Waymo interviews in four stages after your application: a call with a sourcer or recruiter, one or two phone or video interviews, a virtual onsite, and an offer. Its questions are often intentionally general, and Waymo says it cares more about how you think than about a perfect answer.
The process details below come from Waymo's How we hire page and its careers site. Where Waymo doesn't say something, we say so. The interview questions are ones to prepare for; Waymo doesn't publish its questions.
The Waymo hiring process at a glance
| Stage | What happens | What Waymo says about timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Application review | The recruiting team reviews your resume and reaches out if your skills and experience match the role. | Not published |
| 2. Initial call | A call with a sourcer or recruiter. | Not published. Waymo suggests asking about the timeline here |
| 3. Phone or video interviews | One or two behavioural and/or technical interviews with a potential peer or manager. | Not published |
| 4. Virtual onsite | Up to five interviewers, including potential teammates and cross-functional partners. | About 45 minutes per interview |
| 5. Offer and onboarding | Your recruiter makes an offer; the recruiting team then explains compensation, benefits and getting started. | Not published |
What is the Waymo hiring process?
You apply online, the recruiting team reviews your resume, and if you match the role you move through a recruiter call, one or two interviews and a virtual onsite before an offer. Waymo's careers site groups jobs into Software Engineering, Operations and Supply Chain, AI Foundations, Hardware Engineering, Product and Design, and General & Administrative.
Applying
- Search roles on careers.withwaymo.com by title, location, department and category.
- Most roles are on-site or hybrid, and some are remote, according to Waymo's Working at Waymo page.
- Internships are open to Bachelor's, Master's, MBA and PhD candidates supporting business and engineering teams, and Waymo says it uses the programme to identify potential full-time hires. Interns are hosted onsite in a hybrid format.
- Using AI on your resume: Waymo allows AI to polish grammar or clarity, but says the content should be your own original work and authentic professional history.
Cohesyve
Get some practice in before you apply to Waymo
Try an AI job simulation of the everyday work in roles like these and see where you lost marks. 3 free practice assessments, no card.
What is the Waymo interview process?
After a recruiter call, you have one or two phone or video interviews and then a virtual onsite with up to five people. Waymo says to expect behavioural, hypothetical and case-based questions about role-related knowledge.
Stage 1: application review
Waymo's recruiting team reviews your resume and contacts you if your skills and experience match the role. Waymo doesn't publish how long this takes.
Stage 2: the initial call with a sourcer or recruiter
Your first conversation is with a sourcer or recruiter. Waymo suggests using it to ask about the timeline and what to expect for your role, so come with those questions ready. Be clear about the role you want, what you've worked on and why Waymo.
Stage 3: phone or video interviews
Next come one or two interviews with a potential peer or manager. They can be behavioural, technical or both. Waymo says to expect:
- behavioural questions about how you've handled real situations;
- hypothetical questions about what you would do;
- case-based questions that test knowledge of the role.
For behavioural answers, use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) and keep each story focused on what you did.
Stage 4: the virtual onsite
If you advance, you meet up to five interviewers, including potential teammates and cross-functional partners. Waymo says each interview lasts about 45 minutes. Waymo doesn't publish how the onsite is split between technical, design and behavioural sessions for each role; your recruiter can tell you.
Stage 5: offer and onboarding
Once Waymo decides you're the most qualified candidate, your recruiter makes the offer. After you accept, the recruiting team walks you through compensation, benefits and getting started.
Does Waymo have a coding assessment?
Waymo's AI policy refers to coding and technical assessments, so some roles include one. Waymo doesn't publish their format, length or platform. Its rule is clear: complete them independently, with no AI tools or LLMs unless the instructions say otherwise.
Can you use AI in a Waymo interview?
No. Waymo says live technical, behavioural and design interviews are conducted without AI assistance, and coding and technical assessments must be done independently unless the instructions say otherwise. Waymo does use Gemini and other AI tools in its daily work; the rule covers the interview, not the job.
How does Waymo want you to answer?
Waymo's interview tips describe what it looks for:
| Tip | What it means in the room |
|---|---|
| Ask clarifying questions | Questions are often intentionally general. Clarify before you solve. |
| Define and frame the problem | Break a large problem into smaller parts to show structured thinking. |
| Show your thinking | Explain your reasoning and how you use data to decide. Perfect answers aren't the goal. |
| Refine your solution | Share a first idea, then improve it and explain how you'd test it. Especially important for engineering roles. |
| Connect the dots | Pick past examples involving ambiguity, complexity, prioritisation and gaining alignment across a matrixed organisation. |
Common Waymo interview questions and how to answer them
These are questions to prepare for, not a list Waymo has published. Waymo's mission is to be the world's most trusted driver, and its values are Advance Safely, Honor Diversity, Innovate Always, Deliver Excellence and Earn Trust. Use them, and the interview tips above, to shape your answers.
1. Walk me through your background.
Keep it to two minutes: what you work on now, one project you're proud of and why this Waymo team fits what you want to do next. Tie it to the role's team, whether that's software, hardware, AI, operations or a business function.
2. Why Waymo?
Link your answer to the mission of being the world's most trusted driver, and to a goal Waymo names: saving lives, inclusive mobility or improving the planet. Mention something specific you read on Waymo's blog or team pages; Waymo itself suggests reviewing them before you interview.
3. Tell me about the most complex project you've worked on.
Waymo asks you to pick examples involving ambiguity and complexity. Explain the problem, how you broke it into parts, the decisions you made and, if relevant, what you'd do differently. Be ready to go a level deeper on any choice.
4. Tell me about a time you had to prioritise between competing demands.
Prioritisation is one of the four themes in Waymo's tips. Say what was competing, how you decided (ideally with data), who you told and what the result was.
5. Describe a time you got alignment across teams that disagreed.
Waymo's tips mention gaining alignment across a matrixed organisation, and the onsite includes cross-functional partners. Show how you understood each side's goals, found common ground and kept the work moving.
6. Tell me about a time you raised a safety or quality concern.
Advance Safely and Deliver Excellence are Waymo values. Describe what you noticed, why it mattered, how you raised it and what changed. Show you'll slow down when quality is at stake.
7. How would you approach [a broad, open problem in your field]?
Expect hypothetical and case-based questions that are deliberately vague. Ask clarifying questions first, state your assumptions, frame the problem in parts, and talk through your reasoning and the data you'd use. Then refine your answer and say how you'd test it.
8. Solve this technical problem. (Engineering roles)
Clarify the inputs and constraints, outline an approach before you code, and explain your choices as you go. Once it works, improve it and describe how you'd test it. Waymo says it values the thinking over a perfect first answer.
9. Tell me about a time you were wrong.
Earn Trust and the humility Waymo describes in its culture fit here. Pick a real mistake, own it, explain what you learned and how you changed your approach.
10. Describe a time you worked with people whose views differed from yours.
Honor Diversity is a Waymo value. Show how you sought out different perspectives and how they improved the result.
11. Tell me about an idea you introduced that changed how your team worked.
This maps to Innovate Always. Describe the problem, your idea, how you tested it and the measurable outcome.
12. Do you have any questions for us?
Ask about the team's current priorities, how it works with cross-functional partners, or what success looks like in the first six months.
How to prepare for the Waymo interview
- Ask your recruiter about the timeline and what each round covers for your role. Waymo suggests this on the first call.
- Read Waymo's blog and team pages, as Waymo recommends, so your "why Waymo" answer is specific.
- Prepare five or six STAR stories that cover ambiguity, complexity, prioritisation, cross-team alignment, a mistake and a safety or quality call. Our list of behavioural interview questions and our situational interview question examples give you more to practise on.
- Practise thinking out loud on open problems: clarify, frame, reason, refine, test.
- For engineering roles, practise explaining how you would test and improve a working solution.
- Rehearse without AI. Waymo doesn't allow it in live interviews or, unless told otherwise, in assessments.
- Run a mock interview with someone who will challenge your answers.
If you're also interviewing at Google, our Google hiring process guide covers that process.
Practising realistic work tasks
Waymo's interviews reward clear reasoning on realistic problems, and that improves with practice. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. It isn't affiliated with Waymo and doesn't use Waymo's interview questions or assessments.
FAQs
How many interviews does Waymo have?
After the recruiter call, one or two phone or video interviews, then a virtual onsite with up to five interviewers. Waymo says each onsite interview lasts about 45 minutes.
How long does the Waymo hiring process take?
Waymo doesn't publish a timeline. It suggests asking your recruiter about the timeline on your first call.
Is the Waymo onsite in person?
Waymo describes it as a virtual onsite with up to five interviewers.
What kind of questions does Waymo ask?
Behavioural, hypothetical and case-based questions about role-related knowledge, plus technical questions for technical roles. Waymo says its questions are often intentionally general, so ask clarifying questions.
Can I use ChatGPT or other AI in a Waymo interview?
No. Live interviews are conducted without AI assistance, and coding and technical assessments must be done independently unless the instructions say otherwise.
How do I ask Waymo for an interview accommodation?
Tell your recruiting team, or email waymo-candidatesupport@google.com. Waymo says that address handles accommodation requests only.
Sources
Waymo's own careers pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- careers.withwaymo.com: How we hire
- careers.withwaymo.com: Careers home
- careers.withwaymo.com: Working at Waymo
- careers.withwaymo.com: Early careers