? How did you deal with the failure?
- Answer: Talk about the situation briefly and take responsibility without making excuses. Discuss why it was difficult and what you did to salvage the situation. Then talk about the lessons you learned and how they have made you a better person/employee.
- What did you do in your previous internship?
- Answer: If you have done an internship before, mention it and the skills you acquire from it. Mention how it has made you a better fit for your present application. If you have not done an internship before, honestly state that and add that you have had an intern-like experience. You can mention academic projects, volunteer experiences, work experiences, lab work, etc., from which you learned some skills.
- What are the main attributes that make your work approach unique
- Answer: As an intern, you are assisting and learning from business analysts. State the specific tasks you did and how they culminate into making you a great fit for the present application. Express career goals that align with the company’s expectations for the ideal candidate for the position.
- Describe a time you had to complete a project with minimal supervision
- Answer: Mention the qualities that enabled you to work with minimal supervision, like proactiveness, determination, and effective communication skills. Mention how you communicated with your superiors and the team to ensure the project was completed well and on time.
Most Common Mistakes Candidates Make
- Not refreshing your minds on previous projects. Some behavioral questions will center on previous projects that you have done and how you handled them. It is essential to refresh your mind on your previous experiences and be prepared to answer questions about them.
- Not reading the Amazon leadership principles. The Amazon company runs on its leadership principles. Therefore, as an intern, you ought to learn the leadership principles because they will help you during your internship. Leadership principles like ownership, delivering results, the bias for action, and insistence on the highest standard are essential if you want to be promoted or favored.
- Not doing some research on Amazon. You might be asked questions about Amazon. Answering these questions will show you are well prepared and capable of being an intern.
Technical
The interview for a business analyst intern at Amazon requires some technical questions. These questions cover SQL and other questions to examine your technical fit for the role.
Most Common SQL Questions
- What is a self-join?
- Answer: Self-join is used to combine rows in the same table. It is a situation where each row is attached to itself and other rows in the same table.
- What is the select command?
- Answer: The select command is a data manipulation language used to get rows from the same or several tables.
- Can you differentiate between OLTP and OLAP?
- Answer: OLTP refers to online transaction processing, which lets many people execute large database transactions. It is a database modification system. OLAP refers to online analytical processing, and it is a query response system in an online database.
- What is a unique constraint?
- Answer: The unique constraint prevents duplication of values by ensuring that all values in the column are unique.
- What is data integrity?
- Answer: Data integrity ensures the consistency and accuracy of data stored in a database. Data integrity also ensures data consistency in a database with company rules and preferences.
Most Common SQL Concepts + Examples w/ Solutions
- SQL keys. SQL keys are used to retrieve data from tables according to specific conditions. They are also used to create different relations in database tables. Examples of SQL keys are primary, foreign, and unique keys.
- SQL subquery. It occurs within a query and is located in a WHERE clause. It places further restrictions on the data collected in the main query.
- Data definition language. DDL enables performing database operations like delete, alter, and create.
- Data manipulation language. DML lets you manipulate data in the database, including inserting, updating, and retrieving data.
- Data control language. DCL lets you control the data, such as granting access to it, revoking access, etc.
Most Common Mistakes Candidates Make
- Not practicing for all the rounds. Technical interview questions at Amazon will be drawn from past business projects and cases.
- Not using the right resources. While there are many online platforms to gain from, not all are useful for your preparation. Online platforms like Big Tech Interviews have the relevant technical resources you need to pass the Amazon business analyst intern interview.
- Unbalanced preparation time allocation. While preparing for the interview, it is essential to prioritize approx. 60% behavioral and the remaining 40% on technical areas.
Conclusion
The Amazon business analyst intern interview will require behavioral and technical questions. Having the right resources and preparation guide will put you at an advantage. One website with the right resources to prepare is BigTechInterviews.com. It is also helpful to refresh your mind on previous projects, research Amazon, and the leadership principles to prepare for behavioral questions. Practicing SQL terms and questions will help you prepare for technical questions.
FAQs
- What’s the internship hourly range?
- Most Amazon interns earn up to $25 per hour. However, this amount can be more or less depending on what is obtainable at your application.
- Do interns get Amazon stock?
- As an intern with Amazon, you will have your accommodation, transportation, and other necessary expenses taken care of. You also have some of your food needs taken care of by the company. However, you do not get Amazon stock.
- Does Amazon cover housing?
- Most Amazon interns reported having the company offer them a housing stipend.
