I applied online. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at Canonical (New York, NY) in Jul 2025
Interview
This was the most insane and time consuming interview process I have ever experienced. I logged over 50 hours on this and made it through the first 3 interviews, so I’m guessing I would have racked up 70+ hours had I got to the final stage.
After submitting my resume I received an automated email with instructions to complete a ‘written interview’. 47 questions, many of which were focused on high school and college, including my math results. High school was 30 years ago for me. The written interview took me 3 days to complete, because it was lengthy and I wanted to be thorough and accurate. It was mainly questions you would expect in a verbal interview (tell me about a time when etc).
A week later I was asked to complete a Thomas GIA test online. It took 45 mins, but I spent several hours researching and doing practice tests. After this I received an email 3 days later inviting me to complete an online psychometric test, which I completed.
2 weeks later and 3x 1 hour interviews with senior members of adjacent teams. I was given no guidance on what would be discussed or how to prepare, so I had to prepare for every eventuality. These included a lot of technical questions specific to the company, which I would have zero knowledge of, so I was open and shared what I knew and similar type experience I’ve had.
A week later I got the standard rejection email and I was more relieved than disappointed. The process to this point had taken 6 weeks and a significant amount of time. Lots of red flags and I feel like I dodged a bullet.
Research Canonical interviews online before you consider applying.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How did you rank in your final year of high school in mathematics? Were you a top student? On what basis would you say that?
How did you rank in your final year of high school, in your home language? Were you a top student? On what basis would you say that?
Please state your high school graduation results or university entrance results, and explain the grading system used. For example, in the US, you might give your SAT or ACT scores. In Germany, you might give your scores out of a grading system of 1-5, with 1 being the best.
Can you make a case that you are in the top 5% in your academic year, or top 1%, or even higher? If so please outline that case. Make reference where possible to standardised testing results at regional or national level, or university entrance results. Please explain any specific grading system used.
What sort of high school student were you? Outside of class, what were your interests and hobbies? What would your high school peers remember you for?
Which university and degree did you choose? What other universities did you consider, and why did you select that one?
Overall, what was your degree result and how did that reflect on your ability? Please help us understand the grading system for your results.
During all of your education years, from high school to university, can you describe any achievements that were truly exceptional?
What leadership roles did you take on during your education? Did you conceive of, and drive to completion, any initiatives outside of your required classwork?
Context
Outline your thoughts on the mission of Canonical. What is it about the company's purpose and goals which is most appealing to you? What do you see as risky or unappealing?
Who are Canonical's key competitors, and how should Canonical set about winning?
Why do you most want to work for Canonical?
What would you most want to change about Canonical?
What gets you most excited about this role?
They sent me a document to do a written interview before speaking to anyone. It was something like 20 essay questions long. Easily 1.5 to 2 hours worth of work. All just for me to get the chance of possibly speaking to them. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.