Sample Interview Questions at Zappos

The applicant is willing to think and act outside the box.

• “Give me an example from your previous job(s) where you had to think and act outside the box.”
• “What was the best mistake you made on the job? Why was it the best?”
• “Tell me about a time you recognized a problem/area to improve that was outside of your job duties and solved without being asked to. What was it, how did you do it?”

The applicant is more creative than the average person.
• “Would you say you are more or less creative than the average person? Can you give me an example?”
• “If it was your first day on the job at Zappos and your task was to make the interview/recruiting process more fun, what would you do for those eight hours?”

The applicant is willing to take risks in trying to solve a problem.
• “What’s an example of a risk you took in a previous job? What was the outcome?”
• “When was the last time you broke the rules/policy to get the job done?”