How to draft technical story for the Behavioral interviews, more specifically for AMAZON Behavorial interviews

The true but uninsightful answer is to get a mock interview from someone at Amazon. They will help you calibrate your stories for SDE2.

More helpfully, focus on stories that cover end to end ownership of entire features (SDE2 scope) and then tell them using STAR/CARL in a way that highlights the actions you took to bring about the results. That’s the most common way candidates tell a poor story about a good project.

Check out https://thebehavioral.substack.com/p/using-the-carl-method-to-structure

Be natural, honest, and prepare carefully all situations you can think of.

Every interviewer will normally have backup questions in case you don't answer the main one, and they will try to gather all data points they need by followup questions.

I wouldn't say you must do the STAR method or anything, but as long as you show the situation 20%, your role 60%, and the impact/results/metrics/feedback 20%. That will be more than enough!

Crafting strong stories for an SDE2 interview is all about clear impact, structured storytelling, and natural alignment with Leadership Principles (LPs). Here’s how you can make sure your stories are strong enough to pass the interview:

1. Start with High-Impact Examples

   • Choose projects where you solved a tough problem, took ownership, or made a significant impact.
   • If your story doesn’t clearly show your contribution or impact, it might not be strong enough.

2. Use the STAR Framework

   • Situation: What was the problem? Keep it brief.
   • Task: What was your role?
   • Action: What did you do? Highlight decision-making, trade-offs, and leadership.
   • Result: What was the measurable impact? Metrics help make your story stronger.

3. Embed LPs Naturally

   • Don’t force LPs into your story. Instead, align your real experiences with principles like Ownership, Bias for Action, or Customer Obsession.
   • Example: If you fixed a critical bug under pressure, focus on Bias for Action and Customer Obsession—why was fixing it urgent, and how did you ensure a long-term solution?

4. Test Your Story’s Strength

   • Would someone unfamiliar with your work clearly understand your impact?
   • Does it naturally align with LPs without feeling forced?
   • Get peer feedback—practicing with others helps refine weak areas.

5. Iterate and Improve

   • If a story feels weak, refine the framing—maybe the challenge isn’t clear, or the impact isn’t strong enough.
   • Clarity matters—don’t bury the key message in unnecessary details.

At the end of the day, strong stories are simple, impactful, and clearly demonstrate leadership. Keep iterating and testing them until they feel natural and compelling.