I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Shopify (Toronto, ON) in Jul 2021
Interview
The interview process was very straightforward and clear. I had an initial conversation with the recruiter who approached me. Then, I took a one hour pair-programming challenge. It was a very easy problem and it was mostly about showing the ability to code!
The next step was Shopify's Life story interview. I talked to my main recruiter. Last step was the virtual on-site interview. I had three interviews with engineers, managers, and directors from different teams. Two pair-programming sessions and one system design / projects overview / behavioural interview.
Shopify's approach to coding interviews is unique in the sense that the interviewer is not there to punch you or grill you or asks as many questions as she or he can. Shopify's interviews are there to help you to demonstrate your best version.
I was not interviewed for a specific position and team matching happened after the entire interview process which I really liked it. They assessed my skills and then found a position that is a fit for me.
I received an offer and we discussed the details. Again, everything pretty much standard.
I passed LRU cache coding in first interview
I had four more interview.
1. pair coding again LRU cache I did what I did in previous one
2. system design I desinged staff level architectire
3. Technical deep dive I explained my current technical structure
4. life story he asked what we talked first screening
I got rejected .
Important part All I had interview was native speaker. None has accent.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Library Rare Books
Goals
Design the core systems to drive check-in and check-out flows. It should involve a web app (schema/APIs), a job system, and a file storage system.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Shopify in Apr 2026
Interview
I recently completed the interview process at Shopify, which spanned about three weeks. The stages included an initial online cognitive assessment and a pair programming round, followed by a virtual onsite featuring a second pair programming session, a technical deep dive, system design, and a "life story" interview.
Overall, it was an excellent experience. The interviewers were professional and highly engaged throughout. I found the technical problems to be very practical, and notably, the use of AI coding tools was encouraged during the pairing sessions. While the system design requirements were quite lengthy, the complexity was manageable as long as you remain calm, think out loud, and clarify expectations early on.
Had an initial recruiter call, very friendly. Then had a life story interview, very friendly casual conversation as well speaking about past work experiences and how it led to where I am. Was scheduled for a 75 mins coding round, but I dropped since I landed another offer
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
More about why are you interested in Shopify and how I work
Senior Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Shopify with 2.6 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 35% positive. To compare, the company-average is 45.6% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Senior Software Engineer roles take an average of 31 days to get hired, when considering 51 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Shopify overall takes an average of 33 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Shopify as a Senior Software Engineer according to 51 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 31%
One on one interview: 24%
Skills test: 17%
Presentation: 11%
Personality test: 6%
Background check: 6%
IQ intelligence test: 4%
Other: 1%
Drug test: 1%
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