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02 / Hiring process
Three stages, and one of them decides it
3 stages from application to offer. Technical phone screen is reported to be the one that decides it.
3stages
01
Recruiter screen background, motivation and role fit
Reported to run about 30 minutes, helping your recruiter understand your background and what you're looking for, and setting the pace for the rest of the process.
02
Technical phone screen shared CoderPad, narrate your approach out loud
Lyft's own engineering blog describes this as a shared CoderPad session where you talk through your approach before coding, with the interviewer available to help work through issues, not just watch silently.
03
Onsite interviews problem-solving, architecture and design, and a laptop programming test
Reported to run a mix of problem-solving and algorithms, an architecture and design discussion, and the distinctive laptop programming exercise with real internet and library access, plus a behavioral round.
Ask before the interview: what will this round cover, who will I meet, and is there anything I should prepare?The question almost nobody asks
03 / Question library
Interview question practice library
The technical phone screen, the onsite loop, and the three named values apply broadly across departments, so the core set below covers that ground. Each department then adds the depth specific to it.
61questions
Asked in every interviewAsked in every Lyft interview
01 Why Lyft, and why this department specifically? Why Lyft Open guide
Find your angle. Checks for a concrete reason tied to the actual department, not general enthusiasm for ridesharing.
Build your answer
- Name the department directly. Not Lyft broadly.
- Tie it to a real thing you've done. Concrete.
- Say what you'd want to own there. Specific.
Bring the evidence
Ground your answer in a real experience that maps onto this department's actual work, not a general fondness for the app.
What weakens it
I use Lyft all the time and think it's a great product.
Likely follow upWhat's the first problem in this department you'd want to dig into?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.02 Tell me about a time you solved a real problem while someone was actively coaching you through it, rather than working alone. Collaboration Open guide
Find your angle. Lyft's own engineering blog describes its technical screen as collaborative, with the interviewer helping work through issues, testing comfort with that format specifically.
Build your answer
- Describe the real problem. Concrete.
- Explain how you used the other person's input. Specific, not ignoring them.
- State whether the outcome was better for it. Honest.
Bring the evidence
Point to a specific piece of guidance you took from the other person and how it actually changed your approach.
What weakens it
I usually prefer to work through problems on my own.
Likely follow upWhat would you have done if the other person's suggestion had led you down the wrong path?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.03 Describe a time you were allowed to use outside resources on something and did so transparently, rather than hiding it. Resourcefulness Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.04 Tell me about a time you had to describe not just how something worked, but specifically where it could break. System design Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.05 Describe a time you had to consciously balance getting something exactly right, keeping the code clean, and finishing on time. Correctness Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.06 Tell me about a time someone cared more about how you got to an answer than the answer itself. Transparency Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.07 Describe a time being your actual, unpolished self in a professional setting worked out better than putting on a more polished front. Authenticity Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.08 Tell me about a time you deliberately helped someone else do well, in a way that wasn't expected of you. Ownership Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.09 Describe a time real obstacles stood between you and finishing something, and you got it done anyway. Follow-through Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.10 Tell me about a time you had to coordinate multiple moving parts that all needed to happen at roughly the same time. Coordination Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.11 Describe a time you had to make a judgment call where someone's real safety, not just convenience, was at stake. Safety judgment Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.12 Tell me about a time you proactively told people about a decision that affected them, before they had to ask. Communication Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.13 What's a real, current gap in how you work that a fast-moving, real-time environment would probably expose quickly? Weakness Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.Insurance6 to practise
6 questions
The questions this role actually gets asked
The core set above is asked whatever you applied for. These 6 are specific to Insurance, and they are usually what the decision turns on.
Create a free accountWhat you get
Less than the cost of one lunch, for a great deal more confidence.- Unlimited tailored interview preparation
- A massive database of actual questions and answer guides
Role specific
Pick your role and the list narrows to what that role tends to get asked.
A guide for every answer
What the question is testing, three steps to build your answer, and the evidence to bring.
Prepared, not guessing
You walk in knowing the shape of the round and which of your own stories fits it.
04 / In the news
Worth mentioning in the room
The strongest answer to why this company is something that happened last month.
4stories
Free account
What happened at this employer this month
Stories screened from everything published about this employer, chosen because they can be used in the room rather than because they are recent.
- Each one carries a line on how to use it in the answer
- Crime, recalls, litigation and share price moves are excluded outright
- Refreshed daily, so it is different the week of your interview
05 / The three values
What is actually being scored
Lyft publishes exactly three core values in this language on its own careers site. Bring one real story for each rather than a general answer about liking to drive or ride.
3stories
Be Yourself
A time being genuinely yourself, rather than a more polished version, actually worked in your favor.
Uplift Others
A time you deliberately helped someone else succeed in a way that wasn't required of you.
Make It Happen
A time you pushed something across the finish line despite real obstacles in the way.
06 / Before you apply
Where candidates lose it
Pro
Where candidates lose this before anyone meets them
The part of the process that eliminates most people is not the interview. It is what happens around it, and almost none of it is written down anywhere.
- The assessment answers that read as dishonest rather than confident
- What the availability question is really deciding
- The application detail that cannot be edited once submitted
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