I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Canonical (San Francisco, CA) in Oct 2024
Interview
Arduous, they ask you to complete take home assignments, IQ tests, and asks questions about your performance in high school. The interviews are not related to the take-home but rather series of unrelated questions that each interviewer prepared (mixture of technical details and questions about the resume)
The interview process was well organized, with clear communication at every stage. Recruiters kept me informed, responded promptly, and ensured I understood the next steps throughout the process it was rewarding
Brutally long and difficult. They take their time so only apply if you have time and are dedicated to open source tech.
That being said they are very communicative so if you have any questions its not such a black box.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They'll ask for specific niche aspects of coding languages to check if you actually use them day to day.
It's an extremely long process that includes standardized tests, take home assignments, and several rounds of interviews. It was at least 5 rounds long and you interview across different teams.
Canonical interviews FAQs
Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Canonical with 3.2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 16% positive. To compare, the company-average is 14.9% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 53 days to get hired, when considering 155 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Canonical overall takes an average of 51 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Canonical as a Software Engineer according to 155 Glassdoor interviews include:
Personality test: 19%
Skills test: 19%
IQ intelligence test: 17%
One on one interview: 16%
Phone interview: 12%
Other: 7%
Presentation: 3%
Background check: 3%
Group panel interview: 2%
Drug test: 1%
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