doordash critical thinking interview

Its always been about how do we grow and empower local economies? And really these documents are, you could think of them almost as hypothesis trees almost where were guessing what the problem is. Like Reply Share 4 And, but I think one thing that Ive always really believed about both my family, as well as many of the different moves Ive made as a kid, because I moved a lot actually, even when I was in Illinois, different schools, things like this is really that I had gained confidence even by then that I could survive in new environments. And then letting the score take care of itself, I think those are things that we both had to solve. Joy Huang: Yeah, and we were just talking about how this young enterprising side view and I thought thats a great segue into how you later then also learn about other aspects of entrepreneurship at the GSB. I would also recommend reaching out to customers for feedback to understand any pain points and identify areas for improvement. And true to this lean startup MVP methodology, you and your co-founders were really scrappy at the beginning. Theyre always hidden somewhere and you may be a restaurant is delayed one day actually because someone didnt show up to work, but you never would have guessed that, if youre just looking at the data of how long it takes them to prepare something, for example, that would never probably register on your dashboard. Tony visited Stanford Graduate School of Business as part of View From The Top speaker series where students like me sit down to interview business leaders from around the world. I think it shows you the resilience of how cities go through, obviously, economic cycles as well as even, you know, pandemic cycles. I believe in providing prompt and efficient service to customers and ensuring their satisfaction with the delivery experience at all costs. Armed with that funding, the company began spending to grow. And the way we do that is really with two types of products. And I think at the time, and were trying to remember, this is in 2012 maybe the startup garage class that we took, so almost eight years ago. I have a strong potential to think outside the box and generate innovative solutions to problems. The bay area, I later found out, is a very competitive area especially in the classroom, and the school I went to, I think students were studying all the time during the school day, after hours. I would ensure that we're paying attention to the details competitors would try to cut corners on. My aim would be to make the customer feel heard and valued, which can help to maintain a positive relationship. Christopher Lee for The New York Times. We ultimately identified about 20 steps in the process and it really came from doing the work. I think in the US thats north of 50%, that number has been true in pretty much every decade that its been measured. Joy Huang: And what is your go-to food delivery order? But thats one half of the goal. But well, one of the reasons why we started with, theres a few reasons why we started with restaurants. With that, will now turn to student Q&A, I believe that Jenna is up first. (S&O role) 2 Like 7 Comments Share 1 3Y a Senior Consultant 1 With or without fries? One is a marketplace where we sit in between . And so I think there are ways in which you can look at rates of progress, but I think its first and foremost recognizing what is it that youre actually trying to get better at? And then the second thing is just that you learn by doing. And so, I think that these are small things when I look backwards, and I think what it taught me was that if you put your mind to whatever new thing it is and you may be either because of reality or because of putting yourself in that frame of mind to think that you have nothing to lose, theres a lot of upside. As you research Doordash before your interview, one thing that you'll find abundantly clear is that the company is always in pursuit of bettering its products and services. I value some healthy friction in debates as it uncovers new areas and broadens our perspectives. In any case, ensuring the customer is satisfied, and their food is delivered in a timely and satisfactory manner is my top priority. Until recently, he said, the start-up was so scrappy that it did not serve its employees elaborate snack spreads and he personally delivered meals in a beat-up Honda. Tony recounted his entrepreneurial journey from saving up for a Nintendo as a kid, to taking DoorDash public. But thats at least what I found in our journey thus far. Make room at the table. Mom and dad really came here to make a better life for me and for dad that meant going to school, getting his PhD and working a job actually at a restaurant on campus at the University of Illinois. How would you ensure that all dashers wear their shirts, even tho they are independent contractors and we can't force them to wear the shirts (1099 vs W2?" Answer: Think they're looking for managerial experience, how you would manage people, and shows . Joy Huang: Thats really valuable advice. As a result, the customer was satisfied with the resolution and continued to use our service. Other investors said that the market for food delivery was bigger than taxis and that DoorDash could be bigger than just food, eventually delivering all kinds of goods and services. You will be asked to discuss your take-home assignment during this interview. I think people had confidence that regardless of which way things were gonna go. We learned by doing deliveries we learned by working alongside restaurateurs. These might include project scope, budget, timeline, quality, customer satisfaction, and team performance. Jenna: And what other industries or verticals? And so instead, we asked ourselves, you know, three questions: we asked ourselves is this a service that students or people customers would actually want? So, in that spirit, I have a closing question for you before we turn to student Q&A. It chose to work with DoorDash partly because the delivery companys technology integrated with its own. Interview questions and answers were first added on April 19th, 2021. That meant many small things, but when I put them together, those are some of the lessons that I remember most. Drivers who sued over their tips. And maybe what some outsiders have written about us or thought about us. Could you see DoorDashs last-mile fulfillment model be applied well and why? Introduction Doordash Interview Questions with Answer Examples 3,049 views Jan 10, 2022 Doordash Interview Questions with Answer Examples. I think we used to maybe think, ooh, well, you must live in a certain city in order to access certain things you must live in New York City to access delivery. You will be asked hypothetical questions in the interview, as well as checked on your technical skills and past work experiences. We believe that true innovation happens when everyone . We have two products that will continue to grow both in terms of directions and magnitude. I think its a maniacal focus on making sure that we can work the inputs to each one of these branches. Where do you think the DoorDash product will be in 5 years? Once a year, he and Mr. Tang, now DoorDashs chief product officer, race each other in a sprint. But cities have been one of the most enduring, I guess organizations that have ever made it through the history of time, far more enduring than businesses have. The other reason why we started with food is we knew that something like restaurant food is very perishable. Get started with your Free Employer Profile. When you start with nothing and you could still grow triple digits, the only mathematical explanation there could be is that youre producing some profits somewhere, Mr. Xu said. Joy Huang: Thats a really good mental model to have. Maybe its tough to see in a one day or one week grading period, but you can see it. My goal is to maintain a positive work environment and find a resolution that benefits everyone. One investor, Ali Rowghani, said that the company lost money when it entered a new city, but that customers who tried the service tended to stick with it and use it more. Last year, DoorDash surpassed Grubhub and Uber Eats in market share, with 35 percent of food delivery in the United States as of October, according to Edison Trends. I think that was important. The pressure is high for DoorDash, which private investors valued at $12.7 billion last year. Teamwork and cooperation are the primary keys to success in any work environment. Joy Huang: You mentioned that your family moved from China to Illinois when youre young and little did you know you would soon move again, this time from Illinois to San Jose. You have now synthesized this into a core principle for DoorDash that you call getting to the lowest level of detail. The following statement, which is that the vast majority of GDP in most cities is still produced by businesses on the streets, small, medium, and large, and thats why its so important to us. Adding real-time order tracking and notifications for customers. We knew, for example, that we wanted to ultimately build last-mile delivery thats way too big of an endeavor for just four of us inside of a classroom or inside of my apartment, right? Doordash is notorious for making candidates do free labor via case studies (look it up on this app) and then ghosting candidates after. And so youve mentioned a little bit about the future of work, about sort of changing regulatory environments. And thats really I think the spirit of how DoorDash operates. And so I think we have a long ways to go, but were excited about the journey ahead. Tony Xu: Oh actually I dont have one. To ensure that you're up for the . Its been truly a pleasure. The . So I think its really important to be intellectually honest. Ive never worked a day in finance before in much of my life. And I know many of us in this audience are taking startup garage right now, which is famously the class where you started DoorDash back then was paloaltodelivery.com. Its largest investor, SoftBank, pushed it to merge with Uber Eats last year, according to a presentation viewed by The New York Times, which was earlier reported by Bloomberg. Joy Huang: Yeah, I think its really interesting because theyre almost a contrast where youre trying to really simplify, but also at the same time you want to embrace the complexity of all the operations that is entailed in the business. The first interview I got an LC hard, just spent the entire time staring at the screen and writing random pseudocode while the guy interviewing me was . An Uber spokesman said its mergers and acquisitions strategy was ours and ours alone.. Consulting Exit Opportunities a Consultant I have two Doordash 'behavioural and critical thinking' interviews coming up. SVS IT Solutions is a software and IT development company. I would then suggest potential solutions such as optimizing delivery routes, reducing waste and inefficiencies, and exploring partnerships with local businesses. It is vital to have knowledge about the companys services, its technology and rewards program, as well as its competitors. And so, or I mean, I know were in a pandemic, but post pandemic, wheres the last, you know, parking space in San Francisco or Los Angeles? And you start realizing that hopefully to bring something to you something especially that perishes in minutes whether its ice cream melting or pizza is getting cold and doing that over and over again consistently because this is something that you dont really get any points for the first set of deliveries that you got right if you got the current one wrong. I think people in the company knew that there was a disconnect between what was actually happening with our customers and the growth of the business. Interested to advertise with us? And Id like to expand on the second point a bit too, because like you mentioned, the four of you drove as drivers for FedEx and Dominos to learn about how delivery works. We analyzed 484 interview reviews for DoorDash from various job sites, social network groups and forums. The Stanford MBA Program is a full-time, two-year general management program that helps you develop your vision and the skills to achieve it. Incorporating AI-powered chatbot for quick and efficient customer support. Its always really exciting to have an alum join us, especially for a product that all of us are so familiar with. And so, our responsibility is very, very deep, not just to taking care of those opportunities, also making sure that we can work with everyone such as elected officials, regulators, and anyone else interested frankly in creating the future of work. Depending on the interviewers, you might expect this round to last anywhere from 30-75 mins. This causes them to miss some critical points and not provide the correct answer. I believe in going the extra mile to resolve any issues and ensure customer satisfaction. Tony Xu: Yeah, well, I think in the beginning, its really about learning how to build a product and how to build a product that people really want. The company is experimenting with autonomous vehicle deliveries, a partnership with Chase to offer free deliveries to credit card customers and a red-brick commissary in Redwood City, Calif., that houses kitchens for multiple restaurants, including Chick-fil-A. For instance, analyzing the delivery time data could reveal the bottlenecks in the process, including high-traffic areas, and suggest solutions to reduce delays. That summer, the group changed the name of the company to DoorDash and joined the Silicon Valley start-up accelerator Y Combinator. But DoorDashs lofty valuation may take a hit on the road to an initial public offering because the start-up is losing money and faces regulatory pressure, said Asad Hussain, an analyst at PitchBook, which tracks private companies. However, you should be familiar with the syntax of your preferred language such as Java, Python, C#, C/C++. Its a very important part of what we do. We learned by doing customer service and when I think of thats kind of what we were doing when we were in Startup Garage. We experienced strong delivery sales out of the gate.. I would apologize to them for the inconvenience and provide them with an estimated time of arrival while offering them to check our application regularly for updates. Joy Huang: And speaking of things going really well, after that difficult period for you DoorDash, again, was on this trajectory of rapid growth where, if I remember the numbers correctly I think DoorDashs market share grew from 17% to 50% in just two years, which that kind of growth its just crazy. Were prepared for pretty much any scenario, regardless of what amount of capital was to come into the company. So, how did you consciously think about adapting your leadership style and making sure that you are still the best person for this company for this specific stage? Doordash values are on this page but organized poorly - https://careers.doordash.com. When you have something like that, its not possible to know everything and control that decision-making. That they can create their own digital channels. That was really what I was doing when I was working inside of a restaurant or washing dishes alongside her and things like that, but on the other hand, I learned that this was the way that you can earn your way into better things. And then over time, its about learning how do you build systems? So operating at the lowest level of detail is pretty much trying to find your way to the right problem and it almost never is at the surface. What does it mean to be a world-class head of engineering or head of sales? So for example, there are many, many, businesses that actually just, they sell through their own channel. software development, computer shop, IT Company, IT Services company, phone shop, machine learning development, mining, graphic card sales. One of the things that we found effective is really writing things down. Im Joy Huang, an MBA student of the class of 2021. By collaborating, we can achieve more than we could individually and create a positive and productive work environment. Joy Huang: Be careful what you wish for, Tony. 45% of respondents listed an on-the-spot job offer in their top three . And most of the time that that bias for action means its just focusing on what you can control. At DoorDash, the mission is to drive economic growth in local communities by connecting people with the food they love from the local restaurants they cherish. Tony Xu: Sure. Determined and self-motivated undergraduate marketing major. They dont necessarily sell through DoorDash. One example that I really loved was how you guys track drivers with the find my friends function on the iPhone instead of building out a very sophisticated back-end technology for it. If youre building a team or building a company over time, I think that lays the foundation to carry you through the really difficult times. Its not trying to say, by doing this were gonna control some outcome. If the customer is dissatisfied, I will offer a solution in the form of a discount voucher or rescheduling the delivery. And over time youre trying to build a repeatable system in which you can take that product to more and more segments of the population. And so thats what were trying to do, I think its not gonna happen overnight. This information would prove helpful in determining areas that need improvement and optimizing the delivery process. I was behind, I grew up in a community in Illinois that prioritized other things beyond the classroom, a lot of it was in sports and that taught me a lot. DoorDash Faces Its Latest Challenge: Wooing Wall Street, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/technology/doordash-ipo.html. This is what I mean by skills. Therefore, I would ensure that the food is packaged correctly to maintain its temperature, freshness, and quality. Nobody thought it was a good idea.. I aim to consistently meet or exceed performance targets and eventually contribute to the companys success. Mr. Xus peers describe him as competitive and determined. I believe in open communication and finding a solution that works for all parties involved. Food delivery requires timeliness, accuracy, and attention to detail. That was Tony Xu, cofounder and CEO of DoorDash. Tony is an intense and obsessive person, said Andrew Munday, DoorDashs former head of operations. Lastly, I would double-check the order before leaving the restaurant to ensure all items are included and correct.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'projectpractical_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_7',630,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-projectpractical_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); In my opinion, customer satisfaction means ensuring that a customers needs and expectations are met or exceeded in a timely and professional manner. As a DoorDash product manager (PM), some of the things you'll be responsible for are: Analyzing market trends. You can find more episodes of this podcast on our website www.gsb.stanford.edu. Grubhub has adopted DoorDashs strategy of adding restaurants to its listings without their permission, though Matt Maloney, Grubhubs chief executive, said in October that the company believed it was the wrong long-term answer.. Free interview details posted anonymously by DoorDash interview candidates. While keeping in mind that customer satisfaction is imperative to our company, I would listen to their issue, apologize and assure them of my commitment to resolving the situation. Our Update History for DoorDash Software Engineer. I would handle challenging customers in a professional and empathetic manner by actively listening to their concerns and complaints to fully understand their issues. So thats still a big part of the journey for us right now. 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Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award, Jack McDonald Military Service Appreciation Award, Overview of Long-Term Career & Executive Coaches, Overview of Alumni Consulting Team Volunteers, Overview of Stanford GSB Alumni Association, Overview of Companies, Organizations, & Recruiters, Overview of Recruiting Stanford GSB Talent, Overview of Leveraging Stanford GSB Talent, Overview of Internships & Experiential Programs, Overview of Alumni Consulting Team for Nonprofits, Social Innovation & Nonprofit Management Resources. And Tony, thank you for sharing your grit, your scrappiness and growth mindset with us. DoorDash competes with companies like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Postmates. I think it was called a Lining Startups in their markets taught by Andy Ratcliffe and Mark Leslie, I dont know if that class is still there, but that was a highlight. It advertised heavily and gave salespeople aggressive goals to sign up more restaurants, drivers and customers. 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It chose to work with DoorDash partly because the delivery process an intense and obsessive person, said Munday... In finance before in much of my life amp ; O role ) 2 like Comments. Kind of what we were doing when we were doing when we were doing when we doing! Company began spending to grow doing the work example, there are,... Alongside restaurateurs started with, theres a few reasons why we started with restaurants Uber spokesman said its mergers acquisitions. In startup Garage really writing things down you should be familiar with the resolution and continued to use our.. Program, as well as checked on your technical skills and past work.... Head of operations just, they sell through their own channel sort of regulatory... Spirit, I would also recommend reaching out to customers and ensuring their satisfaction with resolution! Of directions and magnitude few reasons why we started with food is we knew that something like restaurant is! 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You for sharing your grit, your scrappiness and growth mindset with us into.