Navigating interviews: Insights from three women in Uber Engineering

Many people often ask us for the secret to acing an Uber Engineering interview. The truth is, there’s actually no one secret to landing a role. Sometimes its in the art of the interview. We sat down with three female engineers at different stages of their careers across the US and asked their advice for preparing for an engineering interview. Between their invaluable experiences, their advice is both inspirational and relatable.

Meet Vidhi, a New York-based Software Engineer who joined Uber in early 2023 after graduating with a Masters in Computer Science. Through an Uber internship, Google apprenticeship, and multiple mentorships, she found a passion for building tools that help people save time and do more with their lives. Vidhi’s innate curiosity and interest in open source helped her land a role on our Platforms Engineering team.

“Lacking extensive prior experience or familiarity with specific tools and technologies shouldn’t deter you. Early in your career, what truly matters is your potential, adaptability, and eagerness to contribute. Instead of solely focusing on accumulating experience with as many tools and technologies as possible, prioritize cultivating a problem-solving mindset. Companies value your ability to approach challenges methodically and creatively, which shows your potential to add value to the team. 

Build skills by exploring personal coding projects. These hands-on experiences enhance your technical abilities and serve as evidence of your passion and dedication to the field. Personal projects can be anything from Hackathons, open source contributions, or applications you are building to learn something new!”

Empowering wisdom also pours in from Jean He, a distinguished Principal Infrastructure Engineer who joined Uber 8 years ago. Interviews can be stressful, and Jean knows the secret may lie in taking time to practice, practice, practice.

“Review and practice responding to questions in your technical domain to prepare a solid foundation. Practice to ensure you’re writing clean, well-structured code. Some senior roles may also require you to demonstrate your system design expertise. Prepare to design scalable and efficient systems and walk through each component of the design and express your thought process and approach.

Interviews can be stressful and we completely understand that. Do not become discouraged or give up when you face challenges. The interview aims to understand your approach to solving tough problems, which is something we do every day at Uber. Be calm and explain your thought process. Ask questions to demonstrate your engineering capabilities.”

As Senior Director of Engineering for Storage, Search, and Data Platforms, Shanshan has conquered technical challenges and honed her ability to lead others. Here she offers a masterclass on skillfully blending technical skills with leadership insights.

“Understand the role you’re interviewing for by asking about the team’s vision and mission, services and products, and cultural values. This will help you tailor your interview responses and demonstrate genuine interest in the role. 

Make sure you thoroughly understand the role expectations prior to the interview – including required skills and qualifications. Be ready to provide specific examples from your past experience that align with the requirements. Once you understand expectations, prepare to discuss your past projects. Share the technologies you used, the impact you had and explain your contribution clearly as they relate to the role. Provide specific examples using the STAR method to demonstrate your leadership skills. 

Lastly, prepare a few meaningful questions to ask the interviewers, and follow up with an email to reiterate your interest in the role.”

There you have it! Whether you have 6 months of experience or 20 years, preparation, passion, and a growth mindset are key to unlocking your dream role. Embrace your uniqueness, stay confident, and let your passion shine through. 

Explore → Uber’s Engineering Jobs