The process was for their new partnership with Carleton University - a 4-year work-integrated learning experience.
It felt very laid back and unlike any other interview I've encountered. I applied to the program in February, received an interview invite via email in March. From there the process took about 3 weeks.
The first interview (the famous "life story") was an hour long with a recruiter. It felt like a casual conversation with a new friend and we discussed everything from where I grew up to what I like to do in my spare time.
From there I was invited (also via email) to a set of interviews the following week.The second interview was a technical interview with 2 developers. Because of the uniqueness of the program, they were looking more for potential and computational thinking ability than concrete skills. I showed them a project I had been working on and explained some challenges I encountered and what I learned from it. Then, they had me work on a logical challenge ("How would you program this?") while asking me questions about optimizing it, what factors need to be considered, etc. This felt a little more intense, but the interviewers made it comfortable. Also lasted about an hour.
The third interview was with 2 members of the Computing Education team. They asked me a few questions about myself (my learning style, my ability to handle challenges, what type of work/learning environments I thrive in), then they did an "Ask Me Anything" discussion where I could ask them anything I wanted for about 45 minutes. It was very unconventional, but I enjoyed the process. I walked out having no clue how I did, but I had good feelings about Shopify and the employees who work there.
The second and third interview took place back-to-back with a small break between and I had the chance to tour the office. They showed me some of the projects that were built during their Hack Days and told me what it's like to work at Shopify, and I also got to sample their buffet. :)
About a week and a half later, I received an email from the recruiter I had the Life Story interview with to ask for my number and a good time to call. She called me 2 days later and asked me how my experience was and how excited I was about the program before letting me know they liked me and gave me an offer. It was an intense process, but they made it all very comfortable and I felt like they really valued the time and effort I put into it.
Shopify is known for its unconventional and laid-back culture. The interview process is no exception. I felt overdressed for my first interview (I was coming from work so was wearing business attire), and the second one I dressed more casually (jeans and a T). The interviewers are super easy to talk to and it's totally okay to let all your quirks show. Just be yourself. You will also have ample opportunities to ask questions about the job, life at Shopify, etc, and you will receive honest answers.
Now I'm just waiting for all the administrative things with Carleton to come together so I can receive my official offer, but I'm super excited to be joining Shopify this fall!