The Top 10 Root Inc. Interview Questions and How to Prepare Your Best Answers

Getting hired at an innovative insurance technology company like Root Inc. is no easy feat. With their rigorous interview process and emphasis on hiring only the very best, you need to enter each interview fully prepared. In this article I’ll walk you through the top 10 most commonly asked Root Inc. interview questions based on research from insider reports and candidate experiences.

I’ll provide tips on how to best structure your responses along with strong sample answers to help you shine and land the job. Whether you’re interviewing for a technical or non-technical role, these strategies will set you up for success. Let’s dive in!

1. Why do you want to work for Root Insurance?

Root prides itself on its mission to revolutionize car insurance through technology and data. When answering this question, you need to show you’ve done your research on the company’s background and are aligned with their values. Emphasize how your skills would help further their goals.

Sample Answer: I’m extremely excited by the opportunity to work for Root because I’m a firm believer in your mission to make car insurance fair through innovative technology. As someone with a strong background in data science and machine learning, I’m confident I can help Root continue disrupting the insurance industry by leveraging data to better predict driver risk. I’m inspired by how you’ve challenged the status quo with usage-based insurance and am eager to contribute my skills in modeling, optimization and analytics to help drive the next wave of innovation. Root’s values around empowering people through technology closely match my own principles. I would love to join this passionate team and help make insurance costs transparent and personalized for millions of customers.

2. What do you know about Root’s products and technology?

Root looks for candidates who’ve taken the time to understand their offerings. Be ready to discuss details about their mobile app, usage-based insurance model, and technical infrastructure. Show your enthusiasm for their products and innovations.

Sample Answer: I’m very impressed with the products and technology Root has built to disrupt the car insurance industry. The mobile app provides an incredibly seamless customer experience by allowing new users to get quotes by simply scanning their license and take test drives with their phones to determine personalized premiums based on driving behavior.

This usage-based insurance model is truly innovative and leverages telematics and advanced data modeling to more accurately price risk. I also admire Root’s cloud-native technology stack which allows rapid development and deployment of new features. As someone passionate about using technology to improve customer experiences, I find immense value in what Root has built and would be honored to be able to contribute to such an exciting product roadmap if given the opportunity.

3. How would you evaluate the performance of a new product feature using data?

Analytics skills are crucial at data-driven companies like Root. When answering this question, demonstrate your ability to measure feature impact and make data-informed decisions. Showcase your technical expertise.

Sample Answer: When evaluating a new product feature, I would take a very metrics-driven approach and leverage tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel to define key performance indicators that align with the feature’s purpose. For example, if the goal is to increase user engagement, I would track metrics like daily active users, session length per user, and frequency of feature usage. I would then do an A/B test to compare these metrics between a group that has access to the feature and a control group that doesn’t.

Analyzing the differences would quantify the impact of the feature. Additionally, I would conduct user surveys and interviews to gather qualitative feedback that the data might not show. Combining these quantitative and qualitative insights, I could determine if the feature is successful or needs further optimization. I would then synthesize the learnings into recommendations focused on driving greater product value. My analytical approach helps validate that new features deliver the intended impact.

4. How do you stay updated on the latest developments in the tech industry?

Root prioritizes candidates who demonstrate curiosity and a hunger to continuously learn. In your response, emphasize how you actively stay updated through reading, conferences, online communities and personal projects. Share specific examples.

Sample Answer I make a constant effort to stay on top of emerging technologies and industry trends through a variety of methods I subscribe to several technology publications and newsletters like Wired and TechCrunch to get daily or weekly updates I also read relevant subreddits like r/programming and r/machinelearning to participate in active tech discussions.

Outside of reading, I regularly attend local Meetups and conferences like AWS re:Invent to hear directly from industry leaders and networking with peers. Within my own work, I carve out time each week to explore new tools, frameworks and AWS offerings so I’m continually expanding my skills. For instance, I recently worked through a course on Kafka to improve my stream processing abilities. I’m genuinely excited by new technology and believe staying curious is what makes me a skilled and adaptable engineer.

5. Tell me about a time you successfully led a team through a challenging project.

Root wants leaders who can drive results collaboratively even when facing adversity. Reflect on a time you rallied your team and met objectives despite roadblocks. Discuss your strategies, communication approach and leadership style.

Sample Answer: One project that stands out was when I was leading the development of a new automated fraud detection system with a hard deadline and several technical hurdles. While the team was intimidated by the aggressive timeline initially, I brought everyone together to break down the goal into smaller milestones and identify dependencies.

My priority was keeping the team motivated and focused, so I had daily standups to provide encouragement, actively solicited ideas, and made sure everyone’s roles were meaningful. When unexpected issues came up, like our algorithm needing more training data, I facilitated brainstorming sessions to determine quick solutions. My proactive communication style and collaborative approach enabled us to release the completed project on-time with all key requirements met. My team was proud of what we achieved together through persistence and teamwork.

6. How would you go about debugging a complex technical issue?

Debugging skills are imperative for any developer role at Root. Walk through your systematic debugging approach and highlight specific tools and techniques you leverage. Demonstrate critical thinking and show you can persevere through challenges.

Sample Answer: When debugging a complex technical issue, I take a very methodical approach. First, I seek to understand the exact problem by reproducing the error and capturing any stack traces or logging output. I’ll use debuggers like gdb to inspect program states and narrow down where the issue originates. Once I isolate the root cause, I determine if it’s a logic error in my code or an external issue. For logic errors, I’ll use incremental testing and logging to pinpoint the faulty component. I may refactor problematic areas for better testability too. If it’s an external issue, I’ll dig into API documentation and system interactions to understand the failure point. Throughout this process, I lean heavily on my experience and intuition to form hypotheses and experiment intelligently. I enjoy the challenge of diagnosing elusive bugs. My disciplined approach allows me to persist and uncover the actual cause, even for tough intermittent issues that take time to materialize.

7. Describe your experience with Agile software development methodologies.

Root utilizes Agile principles and wants candidates well-versed in this approach. Discuss your hands-on experience practicing Agile, highlighting processes like iterative development, user stories, standups, retrospectives and sprints. Emphasize strengths like adaptability and collaboration.

Sample Answer: I have extensive experience with Agile software development and firmly believe in its principles around iterative delivery, stakeholder collaboration and embracing change. In my current role, our team follows a typical two-week sprint cycle where we have planning sessions to define and prioritize user stories based on business needs. We use Jira to manage our backlogs and tickets during each sprint.

To track progress, we have daily 15-minute standup meetings where each member provides updates on their tasks and roadblocks. At the end of each sprint, we conduct retrospectives to discuss what worked well, areas for improvement, and action items to try in the next cycle. We also gather regular feedback from business users through demos. I enjoy this way of developing software as it allows us to continuously deliver value, adapt quickly to changing requirements, and provide transparency for stakeholders. My strengths in communication and organization allow me to thrive in the fast-paced Agile environment.

8. How would you go about debugging a complex technical issue?

This question tests your ability to think logically and solve difficult technical problems. Walk through the systematic approach you would take to diagnose and pinpoint the issue cause. Demonstrate perseverance and creative problem-solving.

Sample Answer: When facing a complex technical issue, I leverage a methodical debugging process to get to the root cause. First, I try to reproduce the problem and collect all relevant details – stack traces, application logs, etc. I’ll isolate where in the code the issue originates based on the failure information. Next, I’ll use tools like breakpoints and memory profiling to narrow down the components involved and slice the problem space.

If it’s an algorithmic issue, I may add additional logging or instrumentation to give more visibility. For integration bugs, I familiarize myself with how the systems interact by reviewing API documentation and system diagrams. I also brainstorm hypotheses, then prioritize and test them incrementally. With each test, I gain more data points to refine my theories