Overview

Grubhub is a leading online and mobile food ordering and delivery marketplace, connecting diners with a vast network of over 300,000 restaurants nationwide. Their platform is designed to make ordering food easy and enjoyable, leveraging technology and innovation to facilitate seamless dining experiences.

For the Software Engineer position at Grubhub, candidates can expect a thorough interview process comprising multiple stages, including coding challenges, system design, and behavioral questions. As part of the engineering team, you will have the opportunity to define, architect, and scale crucial features for the platform, working closely with other technology teams, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver top-notch solutions.

Whether you are building scalable systems, improving existing features, or delving into new technologies, this role requires a mix of technical prowess, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit. Use Interview Query to prepare effectively and give yourself the best shot at joining this dynamic team. Let's get started!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining Grubhub as a Software Engineer. Whether you were contacted by a Grubhub recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the Grubhub Talent Acquisition Team will make contact and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process. Occasionally, the process may require follow-ups, and while it might sometimes face rescheduling issues, it's integral to maintain professionalism throughout.

In some cases, the Grubhub software engineering hiring manager may also be present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also indulge in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

The whole recruiter call typically takes about 30 minutes.

First Technical Phone Screening

Upon successfully navigating the recruiter round, you’ll be invited for the first technical phone screening. This interview will often include a mixture of behavioral and technical questions. Expect to discuss past experiences, challenges, and how you handle various work situations. Technical assessments may include coding queries that emphasize problem-solving skills, like grid manipulation or checking for balanced parentheses.

Online Coding Assessment

Generally, the next step is an online coding assessment that may include completion of algorithmic challenges or real-life work scenarios. This will typically be conducted via a platform integrated through Interview Query.

Onsite Interview Rounds

After the online assessment, if selected, you will be invited to attend onsite interview rounds. These generally consist of multiple sessions including but not limited to:

• Technical Coding Rounds: You might be asked to solve coding problems on whiteboards, such as implementing a checker or solving string compression and decompression problems.
• System Design: Expect bigger challenges including designing an architecture or a specific system, like a delivery dispatch system or restaurant search for diners.
• Behavioral and Situational Questions: Focusing on past projects, the biggest mistakes, and how you dealt with particular situations, especially those based on data-driven decisions.

The onsite interviews aim to assess both your technical prowess and cultural fit over several hours. Each round typically lasts about an hour.

Quick Tips For Grubhub Software Engineer Interviews

You should plan to brush up on any technical skills and try as many practice interview questions and mock interviews as possible. A few tips for acing your Grubhub interview include:

• Know Your Basics: Grubhub questions often include basic data structures, algorithms, and real-world applications, so ensure your fundamentals are solid.
• Team Player Skills: Grubhub places significant value on teamwork. Practice discussing your experiences working with teams, resolving conflicts, and leading projects.
• Stay Updated: Familiarize yourself with Grubhub’s products, services, and recent news. Be ready to discuss how you would improve existing systems or suggest new features.

Typically, interviews at Grubhub vary by role and team, but commonly Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• How would you set up an A/B test to optimize button color and position for higher click-through rates? A team wants to A/B test changes in a sign-up funnel, such as changing a button from red to blue and/or moving it from the top to the bottom of the page. How would you design this test?

• Would you suspect anything unusual if an A/B test with 20 variants shows one significant result? Your manager ran an A/B test with 20 different variants and found one significant result. Would you find anything suspicious about these results?

• Why might the average number of comments per user decrease despite user growth in a new city? A social media company launched in a new city and saw a slow decrease in the average number of comments per user from January to March, despite consistent user growth. What could be the reasons for this decrease, and what metrics would you investigate?

• What metrics would you use to evaluate the value of different marketing channels for a B2B analytics company? Given all the different marketing channels and their respective costs for a company selling B2B analytics dashboards, what metrics would you use to determine the value of each marketing channel?

• How would you locate a mouse in a 4x4 grid using the fewest number of scans? You have a 4x4 grid with a mouse trapped in one of the cells. You can "scan" subsets of cells to know if the mouse is within that subset but not its exact location. How would you determine the mouse's location using the fewest scans?

• How would you encode a categorical variable with thousands of distinct values? You have a categorical variable with thousands of distinct values. Describe the method you would use to encode this variable effectively.

• Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

• What is the expected number of good ads rated by different types of raters?
• Suppose we have 100 raters each rating one ad independently. What's the expected number of good ads?
• Now suppose we have 1 rater rating 100 ads. What's the expected number of good ads?

• Suppose we have 1 ad, rated as bad. What's the probability the rater was lazy?

• Write a function to simulate coin tosses with a given probability of heads. Create a function that takes the number of tosses and the probability of heads as input and returns a list of randomly generated results ('H' for heads, 'T' for tails).

Example 1: python tosses = 5 probability_of_heads = 0.6 Output: python coin_toss(tosses, probability_of_heads) -> ['H', 'T', 'H', 'H', 'T']

Example 2: python tosses = 3 probability_of_heads = 0.2 Output: python coin_toss(tosses, probability_of_heads) -> ['T', 'T', 'T']

• Write a function to calculate the sample variance of a list of integers. Create a function that takes a list of integers and returns the sample variance, rounded to 2 decimal places.

Example: python test_list = [6, 7, 3, 9, 10, 15] Output: python get_variance(test_list) -> 13.89

• What is the probability of rolling at least one 3 with dice?
• What's the probability of rolling at least one 3 with 2 dice?

• What's the probability of rolling at least one 3 given (N) dice?

• What is the probability of finding an item on Amazon's website given its availability in warehouses? Given that the probability of item X being available at warehouse A is 0.6 and at warehouse B is 0.8, what is the probability that item X would be found on Amazon's website?

What is the average salary for a Software Engineer at Grubhub?

Q: What is the interview process like for a Software Engineer position at Grubhub?

The interview process at Grubhub typically involves multiple rounds. It begins with an initial screening, followed by one or two technical interviews, and a final onsite interview. The technical interviews usually consist of coding challenges (e.g., string manipulation, grid manipulation) and system design questions (e.g., design a restaurant search for diners). Behavioral questions focusing on past experiences and decision-making processes are also common.

Q: What kinds of technical challenges should I expect during the interview?

Expect coding challenges involving common data structures and algorithms, such as balancing parentheses, string manipulation, grid problem solving, and merging intervals to calculate driver pay. Additionally, system design problems like designing a restaurant search or a dispatch system are likely.

Q: How should I prepare for the Grubhub technical interviews?

To prepare for the technical interviews, practice coding problems on platforms like Interview Query, focusing on data structures, algorithms, and system design. Review past projects and be ready to discuss your decisions and outcomes. Brush up on concurrency and Java-related questions, as these are frequently part of the interview.

Q: What topics are covered in the behavioral interview at Grubhub?

Behavioral interviews at Grubhub cover your past work experiences, decision-making processes, and how you handle teamwork and conflicts. Questions like "What was your biggest mistake?" or "Describe a situation when you made a decision based on data" are typical.

Q: What should I know about Grubhub’s company culture before my interview?

Grubhub values a collaborative and innovative company culture where diversity and creativity are encouraged. The company emphasizes a work-life balance, transparency, and continuous learning, making it essential to demonstrate alignment with these values during your interview.

Conclusion

The journey of securing a Software Engineer position at Grubhub provides a multifaceted glimpse into the company's interview process and expectations. While some candidates faced challenges such as rescheduled or missed interviews, others highlighted the rigor and friendliness of the interviewers. The process typically involves multiple stages, including technical coding questions, system design, and behavioral interviews.

To better prepare and improve your chances of success, it's crucial to practice relevant coding problems, system design scenarios, and familiarize yourself with behavioral interview questions. If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Grubhub Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for roles such as software engineer and data analyst to help you dive deeper into Grubhub’s interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every interview question and challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!