The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Canonical (Cambridge, MA)
Interview
Ridiculous. Here are the steps: Review of your application package Written interview Standardised aptitude and personality assessment Culture fit interview Technical assessment and team interviews Hiring manager and senior leadership Interviews Offer This list doesn't seem too bad until you go through it. I'll keep it brief. There is a big essay you need to write that's basically your life history. I spent hours on it and they picked it apart and said "this is good enough to move forward but certainly could be better", There were "games" played throughout the process and lots of questions about stress and passively asking you questions to see if you stand up for yourself. If you do, I'm sure you're gone. Tech assessment is a game of "let's shoot them down!" but not difficult. I made it to the leadership interviews and bailed. They were practically begging me to finish the process and that "things were different on the inside". As if they knew their hiring process was absurd. The vibes I got were too much to ignore. If a company is willing to torture you and play games before hiring you know it's bad on the inside. The employee reviews reflect that.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What sort of high school student were you? Outside of the required work, what were your interests and hobbies? What would your high school peers remember you for, if we asked them?
TL;DR: Seems like a good company, but the interview process needs a massive overhaul. I wouldn't suggest applying unless you have the time, and/or someone who can refer you. Application, template email from hiring manager describing process. Lengthy questionnaire about my personality, education, and experience, riddled with potential for bias. I had to follow up with the manager twice before getting a (template) response after submitting the answers. Completed the assessment, was told in the template email that they would review it immediately. Had to email the manager to follow up since no one got back to me after 7 days. Then received the rejection email which was a template but may have included the actual reason for rejection - hard to tell. Overall, this was one of the worst processes I've ever been through. I never received a single unique email and I devoted around 6 hours to reading emails/instructions, responding, and working on the assignments. I can't believe they expect candidates to do this for all their roles. As someone with a few years experience in recruiting for very similar companies, I feel they are making a lot of mistakes. Worst of all, a lot of their documentation and emails talk about trying to reduce bias by anonymizing things, then they ask you to fill out a questionnaire which will be filled with details that could cause even the best reader to form bias either for or against you!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Standardized aptitude assessment similar to an IQ test.