I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Canva (Melbourne) in May 2023
Interview
The process was comprehensive and well-structured, lasting about [3 weeks] in total. It consisted of [4] rounds:
Recruiter Screen (30 min): Standard call about my background, my interest in the role, and salary expectations. The recruiter was transparent about the full interview loop.
Hiring Manager (45 min): Deep dive into my resume with the [Director of Product]. Focused on past achievements, leadership style, and strategic thinking.
Panel Interview (2.5 hours): This was a "virtual onsite" with three 45-minute back-to-back sessions:
Product Strategy & Design: With another Senior PM. We whiteboarded a problem ("How would you design a product for [target audience]?_").
Technical/Execution: With an [Engineering Lead]. Focused on prioritization, managing technical debt, and cross-functional collaboration.
Behavioral & Leadership: With a [Design Lead]. Focused on stakeholder management and a time I handled significant conflict.
Case Study Presentation (60 min): I was given a take-home assignment [e.g., "Develop a 90-day plan for product X" or "Analyze this market and propose a new feature"]. I had [3 days] to prepare a deck and then presented it to the Hiring Manager and the [VP of Product], followed by a Q&A.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Walk me through a product you led from 0 to 1. What would you have done differently?"
"How do you define product success, and what metrics would you set for [Company's Product]?"
"Describe a time you had to make a very unpopular, data-driven decision."
"How would you handle a conflict between your engineering lead and a key business stakeholder?"
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Canva (Sydney) in May 2023
Interview
There were a few rounds mix of screening calls then technical interviews and culture fit style interviews, you are also interviewed by different departments. Quite an intensive process. There was no take home assignment options.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions about past projects and scope as well as stakeholder management.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Canva (London, England)
Interview
Pretty standard interview process, definitely suffering from a bit of arrogance with seeing themselves as an employer of choice, maybe this is warranted - I couldn't tell.
The initial screen was about why should you be lucky enough to work here rather than what can you bring to the table, why Canva etc. I wasn't feeling it after meeting with the recruiter - they seemed disengaged and expected a huge sell from me. While I appreciate I need to sell myself I also expect the company to show interest in me and my experience beyond why would I be "lucky" enough to join Canva.