The interview process begins with an initial assessment that resembles an IQ test, followed by a Life Story interview. If you succeed, there's a pair programming round. Finally, if you pass that, another pair programming exercise with a technical deep dive into a project you've worked on.

I failed the Life Story interview, so I never got to see the other stages.

The Life Story interview is quite reliant on whether you "vibe" with the recruiter. My recruiter was polite and seemed like a nice guy overall, but we didn't vibe at all. So, even if you go through all the jobs you've had in detail and explain why you made the decisions you took, there’s still no guarantee they'll progress you to the next round.

They speak of seeking people who have followed a "growth trajectory" in their career. Every role I’ve had required me to become more technical, pick up new skills, and in general, has been more demanding than the previous one. This didn’t seem to make any difference.

Apparently, Shopify has been using the Life Story interview for years. If it works for them, fair enough. I'm just not sure I agree that it's fair to be judged based on whether I vibe with a randomly allocated, non-technical recruiter or if my storytelling skills are top-notch.

With luck on one’s side (getting a recruiter who you vibe with), you can make it through to the next round, as I see it. But I'm not sure there's a way to "prepare" for this stage of the interview process. It’s just a way to organically filter out people they don’t deem fit, irrespective of years of experience.

May the force be with you all.

Tell me your life story.