Uber · Primly Community

Uber recruiter phone screen, what they actually ask (no fluff, just what happened)

laidoff_lena · 5 replies

Got laid off from my last role two months ago and I've been documenting every recruiter screen I go through. Uber was last week. Here's what they asked.

Call was 30 minutes exactly. Recruiter was polite, efficient, did not waste time.

What they covered: Quick intro / what are you looking for. She asked this first and I think it was a filter question. They want to know if you're serious about Uber specifically or just spray-applying. I said I was interested in their marketplace side because of X, she seemed to relax a bit. Current situation and timeline. Are you employed? When do you need to start? Any competing processes? She was direct about it. I think they're trying to triage urgency. Compensation expectations. She asked early. I had a range ready from their job posting and some Levels.fyi research. She confirmed the range was "in the ballpark" without naming a number. Standard. Work authorization. I'm a US citizen so this was a checkbox, but she asked specifically. Probably different if you need sponsorship. Why Uber. Not a deep question here, just a sanity check. A sentence or two about their market position and the specific org/team you're interviewing for is plenty. Overview of the process. She walked through next steps: OA, then if I pass, a full loop of 5 rounds over 2 half-days. She mentioned debrief usually happens within a week of the final round.

No technical questions in this round. Nothing behavioral. Just screening for fit, timing, and comp alignment.

One thing she said that stuck with me: "We move pretty fast once you're in the loop." In my experience that's either true or it means they'll ghost you in a month. Keeping my expectations managed.

5 replies

marketer_mei

The comp question early is so common now and I still never feel ready for it. How did you handle giving a range without anchoring too low?

laidoff_lena

I gave a range based on my target number plus about 20% on the high end. Something like: "Based on my research for this level in the SF market I'm looking at X to Y, with the right equity structure I have flexibility." She wrote something down and moved on.

consultant_cam

The 'we move fast' thing. I say the same thing to candidates. It's true in that the recruiting team wants to close quickly once someone's in the loop. What slows things down is hiring manager calendar and debrief scheduling, which we have less control over than we'd like.

visa_vik

Did she ask if you needed sponsorship or just work auth in general? I'm on H1B and trying to gauge how early that conversation comes up.

laidoff_lena

She asked "are you authorized to work in the US without sponsorship?" So yes, that specific question. I don't know what they do with a no answer at that stage, sorry.