Uber Business Analyst Interview Guide
Walk through the Uber analyst interview process to learn everything you need to land an entry-level role in its corporate business, finance, operations, and other business-oriented departments.
Introduction
In this article, we’ll cover the different entry-level business opportunities available and walk through the example interview questions and assessments that you’ll come across in Uber’s typical interview process.
Business Analyst Roles and Programs
There are a number of different business teams and roles across Uber’s global corporate organization ranging from strategic finance and corporate development to central operations and product marketing.
Sample Roles
Risk Analyst: Develop risk management strategies using data to continuously monitor and mitigate identified risks. Work closely with finance, operations, legal, and other relevant departments to ensure risk management strategies align with business goals and objectives.
Business Engagement Analyst: Develop and present key financial metrics and performance figures to business leadership. Support the development and implementation of specialized projects designed to resolve operational issues between various business teams.
Strategic Finance Analyst: Build advanced financial models to perform financial planning and analysis duties (reporting, forecasting, spend allocation, variance analysis, etc.). Analysts are expected to support process improvements and special initiatives that require finance insights.
Revenue Operations Analyst: Identify and publish impactful KPI (Key Performance Indicator) figures that monitor positive engagement with Uber’s B2B clients. Analysts develop strategies that improve data collection from various tech data sources.
Tax Analyst: Collaborate with finance, business operations, legal, and other cross-functional teams to perform tax advisory, compliance, and litigation tasks. Calculate periodic tax obligation figures and support new product launches from a tax perspective.
Undergraduate Internship Program: 12-week undergraduate internship program with opportunities across all teams (Finance, Marketing, Business Development, Operations, Legal, etc.). Applications typically open in the fall (September - November).
Strategic Finance Development Program: 2-year rotational program on the finance team in San Francisco. Rotational members will have exposure to financial modeling and other finance tasks needed to support various product P&Ls.
Business Analyst Compensation
The estimated Business Analyst's annual salary will likely fall between the range of $86,000 - $108,000. Additional equity compensation can fall between the range of $0 - $20,000 per year.
Preferred Analyst Skills
Various roles at Uber will require different levels of technical skills and experience. That said, Uber is a very data and technology-driven company that tends to prioritize candidates with stronger technical abilities. See the recommended skills below.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel: Recommended for all corporate roles. Essential to making basic data-backed calculations, analysis, and presentation visuals. If you're interested in learning all the Excel skills you'll need to pass any technical interview or perform in any business analyst role, check out our Excel for Business & Finance Course.
- SQL: Unlike other corporations, business and operations analysts (not just data analysts and software engineers) will be expected to have proficiency in SQL to pull needed data from the company database.
- PowerBI: Recommended for business analyst, finance analyst, and data analyst roles. Useful for transforming large datasets into visual dashboards.
- Basic Statistics: Recommended for most business and analytical roles. (Standard deviation, mean, median, p-value, t-test, etc.)
- Python: Usually for roles that are more technical like data analysts. Some have reported python related interview questions for their business analyst role.
- Other: Certain sales and marketing roles may prefer candidates with previous experience in tools like Salesforce, Google Tag Manager, etc.
If you’re interested in learning the practical technical skills to compete for competitive roles at Uber, consider checking out our Excel for Business and Finance course and our array of other technical courses!
General Interview Stages
The typical entry-level business roles will have the following interview process:
- Resume Submission
- Online Assessment
- Interview with Recruiter / HR
- Interview with Senior Analyst or Manager
- Case Study Exercise
- Final Round Interviews
Resume Submission
Uber, like other popular tech giants, receives thousands of applications for its entry-level roles each day. This makes it particularly important for applicants to optimize their resumes to best suit the tasks and keywords on the job posting.
The company takes pride in being an innovative tech company and thus its employees should be well-trained in many technical tools. With this in mind, it will be critical for applicants to highlight quantitative and technical experiences (particularly with Excel, SQL, PowerBI, and other data-oriented tools).
Candidates can also greatly increase their chances of landing an interview through an employee referral. For more tips on obtaining a referral, check out our article on cold email networking templates.
Online Assessment
Following the resume submission, some candidates will be prompted to complete an online skills assessment.
The assessment will vary depending on the role, but don’t be surprised if a traditionally not-technical role contains technical questions on (Excel, SQL, and Basic Statistics).
Excel Questions: Be prepared to know SUMIFS, VLOOKUPS, Pivot Tables, Goal Seek, basic charting, and other standard Excel functions.
SQL Questions: Focus on data joins and basic SQL syntax.
Other Questions: Other questions test basic algebra and brain-teaser problems.
Phone Screen with Recruiter
Once you pass the resume screen and online assessment (if your role requires an online assessment), you will likely move on to your first interview with a recruiter or someone on the HR team.
This interview will focus on behavioral questions and how your past experiences will make you a good fit for the company and the specific role that you are applying to. Make sure you have a firm grasp of the material on your resume and be ready to highlight any technical experiences.
Sample Interview Questions:
- Walk me through your resume.
- Why Uber.
- Tell me about a time when you worked on a team to accomplish an important goal.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Tell me about a time you had to work quickly to solve a pressing issue.
Interview with Senior Business Analyst or Manager
If you make it to this part of the interview process, things will start getting pretty serious. In this interview, expect to speak with a senior analyst or manager who works on the team that you have applied for. The conversation will likely contain a mix of technical and behavioral questions.
Technical Questions
The technical questions asked in the interview will vary by team and role. For instance, finance applicants may be tested on P&L and Balance Sheet metrics while data analysts may be tested on short SQL and Python questions.
Sample Questions:
- How do you calculate gross margin?
- How would you merge a query in SQL?
- What would be the first thing you would do when given a raw data export?
- Explain how a pivot table works in Excel.
Behavioral Questions
In addition to your generic personal interview questions, your interviewer may ask you questions about Uber’s operations and its general business landscape. We strongly recommend that you research the company by learning everything you can about its operations and any current events involving the company.
Suggested Preparation Sources:
- Company annual report or 10-K business filing
- Online news articles (CNBC, WSJ, Forbes)
- YouTube videos (Uber’s channel, The Rideshare Hub, and other news channels)
Sample Questions:
- What is Uber’s most profitable business segment?
- Tell me how Uber generates revenue.
- How do you prioritize your work?
- Tell me about a time you used data to make a decision.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Case Study Exercise
After passing the interview with a senior business analyst or manager, you likely be given a case study exercise that you will have to complete somewhat quickly (approx. 36 hours).
The actual case study tasks will vary dependent on the applied team and role, but most should expect a pretty technical setup in which the candidate will have to translate raw data into insightful and actionable business decisions. For instance, a finance role applicant might be asked to complete a P&L forecast exercise and an operations analyst might be asked to analyze and present on historic vehicle travel data.
General Tips:
- When certain aspects of the data are unclear, make and write down your assumptions to carry on with your analysis.
- Clean your data with simple and straightforward methods to help your interviewers trace your work and thought process.
- Translate the quantitative data into an actionable business decision or opinion. Use what you have to back up your stance, but also don’t be afraid to mention other considerations that should be looked into if you were given different data.
Final Round
Candidates who successfully submit their case study exercise may be asked to participate in a final round of interviews. The final round of interviews will typically consist of (3) 1-on-1 interviews and (1) technical case study follow-up interview.
Case Study Interview:
The technical case study interview will either be with a team manager or with a panel of employees. This interview round will require the candidate to present insights and answer follow-up questions on the case study exercise that they have submitted previous to the start of the final round interviews.
We strongly recommend candidates prepare a handful of key figures and data metrics as well as some creative non-quantifiable points that should be considered within the scope of the case study problem.
1-on-1 Interviews:
For your 1-on-1 interviews, prepare for a mix of behavioral and technical questions. Keep in mind that senior employees tend to use more behavioral and market-based questions while junior employees are more likely to use more technology and exercise-based questions.
Sample Behavioral Questions:
- What would be your strategy for attracting new uber drivers in a new market?
- Why this role at Uber?
- How would you manage a project from start to finish?
- If you had a disagreement with an employee at Uber, what would you do?
- Tell me about your greatest achievement.
Sample Technical Questions:
- How would you determine the price of an Uber ride?
- Estimate the number of uber rides called daily in the US.
- How do you calculate the percentage change between 2 figures?
- How is the income statement connected to the balance sheet?
- If you were presented 3 options that cost X, Y, and Z, which option would you choose?
General Interview Tips
- Business analysts proficient in Advanced Excel and SQL will stand out.
- Make sure to understand how the business works and how the company makes money.
- Stay up to date with recent news relevant to the company.
- Answer using data as much as possible.
- Solve out loud, if you start to make an error, the interviewer can give you a hint or suggestion if you keep them involved in your thought process.
Additional Resources
If you're looking to land a business analyst role at Uber and other competitive companies, consider improving your technical skills by checking out our Excel for Business & Finance Course, our Complete Finance & Valuation Course, and more using the get started button below!
Other Articles You Might Find Helpful
Ready to Level Up Your Career?
Learn the practical skills used at Fortune 500 companies across the globe.