Amazon Data Engineer Interview Guide - Experienced
Amazon Data Engineer Interview Guide - Experienced
Introduction
As a data engineer at Amazon, you’d be responsible for building and maintaining the
framework that facilitates data gathering, retention, and examination for their specific team or
business unit. They design large-scale data solutions with the goal of making the company’s
complex data accessible in the most efficient way possible, so that the rest of the
organization can use it to evaluate and improve their products, features, and services.
As an Amazon/AWS data engineer, you could join various teams including Consumer
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Technology, Human Resources Technology, Operations Technology, AWS Databases,
Analytics and AI/ML Products and Services, Infrastructure Operations, etc. Each business
unit will have diverse and high volume of data that their DEs need to deal with on a regular
basis.
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Aside from working with huge datasets and building scalable data solutions, Amazon DEs
are expected to work with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
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What skills are required for the Amazon Data Engineer role?
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The minimum requirement you’d need to qualify for an Amazon/AWS data engineer role is at
least 3+ years of data engineering experience, experience with data modeling, warehousing
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and building ETL pipelines, and SQL experience. You’ll find that some openings require
having a bachelor’s degree in any technical or quantitative field such as computer science,
engineering, analytics, mathematics, statistics, IT or equivalent. If you have a master’s
degree, even better, but it’s not required.
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Experience with AWS technologies like Redshift, S3, AWS Glue, EMR, Kinesis, FireHose,
Lambda, and IAM roles and permissions as well as with non-relational databases/data
stores, will make you stand out as a DE candidate at Amazon/AWS.
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As for programming language, you’ll need to be proficient in at least one, like Python, Ruby,
Java, or similar.
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Different job postings will have even more unique requirements, so it’s important to read
through each to find a position that matches your background and interests.
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Resume screen
Technical phone screen (1-2 calls, 75 min each)
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Interview loop (5 interviews, 55 min each)
The resume screen is the most competitive phase, as recruiters sift through countless
applications to identify candidates whose experiences align with the role.
Here’s what recruiters typically look for:
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If your resume is shortlisted, the next step is one or two technical phone screens, each
lasting about 75 minutes. These are designed to test both technical and behavioral skills.
What to Expect:
1. Technical Assessment:
SQL Proficiency: Writing and optimizing complex queries. Expect tasks
involving joins, aggregations, and window functions.
Scripting Knowledge: Basic R or Python scripting, especially for automation or
data transformation.
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Data Visualization: Discussion of projects involving tools like Tableau or
Power BI and building dashboards to track metrics.
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Database Concepts: Understanding relational and non-relational databases,
as well as OLAP systems.
Note: During the SQL assessment, you’ll be required to share your screen while solving
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problems.
1. Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking:
Interviewers assess how you approach ambiguous situations and engage
with cross-functional teams.
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Questions may explore statistical reasoning and decision-making processes.
2. Amazon Leadership Principles (LPs):
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These are integral to every step of Amazon’s hiring process. Expect questions
tied to LPs like Ownership, Bias for Action, and Customer Obsession.
Preparation Tips:
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Brush up on analytics tools: Familiarize yourself with tools like Tableau and the
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After passing the phone screens, you’ll be invited to the interview loop, Amazon’s most
intensive interview phase. This includes five back-to-back interviews, each lasting up to 55
minutes.
Key Features:
Diverse Interviewers: Your panel will include data engineers, software engineers,
hiring managers, and a Bar Raiser.
Bar Raiser: A trained Amazon employee unaffiliated with the hiring team. Their
primary role is to ensure Amazon maintains its high hiring standards.
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Focus on Behavioural and Technical Skills:
Expect a higher emphasis on behavioural questions compared to other tech
companies.
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Each interviewer will evaluate you on 2-3 Leadership Principles.
What to Prepare For:
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Behavioural Questions: Amazon’s LP-focused questions require you to
demonstrate past experiences where you exhibited specific qualities (e.g., solving
conflicts, leading initiatives). W
Technical Topics: SQL, data architecture, data modeling, and problem-solving are
common areas of focus.
Pro Tips for Success:
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STAR Framework: Structure your answers using the Situation, Task, Action, Result
format for clarity and impact.
Understand the Role: Research the team’s focus and tailor your responses to
highlight relevant skills.
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At the end of each interview, your performance is documented and graded using a
standardized feedback form. This ensures that every candidate is evaluated against the
same core criteria, creating a fair comparison.
A) Notes
What’s Recorded: The interviewer logs the questions they asked, a summary of
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your responses, and their impressions.
Purpose: This helps capture the context of your answers, including strengths (e.g.,
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“explained ABC effectively”) or areas needing improvement (e.g., “weak
understanding of XYZ”).
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B) Technical Competencies
Your technical skills are graded to determine if you “raise the bar.” This means
proving you are at least as skilled as the average Amazon data engineer at the level
you’re applying for.
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Common Competencies for Data Engineers:
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Analytical problem-solving
Communication and collaboration with cross-functional teams
Advanced SQL, data modeling, and warehousing knowledge
ETL pipeline development
Data visualization using tools like Tableau or Power BI
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The goal is to determine if you exemplify the values Amazon prioritizes (e.g.,
Ownership, Customer Obsession, Bias for Action).
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D) Overall Recommendation
After grading you on technical and behavioral criteria, the interviewer provides an
overall recommendation:
“Strong hire”
“Hire”
“No hire”
“Strong no hire”
Amazon's hiring process includes several stages of feedback, review, and decision-making,
all led by the recruiter. Here's a breakdown of what happens after your interviews:
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2. After the Interview Loop
Each interviewer submits their evaluation into Amazon’s internal system. This
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includes:
Notes from the interview.
Grades on technical competencies and Leadership Principles.
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3. The Debrief
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A debrief session is held, where all interviewers discuss their evaluations. This
meeting is led by the Bar Raiser, who:
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4. The Offer
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If the group agrees to hire, the recruiter typically reaches out with an offer within a
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Let’s get into the primary categories of questions you’ll encounter in the Amazon data
engineer interview.
Here are the most common question categories based on the questions reported by Amazon
DE candidates on Glassdoor.
Behavioral interview questions
SQL interview questions
Data management interview questions
Data modeling
Data warehousing
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Data pipelines
Coding interview questions
Others: analytical problem-solving, data visualization
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Do note that each Amazon business unit or team will have different technical
requirements. Your recruiter should be able to advise you on which aspects to focus
on.
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1. SQL Interview Questions W
Why It Matters:
Amazon’s backend processes billions of data operations daily. Data engineers must
demonstrate proficiency in handling vast volumes of structured and unstructured data. SQL
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What to Expect:
You'll solve problems that mimic real-world scenarios, including:
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Writing efficient SQL queries using window functions, subqueries, joins, and
aggregate functions.
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Question: Given a dataset, find the time period when the most people were
online, measured in seconds.
Focus: Time-series analysis, window functions, and efficient query writing.
2. Employee Data Mining:
Question: From a table with columns datetime, employee, and
customer_response (free text), extract phone numbers embedded in
customer_response and find the top 10 employees associated with the most
numbers.
Focus: String manipulation and ranking techniques.
3. Sales Trends Analysis:
Question: Display all products with more than 50% sales increase from the
previous month to the current month.
Focus: Analytical queries involving percentage calculations and time-based
aggregation.
4. Retention Analysis:
Question: Calculate the first-day retention rate for players. Retention is
defined as players logging in on the second day after their initial login.
Focus: Date calculations and user behavior analysis.
5. Subscriber Campaign Data:
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Question: Write a query to identify inactive subscribers for a marketing re-
engagement campaign.
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Focus: Filtering and conditional logic.
6. Revenue Calculation:
Question: Write a query to get the total revenue generated by each subscriber
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in 2014.
Focus: Aggregation and filtering by date ranges.
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7. Performance Troubleshooting:
Scenario: Given a specific SQL error or performance degradation, explain the
cause and propose fixes.
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Why It Matters:
With its vast datasets, Amazon relies on efficient data modeling, storage, and retrieval
solutions. You'll need to design schemas, build pipelines, and solve data warehousing
challenges.
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Focus: Temporal data management and normalization.
2. Design a data model to track a product’s journey from vendor to warehouse to
delivery.
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Focus: Workflow-based schema design.
3. Should we apply normalization rules to a star schema? Why or why not?
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Focus: Trade-offs in schema design for analytical workloads.
4. What’s a chasm trap? How do you avoid it? W
Focus: Advanced relational database concepts.
1. Design a data warehouse to capture sales and assist the customer support team with
ticket management.
Focus: Dimensional modeling and schema design.
2. Provide a schema for an OLAP system tailored for Amazon's retail data.
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Why It Matters:
Amazon’s data engineers solve key challenges with efficient, scalable code. These
questions test your logical thinking, data manipulation skills, and ability to work with data
structures.
What to Expect:
Most coding questions are in Python, focusing on:
Data structure manipulation (e.g., dictionaries, lists).
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Algorithmic problem-solving.
File and data processing.
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Example Coding Questions:
1. Odd Number Sorting:
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Question: Write a function to sort an array, returning only odd numbers.
2. Unique Values Preservation:
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Question: Find non-duplicate numbers from a list while preserving the original
order. Example: [1,1,3,2,5,6,5] → [1,3,2,5,6].
3. Maximum Occurrences:
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Question: Given a list, return the numbers with the highest count.
4. JSON Flattening:
Question: Write a function to flatten nested JSON objects into a single key-
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value dictionary.
5. Array Pair Sum:
Question: Write code to find two numbers in an array that sum up to x.
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6. Stack Implementation:
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Why It Matters:
Amazon values data-driven insights and clear communication of findings. These questions
test your ability to analyze data, create metrics, and visualize trends.
Key Questions:
1. How have you used statistics in data analysis? Provide examples.
2. Describe a dashboard or visualization project you’ve completed. What tools did you
use, and how did you define KPIs?
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3. What’s your approach to building end-to-end dashboards?
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Tools to Know:
Tableau, Power BI, AWS QuickSight for visualization.
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Python or R for statistical analysis
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Definition: Leaders prioritize customers' needs and work backward to enhance their
experience. They earn trust and relentlessly focus on delivering value.
Why it matters: Amazon emphasizes customer-centric innovation over competitor
analysis, making this the cornerstone of its culture.
How to prepare:
1. Highlight instances where you prioritized customer needs, even in challenging
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scenarios.
2. Share specific examples demonstrating empathy, problem-solving, and
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customer trust-building.
Example Questions:
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer.
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How did you handle a challenging customer interaction?
Can you share a situation where you simplified a process for customers?
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Ownership interview questions
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Definition: Leaders act on behalf of the entire company, not just their own teams.
They never say, "That’s not my job."
Why it matters: Amazon seeks employees who take initiative, make tough decisions,
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2. Showcase how you went beyond your role to solve problems or meet goals.
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Example Questions:
immediately beneficial.
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Example Questions:
Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk and its outcome.
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Share an instance where you met a deadline by adjusting your approach.
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Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit interview questions
How to prepare:
1. Provide examples where you constructively disagreed with a decision and its
impact.
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2. Show how you respected final decisions and contributed to their success.
Example Questions:
Describe a time you disagreed with a team decision and how you handled it.
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Definition: Leaders innovate and simplify processes, embracing external ideas and
learning from failures.
Why it matters: Amazon’s success relies on innovative, scalable solutions that
reduce complexity.
How to prepare:
1. Highlight examples of creative problem-solving and cost-effective innovation.
2. Showcase solutions that simplified processes while maintaining quality.
Definition: Leaders pay attention to detail, audit frequently, and remain connected to
the fundamentals.
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Why it matters: Amazon values employees who can identify root causes and solve
problems effectively.
How to prepare:
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Example Questions:
Share a time you had to perform a deep analysis to solve a complex problem.
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Describe a situation where metrics and anecdotes didn’t align and how you
resolved it.
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Definition: Leaders use sound judgment, seek diverse perspectives, and make
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How to prepare:
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Share an instance where your instincts were proven right in a tough situation.
Principle Overview:
Leaders work to create an environment where employees feel empowered, productive, and
safe. They prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and overall well-being while fostering growth
and engagement.
For senior and managerial roles, you’ll be expected to show how you can create a nurturing,
inclusive environment that supports team members in achieving their best, professionally
and personally.
How to Address These Questions?
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Share examples of initiatives you’ve led to promote team morale, diversity, and
employee satisfaction.
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Demonstrate how you resolve conflicts or address challenges to create a positive
workplace culture.
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Highlight your efforts in supporting career growth and well-being for team members.
Example Questions: W
1. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a team member.
2. How have you identified and managed low performers while encouraging career
growth for high performers?
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Principle Overview:
Amazon’s influence is vast, and leaders are expected to act with humility and responsibility,
mindful of the company’s global impact. Decisions should consider long-term effects on
communities, the planet, and future generations.
How to Address These Questions
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Principle Overview:
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Leaders focus on delivering quality outcomes on time. Despite setbacks, they consistently
prioritize achieving results. This principle emphasizes action over perfection and
perseverance in challenging situations.
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How to Address These Questions?
Highlight how you have successfully delivered on commitments despite obstacles.
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Emphasize your prioritization skills and ability to balance quality with deadlines.
Share examples where your efforts positively impacted the team or organization.
Example Questions:
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1. Tell me about the most challenging project you ever worked on.
2. How do you prioritize competing tasks or responsibilities in your current role?
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3. Share examples of past accomplishments and how they influenced your approach to
future projects.
4. Describe a time when you missed a deadline. How did you handle it?
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Principle Overview:
Leaders create bold visions that inspire others and challenge conventional thinking. This
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Highlight how you inspired others to adopt your vision or non-traditional approaches
to problem-solving.
Discuss the scalability and long-term impact of your solutions.
Example Questions:
1. What is your most significant accomplishment, and why was it important?
2. Describe a time you challenged the status quo to solve a problem creatively.
Principle Overview:
Leaders raise the bar with every hire and promotion. They focus on building strong teams,
mentoring colleagues, and ensuring individual and organizational growth.
How to Address These Questions:
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Showcase examples of how you’ve identified and nurtured talent within your team.
Demonstrate your ability to mentor others and elevate team performance.
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Highlight your commitment to hiring and collaborating with talented individuals, even
if they surpass your skill level.
Example Questions:
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1. Tell me about a time you helped a struggling teammate improve their performance.
2. How have you boosted team morale or cohesion in challenging situations?
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3. Describe a time you hired or collaborated with someone more skilled than you.
4. What steps have you taken to mentor or develop talent in your organization?
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Principle Overview:
Accomplish more with fewer resources. This principle emphasizes resourcefulness,
efficiency, and innovation under constraints.
How to Address These Questions:
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Showcase how constraints have driven you to find creative, efficient ways to deliver
results.
Demonstrate your ability to maximize resources without compromising quality.
Example Questions:
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Principle Overview:
Leaders seek to continuously improve themselves and explore new possibilities. This
principle emphasizes a growth mindset and adaptability.
How to Address These Questions:
Share examples of self-initiated learning or exploration of new ideas.
Highlight your ability to teach yourself skills and your curiosity for innovation.
Discuss how your learning habits have positively impacted your work.
Example Questions:
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1. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?
2. Tell me about a time you taught yourself a new skill.
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3. What are your future career or personal development goals?
4. Why did you choose data engineering as your career path?
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Insist on the Highest Standards Interview QuestionsW
Principle Overview:
Leaders maintain high standards and ensure that problems are addressed at their root to
prevent recurrence. This principle values continuous improvement and excellence.
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1. Describe a project you wish you had done better. How would you approach it
differently today?
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2. Tell me about the most successful project you’ve worked on. What made it
successful?
3. How do you ensure high standards are met in your work or team?
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Principle Overview:
Leaders build trust by listening, communicating openly, and treating others with respect.
They admit their mistakes and focus on resolving issues rather than assigning blame.
How to Address These Questions:
Provide examples of how you’ve built trust through communication, transparency,
and collaboration.
Discuss how you’ve handled criticism or disagreements constructively.
Emphasize humility and accountability in your responses.
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Example Questions:
1. Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a coworker or manager.
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2. How do you earn trust with a new team?
3. Describe a piece of difficult feedback you received and how you acted on it.
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4. A coworker consistently arrives late to meetings. How would you handle this
situation?