4 minute read
This blog interviews four of these amazing engineers about their Uber interview experience, prep strategies, and why they’re all-in on Uber.
The Uber Engineering team in Aarhus, Denmark, recently moved into a new office and welcomed a record-breaking number of new team members. Coming from different backgrounds and nationalities, they all found their calling at Uber and decided to start their Uber ride in the world’s happiest city.
This blog interviews four of these amazing engineers about their Uber interview experience, prep strategies, and why they’re all-in on Uber.
Apoorva Nalini Pradeep Kumar moved to Europe to start her Erasmus Mundus program at LUT University, VU Amsterdam, the University of L’Aquila and Harz University. She chose Aarhus as her next destination, starting her role as a Graduate Software Engineer on Uber’s Configuration Platform team.
What made you choose to apply at Uber?
When I was doing my semester abroad in Amsterdam, I found out about Uber’s engineering efforts in Europe through tech meetups. I applied right away when I found openings on the careers page.
How did you prepare for the interview?
I solved a lot of online coding problems. The recruiter also shared some videos of mock interviews, which were super helpful and calming to watch and prepare.
How was your interview experience?
Communication with the recruiters was super responsive and flexible. They explained the process upfront and also rescheduled some interviews when I requested it. The results shared by the recruiter included detailed feedback about each of my interviews. I liked that a person always explained the process verbally, not just over email. It truly shows that every candidate matters.
I was also happy I could speak to some engineers in the office to find out more about the team and life at Aarhus in general before starting at the company.
What tips would you share for interview prep?
Practice talking out loud when solving problems. Usually whenever there’s a problem to be solved, there’s an instinct to start coding right away. But interviewers require you to communicate what you’re doing and why it makes sense to do it a certain way, so talking out loud when practicing is very valuable.
What made you accept the offer?
Platform engineering interests me as it powers the business throughout Uber. Moreover, I was intrigued by Denmark providing me with a new living experience after my Erasmus Mundus.
How has your first week been so far?
Pretty good! I already have a mentor assigned and am getting started on small tasks. There’s lots to learn, which is exciting!
Pernille Pallesen is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering at Aarhus University. She’s starting her internship on the Uber Delivery team.
What made you choose to apply at Uber?
I saw a post about She++ at my university and signed up, where I learned about a lot of things. We had workshops on demystifying the interview process, which I found to be super helpful as a student and it gave me a chance to learn more about Uber. I postponed applying for internships because of my studies. But, a year later, I attended the Early Talent Network meetup at the office and watched some online mock interviews, which encouraged me to apply for an internship.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Mainly by reading up and watching videos on algorithms. I did practice online coding with LeetCode® and other similar sites. What helped me the most was having mock interviews with friends to practice talking out loud and sharing my thought process.
How was your interview experience?
I was very nervous, but knowing the process upfront made me feel comfortable. Even though it feels like a lot of rounds, it gives you the opportunity to express yourself and showcase your skills in more than one test.
What tips would you share with future candidates?
Just go for it even though it seems scary, as it’s definitely worth the try! The whole experience has been very valuable.
What made you accept the offer?
She++ made me want to join Uber, as it seemed like a really nice place to work.
How has your first week been so far?
There’s a lot of new info and new processes, but people are helpful and reassuring.
Syrym Tussupbekov, coming from Kazakhstan, previously worked at Revolut in Munich and chose to move to Denmark to join Uber’s Stateful Platform team in Aarhus.
What made you choose to apply at Uber?
I had friends who had already worked at Uber Aarhus and had only great things to say about the office and the work they do.
How did you prepare for the interview?
I did lots of LeetCode® and mock interviews with friends for all rounds. I also referred to the Designing Data-Intensive Applications book and other online resources like A Distributed Systems Reading List for system design practice.
How was your interview experience?
All the interviewers were friendly and I got the feeling that they wanted me to succeed. The whole setup was collaborative, actively participating in problem solving and discussing different approaches, which felt like a workday more than an interview. It hyped the feeling of being at Uber as it shows the kind of people you’ll work with.
What made you accept the offer?
The experience I heard from my friend was promising. There’s a lot of independence and critical work happening at Uber Denmark despite it being a satellite office. A lot to learn from colleagues who have good ownership and truly showcase a go-get-it mindset. Beyond all the good compensation and perks, I’m excited to work in infrastructure as it’s critical to Uber.
How has your first week been so far?
It’s a good onboarding experience as there are a lot of resources available for self-learning. Since this isn’t my first job, I’m pretty comfortable setting up my own dev setup and soon going to start setting up 1:1s with my tech lead. I also have a mentor who has already given me an overview of our project.
Sorana Gherman, coming from Romania, was previously an intern at Uber Aarhus. She chose to come back to Denmark to join Uber’s Stateless Platform team in Aarhus.
What made you choose to join Uber?
After completing my 3-month internship with Uber in the summer of 2023, I was offered a full-time position. I accepted it right away.
What was your internship like?
I was assigned a mentor who gave me some onboarding tasks to get started and soon moved me to a full project. It was very motivating to be part of a real project where I had full ownership and I was participating in the team’s day-to-day activities.
What made you accept the offer?
The community in the office. I never felt isolated. Everyone was really friendly and helpful whenever I had questions. The work was very interesting. Above all, Aarhus felt like a nice city to live in. It’s by the sea, and people aren’t really stressed.
How has your first week been so far?
It feels like coming back home. I’m already aware of most of the setup process. The onboarding is easier and much faster, so I have started working on my project directly.
What tips would you share with future candidates?
Starting your career with an internship is very helpful to understand the work and the company before starting full time. You’ll realize mentors aren’t scary and it’s very safe and friendly at the office.
Conclusion
Through these shared experiences, we can see that both interviewing at Uber and joining the team is not scary but actually feels warm, and welcoming. Whether you’re just starting your journey or preparing for your final round of interviews, remember that you are part of a reassuring environment.
To learn more about our interview process, check out How we hire. Interested in joining us? There are multiple options to get started:
