I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Uber in May 2016
Interview
Applied online and was contacted by a recruiter. who contacted me and had a short discussion with me. he later sent me a message that they couldn't continue, even though my interview was fantastic.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Uber (Washington, DC) in Mar 2016
Interview
First interview was by phone, short and nice to talk about my background and general information. Followed by a written exam that was part customer service questions and part excel exercise. Overall level of difficulty medium. They take the longest going through your exercise and giving you an answer. If they like the work you did and you pass to the next round its an in person or online 2h interview with several people from different management levels.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why Uber?
if the Uber app was down, how would you placate the drivers?
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Uber (Londres, Angleterre) in Mar 2016
Interview
Standard process like everyone else described - initial application, 2 hr analytics test, call with HR, call with Ops Manager and then 4 hour interview with various managers who asked Uber centred questions. The interview times on the actual day were messed up, but I didn't mind as I know this stuff happens. Generally I felt the process was ok, a bit arduous considering the level and role.
My real negative point was with HR. The day after my 4 hour interview I was sent a generic two line email saying I didn't get the job. I felt this was lazy and rude given I had invested 12+ hours of my time in their process. I then emailed to ask for feedback and was given the opportunity to schedule a call with the HR rep.
Fast forward to the call and the HR rep gives me a one line generic answer as to why I didn't get the job. When I pressed for more specific feedback (remembering they had recorded 4 hours of interview material), I was told that's all they had. I then asked for a copy of my interview notes, which in the UK is by law supposed to be made available to candidates under the Data Protection Act, I was told Uber don't give it out. After a bit more back and forth with the recruiter explaining politely my motivation behind wanting my interview notes, all I received was a rude tone and not even a goodbye.
I'm actually stunned that a company like Uber who claim to embody "start-up" culture and great user experience could have such a corporate (or worse than) approach to hiring. I don't know if the issue is with HR, as I've seen other similar experiences on Glassdoor, or if a quick-hire, low-expense approach is being bred due to fast growth. Anyway, I'm really disappointed in Uber and whilst I like the company in general, I wouldn't recommend going through the process if you have alternatives - it is very time consuming, and you're treated like a disposable if they decide they don't want you.
I'd also encourage those that do, to challenge the interview feedback and ask for your interview notes if you live in a country where it is offered by law.