Grab Backend Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I was really impressed with the company, maybe it's because it's not a huge company like Grab, but they took interviewing very seriously and were really friendly. You could feel their sincerity and respect throughout the process, which I haven't experienced at most big companies. Even though there were several interview rounds, I talked with a few engineers, the recruiter, and the Seattle office manager, and they all gave me a great impression – they seemed pragmatic and eager to join the team. Grab eventually offered me the job. For a smaller company, their compensation package is very competitive, especially the cash component, which was the most generous I received. Plus, their benefits and insurance are top-notch in the industry. I haven't decided if I'll accept their offer yet, but it's one of the top three companies I've interviewed with and personally feel the best about. For those looking for challenges and opportunities, I highly recommend considering Grab.

I had an interview with Grabtaxi Vietnam for the Engineer Owner role. The interviewer was really proud of himself and the meeting felt more like a show for him to show off. He didn't listen and always tried to put me down, saying things like 'You're 8 years experience, but...' He never accepted my answers, even when they meant the same thing as his explanations. I tried to learn something new but couldn't. After over an hour, he asked a simple question about designing a database and writing SQL to find items in at least 2 orders. My solution was to create Item, Order, and Item_Order tables and use a query with a GROUP BY and HAVING COUNT clause. He rejected my answer and claimed I was wrong, stating he had 5 years of SQL experience at Lazada and that I should group by order_id instead of item_id. He even said he would resign if he was wrong. I explained multiple times, and he finally understood and admitted he was wrong. It was the first and last time because I gave up on the meeting. I think he should keep his promise for disrespecting my time and potentially Grab. I also don't think he's an expert enough to represent Grab.

I found the job posting on LinkedIn and applied. I wasn't actively looking for a new role, so I requested a two-week delay for the interview to prepare. The process included an initial phone call, followed by three in-person technical interviews, one of which was with the hiring manager. I'm happy with how Grab handled the interviews; scheduling was easy and the interviewers were professional.