Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience - Canada
November 20, 2024
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I was contacted by two recruiters.
I was sent an online assessment, which is a fairly straightforward DSA problem with multiple levels.
I finished the online assessment and did well, but I did not hear back.
Questions
Common problems and use cases on Data Structures and Algorithms.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 9 interview experiences for the Instacart Senior Software Engineer role in Canada.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Instacart's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in Canada is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive11%
Neutral22%
Negative67%
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Instacart's Senior Software Engineer interview process in Canada.
Instacart Work Experiences
3.0
Pays well, but a sweatshop
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
September 4, 2025
Pros: Good benefits.
3 months paternity leave.
Free lunch in SF office.
Cons: Bad work-life balance.
CEO threatened people who took more than 18 PTOs.
Lot of attrition.
Everyone is a senior staff director, lol.
3.0
Busy, fast-paced work
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
August 15, 2025
Pros: - Good adaptation of AI in processes.
- Good mobility between teams.
- Opportunity to work on large-scale Rails monoliths.
- Good company summits.
Cons: - Technical debt and hard deadlines mean you'll be working outside of work hours more often than not.
- Internal politics can be toxic, leading to transactional work relationships.
- Code is sometimes hard to merge because it requires approval by specific owners who are not always available.
3.0
It’s an OK place to work
Senior Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
August 5, 2025
Pros: Growing company with many interesting problems.
Cons: Management is very closed off and doesn’t answer difficult questions from employees.
- 3.0Pays well, but a sweatshopSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesSeptember 4, 2025Pros: Good benefits. 3 months paternity leave. Free lunch in SF office.Cons: Bad work-life balance. CEO threatened people who took more than 18 PTOs. Lot of attrition. Everyone is a senior staff director, lol.
- 3.0Busy, fast-paced workSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeVancouver, British Columbia, CanadaAugust 15, 2025Pros: - Good adaptation of AI in processes. - Good mobility between teams. - Opportunity to work on large-scale Rails monoliths. - Good company summits.Cons: - Technical debt and hard deadlines mean you'll be working outside of work hours more often than not. - Internal politics can be toxic, leading to transactional work relationships. - Code is sometimes hard to merge because it requires approval by specific owners who are not always available.
- 3.0It’s an OK place to workSenior Software Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesAugust 5, 2025Pros: Growing company with many interesting problems.Cons: Management is very closed off and doesn’t answer difficult questions from employees.
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