How to Get Into the Uber APM Program (2024)
Read the ultimate guide to the Uber APM program, including an overview of the application, sample questions, free resources, tips, and coach recommendations.
Posted March 13, 2024
Table of Contents
What is the Uber APM Program?
The Uber Associate Product Manager (APM Program) is a two-year rotational program that enables recent college graduates to gain hands-on experience in the product management field. Throughout the duration of the program, APMs collaborate across Engineering, Design, Data Science, and Operations to deliver impactful end-to-end solutions. Through this, they cultivate lasting connections within the APM community, including many highly-touted PMs who have been behind Uber’s success. They also benefit from insights from industry and product experts within and beyond the program to advance their professional journey.
Uber’s APM program follows a unique roadmap:
- Bootcamp: During your first 2 weeks at Uber, you will enter a bootcamp that is designed to catch you up to speed on everything Uber. Here, you will learn about all areas of the business, develop product fundamentals, exercise customer empathy, and embrace learn-by-doing via a Hackathon.
- Rotations: Following the boot camp, you emerge as an up-and-coming expert on Uber, prepared to embark on your initial assignment. Once paired, you seamlessly integrate into a team and begin your work duties. During your first rotation as an APM, you collaborate alongside a seasoned PM who offers dynamic guidance and mentorship; as you progress through subsequent rotations, you progressively assume greater roles within the diverse departments you may opt to engage with.
- World Trip: Uber doesn’t let your time in the program go without a bit of fun! After completing an initial rotation, you join fellow APM cohort members for a global journey to four of Uber's most prominent cities. This trip offers your APM cohort an opportunity to foster an understanding of global market demands, employing this international product outlook to influence decisions on future product focuses and prospects.
Overall, APMs will join a total of 3 teams throughout the program, including but not limited to Rider, Driver, Merchant, Courier, New Verticals, Uber Freight, and Platforms, ultimately leading into a Product Manager role
What You’ll Do
- Internalize and deeply understand Uber's mission and strategies, as well as the mission and objectives of your specific team
- Distill vision and strategy for your cross-functional team to set qualitative objectives and quantitative goals
- Drive innovation, definition, roadmap, and design of entirely new Uber products and product features to deliver against team and company goals
- Challenge all members of cross-functional teams (engineering, design, data science, operations, etc.) to think passionately and creatively and funnel that energy into concrete products and execution plans
- Use data to influence product direction, in the form of rider/eater behavior- or other business metrics
- Solicit and welcome constructive feedback
- Supervise and measure product launches, then incorporate takeaways back into the product development process
- Clearly communicate product plans, benefits, and results to a spectrum of audiences, including internal partners, Uber employees, and the various types of users of the Uber platform (riders, drivers, couriers, restaurants, etc.)
An Overview of the Uber APM Program Application (2023-2024)
The Uber APM program application closed on August 12, 2023; however, we will be sure to update this page once the application opens for the next cohort in 2024!
Basic Qualifications
- Enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree program in Computer Science or an equivalent technical field
- Available for employment in August 2023
Who is Uber Looking For? (Preferred Qualifications)
- Currently an undergraduate or masters student graduating between December 2022 and July 2023
- A passion for building businesses, not features
- Strong data-focused prioritization skills. You find a way to get the data you need and whip it into an informative story with no help. You know how to use this data to make decisions without getting stuck in analysis paralysis
- Design sensibility and the desire to provide the highest value to our customers. A deep understanding of and appreciation for good design and user experiences
- "Driver" personality. You are biased toward action, an excellent collaborator, and constantly pushing toward clarity and delivery
- Strong communication and partnership skills. This will be a very cross-functional role, with partner teams potentially spanning multiple offices globally
- A true passion for our mission, our products, and the company's hybrid technology/operations nature
- A never-ending desire to grow and learn
FAQs
Q: How is product management at Uber different from other companies?
- A: Aside from the world-class product team and opportunity for impact, some of the unique things that distinguish Uber:
- Intersection of technology and the physical world: Stakes are higher, and an entirely new class of problems emerges when your technology is reimagining the way people and things move in real-time in the real world.
- Global hybrid technology-operations nature: Uber is, at heart, both a powerful technology company and a hyperlocal business, and this model has scaled to more than 10,000 cities. We build products for markets across the world with their own cultural, regulatory, and customer differences.
- Scope and impact: You are the true owner of your Uber APM experience. You can experience building zero-to-one projects, develop revolutionary new products, manage integrations, and iterate on existing core products touching millions of lives every day.
- Exposure to a wide array of products and constantly evolving technology spaces: Uber went from zero to 5 billion trips in 7 years, and 5 billion to 10 billion trips in one year. We have groups working on everything from micromobility to trucking to grocery deliveries to autonomous vehicles. There is something for everyone here.
Q: What types of teams will I get to work on?
- A: APMs work on teams across all areas of the business. APMs get full autonomy in choosing areas they are interested in. Some of the projects that APMs have driven:
- Launching and growing Uber for Business
- Building out the Uber Eats marketplace and pricing ecosystem
- Rolling out and creating a seamless rider experience with Express Pool
- Creating a real-time face verification platform to prevent account hacking
- Developing and launching upfront pricing
- Launching suggested pickup locations
Q: What do APMs do after the program?
- A: Once APMs graduate from the program, they go on to become product managers at Uber and continue to create extraordinary impact.
Q: What is the interview process like?
- A: Our interview process consists of a resume review, a take-home product exercise, and several interviews with members of the Uber team across Product, Engineering, and Design.
Application Tips
So, how can you make your Uber APM application stand out? Here are a few tips for giving yourself the best chance at success.
1. Polish your resume.
The APM program at Uber is extremely competitive. Most applicants who submit their resumes will not get an interview. The best way to try and get one is to have a great resume. Make your bullet points specific to what you did (that is, not a group), quantify your impact, and avoid filler or vague words.
Verify that every bullet point is relevant to the job you’re applying for and tie them into the role’s responsibilities. Many PMs also choose to include a “Projects” section on their resumes in which they can fill potential gaps, highlight work done outside of a day job, and include any certifications/courses completed.
For more resume advice, read An Expert’s Guide to Resumes: Five Tips to Make You Stand Out.
2. Be ready to answer “Why PM?” and “Why Uber?”
These are fundamental questions that will impact whether the recruiter sees you as eligible to continue the interview process. While you don’t need to have technical experience, you do need to be able to articulate your interest in technical disciplines. When answering the “Why Uber?” question, be specific. Don’t just talk about how big Uber is. What specific teams and/or products are you interested in? Why Uber compared to other major PM programs?
3. When answering questions about products and product features during interviews, talk about tradeoffs.
Almost every aspect of product management includes discussions of tradeoffs. How will releasing one feature affect others? What should the engineering team prioritize? Bringing up tradeoffs in interviews shows the interviewers that you are thinking logically about the real implications of PM decisions. It will also show that your recommendations can be trusted because you have thought out the pros and cons.
4. Don’t try to analyze every potential aspect of a problem/question. Show that you understand the question through a north-star goal and then define any relevant metrics.
Your time during interviews is limited and it’s important that you’re getting to the point and covering all the bases. When asked a question about a product, explain the overarching goal as well as what metrics you would need to measure to reach that goal. If the interviewer pushes back, explain your assumptions and reasoning.
With that being said, don’t overwhelm the interviewer with every potential metric that could be relevant. Keep it narrowed to the most important ones and include justifications for why you chose them. What will actually drive success? What user behaviors are you looking to encourage?
5. Use a framework and think about the user experience.
Using a framework to structure the problem will show the interviewer that you approach problems methodically and are organized in your thinking. This includes talking about prioritization. If you’re discussing the implementation of a new feature, talk about the pros and cons of different solutions and what would need to be prioritized for each approach to work.
The user experience is the core of product management. Consistently factoring it in, through identifying desired user behavior and target user segments, demonstrates that you recognize the importance of the user in every product decision.
Read: Moving Beyond Frameworks: The Secret to Excelling in Product Management Interviews
50+ Sample Product Management Interview Questions
Uber-specific Questions
Product Sense
- How would you tailor Uber’s product to meet the needs of users in a new international market with unique transportation challenges?
- How would you design the app interface and user journey to accommodate multiple transportation modes like ride-sharing, e-scooters, and public transit?
- What innovative features or strategies would you propose to enhance passenger and driver safety within the Uber app and during rides?
- How would you design features or incentives to improve driver engagement, loyalty, and satisfaction with the Uber platform?
- If expanding Uber Eats into a new category, how would you prioritize features and the user experience for this venture?
- What challenges and benefits would a subscription-based model offer Uber, and how would you introduce and market it?
- How would you approach integrating self-driving cars into Uber's fleet, considering user experience, safety, and regulatory compliance?
- Suggest product features or initiatives that promote eco-friendly transportation options and contribute to Uber's environmental sustainability goals.
- How would you ensure Uber's product compliance with diverse global regulations while maintaining a consistent user-friendly experience?
- In a highly competitive market, how would you foster innovation and continuously improve Uber's products to retain and attract users?
Execution
- How would you approach the execution strategy for Uber Eats' expansion into a new international market?
- Explain the execution steps and considerations for integrating a third-party navigation app into Uber's driver app.
- Detail an execution strategy for integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into Uber's fleet for reduced carbon emissions.
- How would you execute the launch of Uber's micro-mobility services (e.g., scooters, bikes) in a new city, considering regulatory challenges and user adoption?
- How would you develop an execution plan to streamline the onboarding process for new Uber drivers, reducing time-to-earnings?
Leadership & Drive
- How do you resolve conflicts instead of avoiding or ignoring them?
- How have you solved a challenge, whether or not it was technically your problem?
- Can you adjust your leadership style to specific situations and people? Are you able to encourage collaboration and reconcile differences among opposing opinions?
- Do you know what your weaknesses are? Are you willing to learn and grow?
- Are you able to stick to things long-term?
Other Example Questions
- Uber has a diverse range of services (UberX, UberEats, Uber Freight, etc.). How would you approach managing products across such a wide portfolio?
- Uber operates in various global markets with unique regulations and cultural differences. How do you adapt your product strategy to cater to different regions?
- Can you suggest improvements to Uber's rider or driver experience based on your understanding of the platform?
- Uber is known for its dynamic pricing model (surge pricing). How would you balance user satisfaction and revenue generation in this context?
- Uber's platform involves real-time interactions between riders and drivers. How do you ensure a seamless experience even during times of high demand and surge pricing?
- Uber has been investing in autonomous vehicles. How would you develop a product roadmap for this emerging technology?
- How do you think Uber can differentiate itself from its competitors in the ride-sharing and food-delivery industries?
- Uber has experimented with new services like Uber Elevate (urban aerial mobility). How would you assess the feasibility of such innovative products?
- Can you provide examples of how Uber could leverage partnerships or integrations with other tech companies to enhance its services?
- Uber's growth has led to concerns about its environmental impact. How would you address sustainability and environmental considerations in your product strategy?
- Uber collects a vast amount of data. How would you use data-driven insights to make informed product decisions?
- Uber has experimented with different subscription models and loyalty programs. How would you design and iterate on such programs to enhance user engagement and retention?
- Imagine you're in charge of launching a new category of Uber services. How would you approach defining the minimum viable product (MVP) and iterating on it based on user feedback?
- Can you walk us through your experience with product management and how you've contributed to successful product launches?
- What is the most challenging product problem you've faced, and how did you approach solving it?
- How do you prioritize features or improvements when working on a product with limited resources?
- Can you explain the Agile methodology and how you've applied it in your previous roles?
- What metrics do you consider when evaluating the success of a product, and how do you ensure they align with business goals?
- Describe a situation where you had to make a tough decision that balanced user needs and business requirements.
- How do you gather and incorporate customer feedback into your product development process?
- Can you discuss a time when you had to pivot a product strategy due to market changes or unexpected challenges?
- In your opinion, what are the most important traits for success as a PM?
- Choose a target audience that you don’t think is well-served by Uber. How would you redesign Uber to better appeal to and serve that user?
- Tell me about a time you made a decision that wasn’t popular. How did you implement it?
- Walk us through a product that you successfully took from ideation to launch. What were the key milestones and decisions you made along the way?
- How do you approach defining the target market and user personas for a new product?
- How do you handle situations where there's a gap between customer expectations and the technical feasibility of a feature?
- Product roadmaps need to balance short-term goals with long-term vision. How do you ensure that your roadmap aligns with both immediate needs and strategic objectives?
- When have you had to convince someone on your team of an idea you had?
- What is your favorite website? Why?
Other Resources to Break Into Product Management
Uber-specific
- The Product Podcast – How to Break Into Product Management by Uber Sr PM
- Product School – How to Get a Management Job at Uber by Product Manager at Uber
- Product School – Uber PM Talks: How to Crack the PM Interview
PM Guides
- Aha! – Product Management Guide
- Udacity – Product Design by Google
- Infinity – Practical Product Management Framework
- Jeff Whitlock – The Beginner’s Guide to Product Management
- Product School – The Ultimate Product Management Guide
- Product Life – The Associate Product Manager Playbook
Other
- Roadmunk – 10+ Free Customizable Product Roadmap Templates
- UpGrad – How to Crack the PM Interview
Where Can I Start?
Product management is becoming an increasingly competitive industry and the application process can be difficult to go through alone. Here are some of our additional PM resources to help you navigate the job hunt and recruiting journey.
- The 25 Best Entry-Level APM Programs
- Tips from an Expert: How to Prepare for Your Product Management Interview
- 20+ Free Product Management Resources
- How to Get Into the Google APM Program
- How to Get Into the Facebook/Meta RPM Program (2024)
- How to Get Into the IBM Associate Product Manager (APM) Program
- How to Get Into the Yahoo APM Program (2024)
- How to Get Into the Lyft APM Program (2024)
- How to Get Into the Salesforce APM Program (2024)
For personalized advice and guidance, work one-on-one with an expert Leland PM coach. They have experience at top companies and can help with any part of the application, recruiting, and hiring processes. A few of our top recommendations are below, and you can see our full list of world-class PM coaches here.
Final Note
Leland provides you with the content, community, and coaching that you need to build your dream product management job and accomplish other ambitious goals. Sign up today to gain access to additional free resources, community events, small group classes, world-class coaching, and more.
