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      Linux Kernel Engineer Interview

      21 Aug 2022
      Anonymous interview candidate
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Canonical

      Interview

      I spent a good week working on my application, then I was rejected with an automated email from the portal. The human being I had been emailing with while applying didn't respond to an email asking for feedback. The day after the automated rejection email, I received another email from the portal asking "how has your experience been as an applicant?" I did eventually figure out how to request my intelligence assessment results from the support email address for the testing system and that was clearly why I was rejected. It was actually a bit of a relief to see the results because I had assumed that I scored low on one or two of the assessment types, which I was worried I might have trouble with. It turns out that the test found that I'm below average intelligence in all areas measured. I have hired people before and, I understand, it's hard. I get that companies have to come up with some hiring process and follow it. But, Canonical's process is rude. After asking the candidate to make a significant effort the polite thing is for a human being to tell the candidate they are no longer being considered. An automated email is impolite. The intelligence assessment is also a bit of a weird requirement. I didn't do well on it so, naturally, I'm a bit skeptical. But the instructions for the tests specify that "both speed and accuracy are equally important". Are people who answer questions more quickly better software engineers? Code works well because it it is well tested not because highly accurate human beings scan through it quickly, spotting all the bugs.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Personal Essay. General Intelligence Assessment. Personal Profile Assessement.
      Answer question
      2

      Other Linux Kernel Engineer interview reviews for Canonical

      Linux Kernel Engineer Interview

      4 May 2026
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Budapest
      No offer
      Neutral experience
      Average interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Canonical (Budapest) in Jan 2026

      Interview

      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.
      1

      Linux Kernel Engineer Interview

      15 July 2025
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Calgary, AB
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Canonical (Calgary, AB) in Sept 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?
      Answer question

      Linux Kernel Engineer Interview

      16 Aug 2024
      Anonymous interview candidate
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Canonical

      Interview

      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?
      Answer question

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