I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Canonical (Calgary, AB) in Sep 2024
Interview
There are several stages in the interview process:
(1) A long written interview (25-35 long answer questions). Be prepared to write 10+ pages in response.
(2) An aptitude test.
(3) An long take-home technical test. Probably 6+ hours of work.
(4) "Early stage" interviews with a variety of employees, including your hiring lead.
(5) Meeting with a member of the "Talent Team" (not sure about this, I didn't make it this far).
(6) "Late stage" interviews.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What are the different locking mechanisms in the Linux kernel, and what are some advantages/disadvantages of each method?
My application was refused without any explanation. One has to fill in a large form asking about even high school results and class ranking in mathematics and native language. Similarly about university results.
Terrible, extremely inconsiderate of candidates' time. Included 3 interviews, IQ type test, extended questionnaire before getting declined with potentially more steps if I had continued. I would not recommend wasting your time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is the difference between Apache and OpenGL licensing?
Linux Kernel Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Canonical with 4.1 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 14% positive. To compare, the company-average is 14.9% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Linux Kernel Engineer roles take an average of 25 days to get hired, when considering 7 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 Linux Kernel Engineer according to 7 Glassdoor interviews include:
IQ intelligence test: 33%
Personality test: 22%
Skills test: 11%
Other: 11%
Phone interview: 11%
One on one interview: 11%
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