Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Yelp with 2.9 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 50% positive. To compare, the company-average is 55.5% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 19 days to get hired, when considering 318 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Yelp overall takes an average of 18 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Yelp as a Software Engineer according to 318 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 46%
One on one interview: 18%
Skills test: 16%
Presentation: 9%
Background check: 4%
Personality test: 2%
Other: 2%
Drug test: 2%
Group panel interview: 1%
IQ intelligence test: 1%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Yelp (San Francisco, CA) in Feb 2019
Interview
20 min introduction phone call with recruiter.
45 minute Technical Phone Screen - The question was easy. I answered the question very very and my algorithm was optimal. I also gave a complex approach which was more appropriate for a larger scale system. My code did have some bugs which I fixed after the debugging. These were python syntax related bugs and not logic related - but I think this was the reason for my rejection. I still do not know if that was the reason for rejection though, because the recruiter never replied with a feedback. They communicate very nicely with you when you are going through the process but just stop replying once they have rejected you. Most major companies I have interviewed with provide a feedback and are polite with their rejections. Sadly, Yelp is not one of them. I wouldn't day my experience was bad, but it could have been better.
Leetcode style interview online via link, then a 1 on 1 technical interview with a lead developer also online where you can ask questions about the role and working at yelp, later more in depth technical tests and finally references and psicological tests.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Talk about the project you are the most proud of, why do you want to work at yelp
Very intense. 4 back to back 45 minute interviews. One behaviour and four technical interviews.
Nice people but got the vibe everyone was happy with the work as it wasn’t too challenging.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Yelp (Toronto, ON) in May 2025
Interview
Around 3 different rounds with a mix of behavioural and technical. Last round features on-site which lasts the whole day, where there are 2 dsa rounds, 1 system design round and 1 recruiter round to end the day.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Walk us through one project you have done, and some of the challenges you encountered while working on this project