Number One Advice For Job Seekers

Every week I receive hundreds of mails in which people ask about my number one advice for landing a job with Amazon or another great company (Yep, I try answering all mails as good as I can).

What sounds like a straightforward question is actually pretty tough to be answered if you′d like doing it in a thoughtful and responsible manner. Reason being, it depends on the background, personality, context, objectives, and passions of the candidate. And also, and that′s where I can assist with some more general advice, on the company one would like to apply for. Or more precisely, I can give solid guidance when it comes to the intersection of the candidate and possible companies she′s thinking about working for: 

My number one advice is that you as a candidate should have researched very comprehensively your "dream“ organizations before applying and getting in contact with them. Most importantly, you should be as clear as possible about the following four main elements: Their culture, mission, values, and leadership principles. 

For example, what do they stand for? What do they want to achieve? How are their leaders and spokespersons behaving? How do they interact with customers and other relevant stakeholders? How do they celebrate achievements? And, very importantly, how do they handle setbacks and failures? 

In a second step, answer for yourself as honestly as possible if you are capable of, willing to, and truly passionate about working with and for such a company. To give 120% for them. Day in, day out. Also, and especially, when things should get tough and very challenging (as sooner or later they will). Will you then still be fully committed to continue your journey with them and to do what it takes to jointly succeed?

Let′s have a closer look at one of the above-listed four elements: At leadership principles. And very precisely, at the ones of my company, i.e. Amazon′s leadership principles:

Customer Obsession - Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

Ownership - Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job." 

Invent and Simplify - Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here". Because we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

Are Right, A Lot - Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgement and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

Learn and Be Curious - Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop the Best - Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognise people with exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organisation. Leaders develop leaders and are serious about their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Insist on the Highest Standards - Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Think Big - Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.

Bias for Action - Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking. 

Frugality - Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.

Earn Trust - Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odour smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

Dive Deep - Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit - Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Deliver Results - Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never compromise.

After having read our leadership principles, how strongly do you identify yourself with them? How many have you already experienced and lived by? For how many of them would you have good and sound examples which you could share with us during interviews? Which ones would be the most relevant ones for you and why? And on which ones would you have questions? Why? 

These are some of the key aspects you should deeply reflect upon before applying for any company, as they help you to get clarity if there′s a strategic fit between you and the organization you have in mind as a future employer.  

What do you think? Do you follow a similar or different approach? Looking very much forward to receiving your feedback and discussing with you.

Please feel free joining the conversations and leaving a comment below!

Best,

Andreas von der Heydt

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Andreas von der Heydt is Director of Talent Acquisition & Recruiting at Amazon. Before he held various senior management positions at Amazon and L'Oréal. He's a leadership expert and management coach. He also founded Consumer Goods Club. Andreas worked and lived in Europe, Australia, the U.S. and Asia. Currently he lives with his wife and daughters in Seattle, USA. Andreas enjoys blogging as a private person here on LinkedIn about various exciting topics. His latest book is about what makes a future leader. All statements made, opinions expressed, etc. in his articles only reflect his personal opinion.

Please click 'Follow' if you would like to hear more from Andreas in the future. Feel free to also connect via his LinkedIN Group Coaching or Consumer Goods, or via Twitter, Facebook or Slideshare. Or tune in to his new podcast "Leadership XXL" either on Soundcloud or iTunes.

Other recent and popular posts by Andreas von der Heydt:

Moving Over to Move Up

How Smart And Successful People Think And Act

6 Principles For Professional Success - Any Beyond

Photo: istockphoto.com

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