Job Tips Q & A: 8 Minute Interview with Yelp
yelp interview questions
Even though Yelp is not a 1st tier tech company comparing to Google, Facebook, it does have the best engineering culture. Hackathon, offsite, snacks and work from home policy, just name it (no dining hall though). Managers care a lot about your growth. Theyre normally patient and willing to help. They will try their best to help you promote instead of suppressing for higher productivity. Average age is young, great place for new grads and young engineers. People are always nice and willing to help.
4 . Describe a time when you had to overcome a significant obstacle on a job
This is a tough question because youâre forced to talk about a difficult time with a complete stranger. Fortunately, itâs also a great opportunity to turn a big challenge into a great accomplishment.
This question is designed to help the interviewer discover what type of problem-solver you are.
Why do employers ask this question?
Itâs because they want to know that theyâre hiring someone who can think on their feet and who is resilient when facing challenges.
- What was the project or task you were trying to accomplish?
- What was the obstacle? This can be a specific problem related to your job or a higher-order issue across the organization.
- What steps did you take to address the issue?
- What decisions did you have to make?
- How did the company benefit from your decisions?
- How would you describe your approach, or what lessons have you learned?
Be careful how you respond to this question. Make sure that you select a difficult work situation where you were not the cause.
This question is not about your past, its how you deal with things that will happen in the future, so try to keep your answer short and focused.
After all, the interviewer is really looking for what you took away from the situation and doesnât need to know the full backstory of what happened.
Use the STAR method to prepare your story and practice it so that you can stay within 1-2 minutes.
Make sure to show that you remained positive when overcoming a hurdle at work. Positive attitudes lead to positive outcomes.
This question is asked 3.9x more frequently at Yelp than at other companies.
5 . Tell me about a stressful situation and how you dealt with it
Nowadays, professional life is stressful everywhere and always. However, there are levels of stress that are so common that we consider them normal, and there are times when they really skyrocket.
Your future employer wants to know how you will behave in such times, whether you will be a helping hand or a burden.
- What helped you persevere?
- Was there an element that you enjoyed?
For example, in one of our projects, my team and I had to hit a really tough timeline for a customer, which seemed almost impossible in the beginning. However, we knew that we owned the results and that a major decision by the customer depended on the outcome. This sense of ownership, meaning, and impact gave us energy and excitement. Those were the challenges that we loved and could deal with for a sustained period of time. Also, the pleasure of working with a highly qualified top manager on the customerâs side added to the enjoyment. Now, after a few years, we remember those times as some of the most exciting for our team.
- What do you know about the company, where you may encounter a stressful situation?
- Are they working on a major project which is approaching a due date?
- Are they going through a difficult time when cost-saving is a top priority, company culture is full of negativity and mistrust, they have gone through massive layoffs, customers are neglected, and everyone wears a long face?
These are always stressful times, and you should try to know more about expectations in the company, and how realistic they are. Or, are they just a dynamic, highly agile company run by smart and creative folks, which may work excellently for some people and be confusing and mind-blowing for others? Do your research.
- Does this company feel like it?
- Do you feel excited and enthusiastic about the kinds of stress you may encounter here?
If you feel compatible with this company culture and enthusiastic about the challenges you expect here, this is a good chance to mention it and to show your excitement. Explain your approach or rationale and give your example from the past.
If you cannot remember any stressful situation with a positive outcome, you can use one with a negative outcome accompanied by your lessons learned.
However, this option should not be your first choice, as the failure to give an example of a successful outcome may portray you as an emotionally immature person.
This question is asked 2.1x more frequently at Yelp than at other companies.
