Preparing for Your Opentable Interview: Top Questions and Answers

Interviewing at Opentable can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. As a leading provider of online restaurant reservations, Opentable aims to hire the best talent to continue innovating in the hospitality tech space.

To help you ace your Opentable interview, I’ve compiled some of the most common and critical questions candidates get asked. With insights from my own interview experience and research on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and other sources, I’ll share example questions, tips to prepare, and examples of strong answers.

Whether you’re interviewing for engineering, product, sales, or another role, this inside look at Opentable’s interview process will help you stand out. Let’s dive in!

Overview of the Opentable Interview Process

The typical Opentable interview process consists of one or two technical phone screens followed by 4-5 onsite or video interviews. You can expect a mix of technical questions behavioral questions and case studies.

Some key things to expect:

• Coding challenges – for engineering roles, you may be asked to solve a coding problem in your language of choice. Be ready to explain your approach.

• Culture conversations – interviewers want to assess your alignment with Opentable’s values like innovation, integrity, and humor.

• Role-specific questions – expect in-depth questions tailored to your potential role in engineering, product, data, etc.

• Case studies – product and strategy roles may involve a case study presentation to assess analytical skills.

With preparation, you can feel empowered to have great interviews at each stage. Let’s look at some of the top questions that often come up.

Technical Interview Questions

For engineering and some product roles, expect plenty of technical questions focused on your past experience, programming skills, and problem-solving abilities:

Q: How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in software development?

A: I make learning an everyday habit through resources like technology blogs, podcasts, online courses, and communities like GitHub. I also attend conferences and hackathons when possible. Reading widely exposes me to new concepts, which I’ll research more in-depth if relevant. I then experiment with new tools or methods in personal projects to gain hands-on experience. This constant learning allows me to expand my skills and apply cutting-edge solutions.

Q: Can you walk me through your experience with Ruby on Rails?

A: Ruby on Rails has been my primary framework for over 5 years. I’ve used it to build web apps of varying complexity, from simple CRUD apps to large-scale platforms handling millions of users. Some specific projects were [give one or two examples]. Building these strengthened my expertise in MVC architecture, REST APIs, and advanced ActiveRecord queries, among other core Rails concepts. I stay up-to-date by reading release notes and regularly refactoring old code to use new Rails functionality. I also contribute to open source Rails gems when I can.

Q: How would you improve the performance of an existing codebase with legacy systems?

A: First, I would profile the application to pinpoint bottlenecks. If the issues stem from inefficient database queries, I would optimize those first since they often provide big wins. Things like adding indexes, rewriting joins, or denormalizing tables. If it’s the application code at fault, I’d look for any unnecessary loops, redundant operations, or poorly-structured code. Refactoring these using cleaner code and more efficient data structures and algorithms can significantly boost performance. I’d also explore if caching mechanisms like Redis could help. For legacy systems, I’d aim to isolate and rewrite performance-critical parts first. The key is taking a methodical approach to diagnosing and addressing root causes.

Q: What frameworks or technologies would be best suited for building a real-time service like Chat?

A: For a real-time service like chat, I would leverage WebSocket technology as the communication protocol between clients and servers. This allows persistent, bidirectional communication which is ideal for chat messaging. On the backend, Node.js would be well-suited due to its asynchronous, event-driven architecture which enables high concurrency and scalability. I would design the system using a microservices approach, with separate services for messaging, presence, notifications etc. This isolates concerns and also scales better. For the front-end, a JavaScript framework like React or Vue combined with a state management library would provide optimal UI interactivity and performance. The key requirements – real-time, scalability, and responsiveness on the client side – align well with these technologies.

Preparing go-to stories from your experience, studying Opentable’s tech stack, and practicing problems similar to what you may encounter are key strategies for technical interviews.

Product Design Interview Questions

For PM and design roles, you’ll face questions testing your user empathy, design thinking, and analytical skills:

Q: How would you design a restaurant booking feature for the Opentable app?

A: I would start by understanding pain points in the current booking experience through methods like user surveys and contextual inquiry. This research would uncover what to optimize for – perhaps ease of use, flexibility, or visibility into reservation status. Next, I’d brainstorm solutions and create low-fidelity wireframes to test the flows. Focusing on the core booking workflow while iteratively testing with users would allow quick validation of the design direction.

For visual design, I’d ensure it aligns with Opentable’s existing branding and style. Personalization could enhance experience – e.g. surfacing user’s favorite spots. I’d also design for scale and reliability – leveraging capabilities like search and predictive analytics to accommodate high volumes of bookings. Throughout, I’d collaborate with engineering on technical feasibility while keeping the end-to-end user experience in mind.

Q: If you were the PM for Opentable’s customer-facing iOS app, what would you build in your first 6 months to drive engagement and retention?

A: In the first 6 months, I would focus on high-impact features that reduce friction in the reservation experience and build loyalty. For example, implementing push notifications for reservation confirmations or day-of reminders provides value to users and drives retention through regular app usage. Similarly, easy cancellation or modification flows improve convenience.

I would also explore personalization features like bookmarking favorite restaurants or commute-based recommendations to tailor the experience. Integrating loyalty programs could incentivize reservations through the app.

For engagement, social sharing of dining experiences and ratings creates stickiness. Gamification elements like achievement badges for frequent usage also encourage retention. Throughout, I would analyze key metrics around activations, retention, and booking frequency to guide strategy. The goal would be crafting differentiated mobile experiences that sustain user loyalty.

For PM and design interviews, talk through your process, demonstrate user empathy, and highlight analytical thinking.

Opentable Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral questions aim to assess your soft skills and cultural fit based on real examples:

Q: Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle it?

A: In my last role, I shipped a feature without thoroughly testing edge cases. This caused errors for some users. I immediately owned up to my manager and worked with the team to rollback the change. I then spent time reviewing logs to uncover all affected users and reached out apologizing and gathering feedback. This experience taught me the importance of rigorous testing, not making assumptions, and being accountable. I now build test plans collaboratively with QA and have a ‘no excuses’ mindset when it comes to quality.

Q: When dealing with an upset customer, how do you approach the situation?

A: First, I empathize and listen fully to understand their frustration. Taking the time to hear them out defuses tension and builds connection. Next, I apologize sincerely for the negative experience and assure them I’m here to help. I ask questions to diagnose the root cause, then focus on finding a solution, whether it’s troubleshooting, escalating, or offering alternatives. Follow-ups are key – I’ll reach back out to confirm they’re satisfied. Maintaining professionalism and prioritizing the customer’s needs earns trust and loyalty despite difficult situations.

Q: Tell me about a time you influenced someone without formal authority. How did you convince them?

A: When proposing a major project, I had to get buy-in from other departments like Legal and Finance. I researched their concerns thoroughly and tailored my messaging and data to each group. For Legal, I focused conversations on compliance and risk mitigation. With the CFO, I projected revenue growth and cost savings. I also nurtured relationships, addressing objections head-on and incorporating diverse perspectives. My influencing style balances logic, empathy, and persistence. This ultimately convinced key stakeholders and built alignment to get the project approved.

By preparing stories demonstrating key competencies like collaboration, problem-solving and communication, you can provide compelling answers even to behavioral curveballs.

Opentable Case Study Questions

Some roles like Strategy may involve presenting a case study analysis. For example:

Q: How would you suggest Opentable expands its presence in international markets? Please walk through your approach.

A: I would use a framework to assess potential international expansion opportunities:

Market Size – Evaluate countries based on size of dining out market, tech adoption