I applied online. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Uber (Washington, DC) in Mar 2013
Interview
There are 5 stages in the interview process, and I guess, if you're a dork, you can enjoy those quite a bit. I learned a lot about the company in each stage, and it gave me a solid idea of the kind of work someone in the position does day-to-day. Much more interesting and engaging than interviews I've had at other companies, which just asked me situational questions ("When was a time you had a moral dilemma at work and had to contradict your superior?" ... Ehhh, zzzzz.).
First was a fit interview, then a take-home analytical exercise (Excel nerds rejoice), then an experience interview, then an in-person interview that contained another analytical exercise, then a take-home writing exercise.
They want you to crack their biz model and figure out how to grow it.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What times of the year do you think it's especially hard to get driver supply out?
Applied on line w/ Linked In as my resume and cover letter attached, HR got back the next day. Scheduled a phone screen, basic stuff, for a few days later.
Next step was a data analytics test that involved ride capture data with a given set of column headers and two weeks worth of hourly data. Easy Pivot Tables. You have precisely 2 hours to answer a set of like 9 mostly open-ended questions by drawing conclusions from the data. You do not submit your spreadsheet work, you only turn in written answers. That could be improved.
Next was a skype interview, discussing that data work and and your background, and experience and such. This was like an hour.
Then they have you in to the office, where you meet primarily with someone in the role that your applying for, but you also meet the senior staff at that particular office. At the end, the city GM joined the Operations Manager and we discussed various hypothetical scenarios that affect the distribution and availability of Ubers, as well as scenarios that consider the logistics of potential new business lines (in addition to Black, SUV, X, and Cab). This session lasted about 3 hours.
They got back to me a few days afterwards - ultimately didn't get it, but a great experience. They're good people, and it's a great company. If you love their business and understand how it works, what it's overcome, and where it's going you should apply. Good luck!
Interview questions [3]
Question 1
What would you do if a competitor came into play that undercuts Uber's paysplit with the drivers? Uber's is hypothetically 80/20, theirs is 90/10.
Consider the roll out of a premium Uber service that offered the ultra luxury cars for a more premium price (S500s, 750LIs, etc). What are the logistics of that business line?
They will also ask you to consider an ultra premium business line that charges a premium for the highest rated drivers. They really tried to compel me that this was a good idea, and I disagreed pretty strongly. People will definitely pay extra for ultra premium cars, but when you stratisfy your drivers like that, you imply that certain drivers are good and certain drivers are bad, which undercuts your customer service proposition.
I chose to not agree. Premium cars is obv the better choice, and even if proposed as complimentary services, the premium drivers concept is not practical in a customer service driven business.
Sometimes holidays can take Ubers off the road at night because the drivers break their fast after sundown; this situation applies to the holiday of Ramadan, and because many of the fleet drivers are Muslim, the supply of cars drops precipitously at rush hour the whole month. How to make sure you keep enough Ubers on the road while keeping the drivers happy?
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Uber in Mar 2013
Interview
I received a very quick response to the application I submitted online. The interview process consisted of a 30 minute HR screening followed by 2 hr analytics exercise. HR staff was courteous and professional throughout. The exercise consisted of crunching about 500 rows of data and making observations and suggestions for strategy. I was called two days later to say that the results weren't what they were looking for. This was surprising because I thought I did fairly well on the exercise.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Analytics exercise was straightforward in terms of excel/math--but very little context was provided about overall strategy. Answering thoroughly required quite a few assumptions.