People always want to know how I got Jeff Bezos to take a chance and hire me to work directly for him at Amazon in 2002.
Initially, I hadn't thought about applying to Amazon. When I was growing up in Redmond, Washington, most of my friends' parents were tech executives, and while they made good money, their lives didn't look particularly fun to me. But many of my classmates were graduating without job offers, so I felt as if I should explore all options.
I submitted my resume to Amazon without much thought. To my surprise, I was called in for a first-round interview for a junior assistant role. I had no connections at the company, no computer science degree, and absolutely no experience working for a CEO.
My job interview experience at Amazon
My initial interviews at Amazon were dizzying in volume and pace. I had back-to-back interviews with all of the senior assistants, some of them lasting all day.
One interview took place in a dark office with just the glow of a code-filled monitor and a weird multicolored rotating nightlight in the corner. But I had known enough tech people in my life and was used to the awkward settings. I just chalked up the encounter to>The 2 interview questions Jeff Bezos asked me
I felt relaxed going into the interview that October morning. I was patiently sitting in a conference room chair when the door opened and in walked Bezos. He sat down across from me and introduced himself.
Bezos started the interview by promising that he was>Grit, ambition and energy is more valuable than a specific skill set
It took years for me to fully understand why Bezos took a chance on me and gave me that big break. He exclusively surrounded himself with people he had to hold back, not push forward. He created teams of people so ambitious, creative and determined that they made up for any expertise they lacked.
In that kind of environment, Bezos would only have to use his energy as a leader to channel our energy, rather than trying to pull it out of us.
I learned that the key to Bezos and Amazon's early success was this tireless pursuit of the exceptional.
Ever since that early hiring experience, I have always aimed to be the person who needs to be held back, not pushed forward. I have sought out teams that would challenge, support and inspire me to do things far beyond my current abilities, and that has led to more satisfaction in my work life than anything else.
