The overall process is rather long. It consists of 8 stages. Not every stage is an interview but a stage may include more than one. I was rejected after stage 6 and a total of four interviews. However, the response time for each stage and the fact that there is some clear explanation of the whole process at the very start left me a positive view on how they value the canditate's time.
During the interviews, there were not many questions. They were more like a get-to-know-each-other chat, going through come CV items and stuff.
The technical assessment was challenging for someone with no experience (like me) in the particular field but nothing that couldn't be researched within the time limit of one week.
Overall, although I did not get an offer, I was left with a positive impression of the company's hiring process. It would be much better if there was some personalized feedback regarding the reason for rejection. This might not be possible for every candidate but cannot be that hard for candidates that reach stage 6/8 or further.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Details about past experience mostly what was related to the role.
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.
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?
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%
One on one interview: 11%
Skills test: 11%
Phone interview: 11%
Other: 11%
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