Uber, as the largest ridesharing company globally, Uber has transformed how we commute, connecting over 150 million monthly active users with 6 million drivers and couriers worldwide. With an average of 28 million trips facilitated daily and a staggering 47 billion trips since its inception in 2010, Uber's impact on modern mobility is unparalleled. 

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Securing an Software Development Engineer (SDE) role at Uber is highly sought after for Indian tech professionals. However, gaining entry into this position can be challenging. While the conventional approach involves applying directly through the Uber jobs portal, a more accessible and effective route is to obtain a referral from an existing employee.

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In this article, we'll delve into Uber’s work culture and explore how you can leverage a referral to enhance your chances of landing a rewarding career opportunity within this tech powerhouse.

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How to get a job at Uber?

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Coming to the main question first, how to get into Uber. There are several ways of doing that. First go over to Uber careers page and scour through it and find the job you're looking for. You can check active jobs on their LinkedIn page as well. Apply to the job and wait for your resume to get shortlisted out of hundreds of resumes. 

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But if you’re looking for a more effective and an expeditious way to land a job at Uber, you should consider following the referral process. This method entails asking current employees who can advocate for you within the company for a specific job role. The referral process is advantageous for three primary reasons: firstly, existing employees already possess credibility, so anyone they vouch for is likely to be viewed favorably. Secondly, if their referral doesn't meet expectations or leaves the company shortly after joining, it could affect their reputation within the company. Some companies have employee referral programs and employees get monetary incentives if their referral joins the company. Therefore, they have a vested interest in recommending candidates who are qualified and likely to succeed.

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How to Get a Job Referral

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Let’s talk about the process of how to get a referral at Uber. Here’s a step by step guide for it.

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Finding a Potential Referrer

• Open LinkedIn and dive deep into research mode. Read and research about the company, its culture (you can read about it in this article below), and its employees. 
• Try to find if anyone in your friend circle/ acquaintances/ college alumni are currently working at Uber and reach out to them. 
• You can install our chrome extension to cut through the manual process and see which of your 1st degree LinkedIn connections are connected to Uber. You can even ask them to provide a referral through a 1 click easy process.
• Don’t sweat, if the above step doesn't work. You can check out job referral sites which have a curated list of people who have agreed to give referrals in their companies. We have made a list of Uber employees who have agreed to give referrals. You can check out a few of them below (install our extension to check the rest).

1. Gagandeep Singh Bhatia - Currently working as Program Manager - Tech at Uber | Previously worked in Baker Hughes, Hitachi | College: Narsee Monjee Institute Of Management Studies (2020)
2. Harshit Anand - Currently working as Software Engineer 2 at Uber | Previously worked in VMWare, Dell, Wayu Health | College: Sikkim Manipal University
3. Himani Digga - Currently working as Data Engineer at Uber | Previously worked in Walmart Labs India, Oyo, Dunnhumby | College: Delhi Technological University, Guru Jambheshwar University
4. Prabhat Ojha - Currently working as SDE at Uber | Previously worked in Uber, Paysafe, Pramati Technologies, SP Capital | College: National Institute Of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) (2013)
5. Rishi Bansal - Currently working as Software Engineer at Uber | Previously worked in Dremio, Paypal, Simility, Oracle India Pvt Ltd, Sabre, K Raheja Corp | College: BITS, Pilani
6. Rrishu Jain - Currently working as Data Scientist II at Uber | Previously worked in Sharechat, Amazon, Oyo, Netcore Cloud, Hansa Cequity, Cignex | College: Dhiru Bhai Ambani Institute
7. Sai Krishna Prasad - Currently working as Senior Software Engineer at Uber | Previously worked in Goldman Sachs, Juniper Networks, Fireeye, Microsoft | College: IIT Kanpur
8. Sathyanarayana Naidu - Currently working as Software Engineer ii at Uber | Previously worked in Quikplugs, Falabella India, Appscrip, KNS Technologies | College: AMC Engineering College India
9. Tanmoy Datta - Currently working as Staff Software Engineer at Uber | Previously worked in Microsoft | College: IIT Kharagpur
10. Vijay Kumar Nara Devaprakash - Currently working as Software Engineering Manager at Uber | Previously worked in Ola, Amazon, Paypal, Hcl | College: Anna University

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• Try to find people with whom you share a common interest with such as your ex- colleagues, college/ school mates, people from your hometown or people with mutual connections. If you don’t find anyone like that, try to find a mutual interest which you can talk about eg, interest in startups, finance or even anime.

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You can also search potential referrers directly through LinkedIn

• Search for Uber employees in the search bar and then filter them using connection, location and college filter. You can also navigate to the "People" tab on Uber’s LinkedIn page and search through the employees.
• Remember to try to find people with maximum mutual interest and working in the same or similar role you want to apply for.

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Crafting Your Request

• Now that you've identified your potential referrers, it's time to prepare your approach. Remember, personalization is key here.
• Start by researching the referrer's background and interests. 
• Craft a LinkedIn message or email. 
• Start with a brief greeting followed with an opening line using the shared interest (same college/ school, mutual connection/interest). 
• Introducing yourself and explaining why you're reaching out. Be clear and concise about your intention, attach your resume and any relevant work sample.
• Highlight how your skills and experience align with the job requirements and the company's goals and make it clear why you're a perfect fit for the role. Emphasize on how it would benefit both the organization and yourself. 
• Don't forget to express your gratitude for their time and consideration.
• Be patient about it and wait for at least a couple of days before sending a following up.
• Be polite in case they refuse or don’t reply. Thank them for their time and make sure that you don’t burn the bridges. If they refuse, try to get their feedback and work on it.

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You can check out sample examples of personalized referral requests below in this article.

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Bonus Tip: Making it Easy for your Referrer

To make it easy for your referrer, consider providing a prefilled message that they can simply copy and send to the hiring manager. We have attached the template below.

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Sharing the template below:

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Hi [Hiring Manager],

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I hope this email finds you well.

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I'm writing to recommend [name] for the [role]. [name] and I worked at [company] together/ attended the same college and collaborated on various projects during our time there. He's demonstrated himself as a hard worker and a dedicated team player.

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Sharing his contact details below:

Email: xyz@gmail.com

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Resume:

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Best regards,

[referrar]

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Work culture at Uber India

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Uber boasts a work culture that is both dynamic and demanding. Understanding the nuances of Uber’s work culture can greatly aid in navigating the job process and acclimatizing to the company's environment.

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Pros

• Competitive Compensation: Uber rewards its employees generously, offering competitive pay packages that recognize and value their contributions.
• Stellar Benefits and Office Perks: From gourmet food to state-of-the-art offices, Uber goes above and beyond to ensure its employees are well taken care of.
• Great Learning Opportunities: With a focus on R&D, Uber provides abundant learning opportunities, supported by a leadership team that values individual growth and development.
• Ownership: SDEs are encouraged to take ownership of their projects at Uber. 
• Supportive and Friendly Culture: Employees at Uber and very supportive and there is a culture of collaboration.

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• Cons:
• Extreme Work Pressure: The fast-paced nature of Uber's environment can sometimes translate into high levels of work pressure, with strict deadlines.
• Global Collaboration Challenges: Depending on the team you are working with, you might have to work in US timings.
• Uber's reliance on internal tools and frameworks may limit exposure to common market tools, potentially impacting skill development and future career prospects.
• Promotional Challenges: Advancing within Uber's ranks can be a tough climb, with fierce competition and high expectations making promotions a challenging task.

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In the end it’s about weighing pros and cons to reach a final decision when considering joining Uber as an SDE. 

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Different roles and hierarchy at Uber

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• SDE 1- For college graduates, requires 0-2 yrs of experience. The candidate should have a basic understanding of programming and good problem solving skills.
• SDE 2- Requires 2.5 - 6 yrs exp. Engineers should be able to take ownership and get their work done, write design documents and solve problems efficiently.
• Sr. SDE- Requires 6+ yrs exp. SDEs should be experts in their domains and have a clear understanding of the problem they are trying to solve. They are also required to lead and mentor SDE1&2.
• Sr. SDE II - SDEs should be able to make a long lasting impact in the organization across multiple teams. Their responsibilities include designing system architecture for scale and providing technical leadership to fellow team members.
• Staff SDE- SDEs at this role create a company wide impact through their work. They work with Principle Engineers in cross team engagements and must have strong experience in software design and architecture.
• Sr. Staff SDE- Their work has a direct impact on Uber’s customers and business. Engineers at this level identify bottlenecks in the platform and process and improve them.
• Principal SDE - Their work creates a company with impact across multiple geographies. They represent the top 2% of engineers at Uber. They work with business teams to solve complex problems through tech and are deep experts in their domains.

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Uber salaries for different roles:

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Uber is known to pay good salaries to its engineers. On top of the base salary, SDEs are given additional stocks as well. Average salaries for roles are given below,

• SDE-1 : 21 LPA
• SDE-2 : 37 LPA
• Sr. SDE- 60 LPA

Samples for asking for Job Referral:

Email sample for job referral: Reaching out to a college senior

Hi Anuj,

Hope you’re doing well.

I don't know if you remember me or not but I worked as a volunteer in your team in our annual college cultural fest. We worked directly in the stage play event when the judge canceled at the last minute and led to the whole event getting delayed, quite a fiasco it was.

I'm actually reaching out to you because I needed a small favor. I recently saw that an SDE 1 position has opened up at Uber and I'm interested in applying for it. Would it be possible for you to refer me for the same? I have 1.5 years of experience as a Fullstack Engineer at Weekday (a YC backed startup) and I believe my skills and experience align well with the requirements of the SDE 1 role at Uber.

I've attached my resume for your reference. If you're able to provide a referral or offer any advice on the application process, I would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and assistance.

I know that you’ll be submitting a referral in your internal portal but in case you’re going to mail the hiring manager you can use something like this.

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Hi [Hiring Manager],

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I hope this email finds you well.

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I'm writing to recommend Amit Singh for the SDE 1 role. Amit and I attended the same college and collaborated on various projects during our time there. He's demonstrated himself as a hard worker and a dedicated team player.

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Sharing his contact details below:

Email: xyz@gmail.com

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Resume:

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Best regards,

Anuj

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Warm Regards

Amit

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Sample of how to ask for referral on LinkedIn: Reaching out to a person with mutual connection

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Dear Anuj,

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Hope you’re doing well.

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I got your reference from Akhil. I believe you guys went to college together. He is an ex colleague of mine, we worked briefly together at Weekday before parting ways.

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I'm actually reaching out to you because I needed a small favor. I am actively looking out for a new job and saw that an SDE 2 position has opened up at Uber. I wanted to see if it would be possible for you to refer me for it? I have 4 years of experience in a similar role at a YC backed startup. I believe I possess the technical skills and relevant experience required for this role.

Attaching my resume for your reference. If you're able to provide a referral or offer any advice on the application process, I would be incredibly grateful.

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Thank you for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and assistance.

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Warm Regards

Amit

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

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