I'd like to start by saying I am writing this review a few weeks after my process ended. I wanted to let everything settle and see how I felt.
Initial phone screen interview with HR was followed by a short project. The project asked me to respond to a few emails and tweets and then come up with some creative marketing ideas and write a few blog post. A Skype interview with a current community manager to review the project followed.
I was then asked to come for an in-person interview. I first was given 30 min to do a small project based on an app of my choice. I then met with 10 people (in groups of 2 or 3) over the span of a couple hours and was sent on my way.
A couple of days after the in-person, I was email with yet another project. This one was more extensive. I had a week to promote and sign up as many new riders as possible using a personalized promo code provided by Uber. I spent a lot of time and put a lot of effort into this project. I won't share my ideas/techniques here.
I was then sent an email requesting another Skype interview, this time with the regional manager. He seemed extremely dis-interested in speaking with me. The interview lasted a mere 15 minutes. He asked what concerns I had about the job. I thought this was going to be to discuss the previous week long project. When I brought it up he said he had no questions. I was never given any type of feedback on the project at all. I asked multiple folks (from HR to community managers) for their thoughts and some numeric results, but was never given any.
After that Sykpe interview I waited a week without hearing anything. Through the process I had spoken to or been emailed by 1 person from HR, 4 different community managers and the regional manager. It wasn't clear as to who was my main contact. I reached out to one of the community managers and he said the "appropriate person" would reach out soon. The original HR women emailed me a day later saying that her first email must not have been sent properly, thanking me for my time, but that they had opted to go with another candidate.
Now at first I wasn't pleased. I had put a lot of time and effort into all the projects and interviews. All signs pointed to this panning out. But in retrospective I feel totally different. They kept saying Uber was a lifestyle. I was going to be moving to a new city. If I was going to move, I would want/need time to explore and learn my new city. The "Uber lifestyle" literally is a lifestyle. I asked about time to go to the gym and one guy said he schedules in an hour a day. One person mentioned there were in the office at 8 am, home by 7 pm (cause they had a dog) and back online (with the rest of the team) until almost midnight. If you're looking for a life-consuming job then this is for you. Some mentioned 50 - 60 - 70 - even 80+ hour work weeks.
In the end it wasn't for me and my search continues.
Office Culture: I was not given a tour of the office during my in person. I usually ask for a tour but they were moving offices in a few weeks and it would be a totally new space anyway. But the office was cluttered.
People: Most of the folks were very nice. Very friendly and talkative. I saw myself working with those type of people.
