I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Uber (New York, NY) in Aug 2013
Interview
I did the phone screen and passed the analytics test before moved on to the group interview. The team running my interview was a little bit unorganized and was not even expecting me when I arrived.. This got the interview off to a rough start and I never felt entirely comfortable during the process. I ended up pursuing a different offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
It was a pretty unorganized interview and the questions were not very engaging. There were not any questions that really stood our as difficult or unexpected.
I applied through college or university. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Uber (San Francisco, CA) in Jan 2012
Interview
Not bad - personal fit then a job shop schedule as below
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Let's throw a dose of reality in now:
If you could only allocate drivers on a minimum 8-hour shift basis and you could increase hourly drivers by 20% over the supply listed, how would that change your allocation strategy above?
Please do the following:
1. Explain your methodology for reallocation
2. Suggest the results you expect to result
3. How would you manage a fleet of drivers to do what you want?
Here's a description of the variables:
Compl = the number of completed trips
Eyes = the unique number of people who opened the Uber app
Zeroes = the unique number of people who opened the Uber app but when they did so they saw no cars available. A zero can occur because there is not enough supply (drivers) on the road or because the person looking at the Uber app isn't within a certain mileage range of the available cars.
Avail Drivers = number of drivers on the Uber network in total (receiving either commission or hourly payment)
Hourly = number of drivers on the Uber network receiving hourly payment
So, for example, from this data:
At 7am on May 16th, 6 people opened the Uber app and all of those folks saw cars available (0 zeros). We completed 1 trip. And, we had 6 drivers on the system of which 6 were scheduled and paid hourly. We had no drivers at that hour on the system out of their own free will. In contrast, at 8pm, we had 6 hourly drivers and 2 commission drivers.
Assuming you had hour-by-hour control of hourly drivers, how would you reallocate (not increase - just reallocate) the current supply of hourly drivers (given you have no control over commission hours) to better serve demand?
Please do the following:
1. Describe the metrics you would use to drive this decision
2. Explain your methodology for reallocation
3. Give a brief summary of your reallocation (please give specific examples)
4. Suggest the results you expect to result (please give specific examples)
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Uber (Chicago, IL) in Aug 2013
Interview
1) Phone screening interview - simple business case and behavioral questions
2) Excel data analytics on logistics (2 hour time limit) - interpreting data using pivot tables and writing your responses down to 9 questions - make sure you are in a quiet spot where you won't be interrupted. Be efficient in your responses.
3) 45 min Phone interview with a senior general manager (hiring manager) - experience
4) In person interview at the office with a written exercise (the operations piece) (45 min)
Explaining your answers and answering questions 1:1 (60 min)
The hiring manager breaks down your daily tasks comprehensively. About 15% strategy and 85% operational/executional. This means most of your time is spent through mundane tasks, educating drivers and on-boarding them. The fun analysis role is only a small portion where you brainstorm ideas and make a solid case on why Uber should implement them (You would have to pass it by Travis, the CEO). Appears that hours are long (morning to 10 PM everyday, 6 days a week) because you are in charge of your own division. One Ops/Lld logistics guy drily asked me if I would enjoy spending my time fixing iPhone issues. However, he followed that Uber was the best job he's ever had.
Definitely a social savvy group of people.
Overall, Quynh from the SF office was fantastic. Getting emails at midnight was the norm. I understand how hectic and busy it can be with a fast growing company. Downside is the length of the process. I'd get an interview on Monday, and won't find out until Friday about the next round. About 1 week between each round. It's a lengthy process. Much longer than other firms... could lose talent. Overall, Quynh's responsiveness and personal warmth made the process enjoyable.
Last interview was tough as it was in the evening when you want to rest and feel brain-fried. Hopefully there may be another opportunity with Uber in the future - possibly in a Launcher role.
Shoutout to Kristina - representative of the amazing and top notch people at Uber
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How should you respond to the city officials claiming that Uber disadvantages older drivers unfamiliar with technology?