When I first researched Shopify, one of the things that stood out was their interview process. The more practical technical screening, lower stress levels, and the Life Story interview seemed unique within the industry when compared to similarly sized or impactful companies.

To begin with, Shopify provides candidates with a lot of high-quality content describing each of the interview steps upfront. This makes it easier to prepare and gives you an idea of what to expect.

My first interview was live coding, done using an online editor. The task was a fairly straightforward array problem. There was an emphasis on clear communication with the interviewer throughout the process. After I implemented a correct solution, there were no technical follow-ups (no complexity, optimization, or other questions). Instead, there was quite a lot of time for questions from me. The interviewer was very friendly and engaged throughout the call.

The next day, I received an invitation for the Life Story interview. Here, the preparation content was pretty scarce. While all other steps were described in the context of the role or department you're applying to, the Life Story seemed to have a single description for everyone.

I prepared by going over my education and professional career, trying to focus on giving more context to what was already on my resume. I assumed the interviewer would be familiar with my resume or LinkedIn profile and use it as a reference during the call.

The Life Story began with a question about my first job. Fifteen minutes into the interview, I realized my assumption about the interviewer being familiar with my resume was wrong—they confirmed they weren't using it on purpose. While this sounds like a good way to avoid bias, there was no mention of that fact in the preparation material. This threw me off, as suddenly I had to fill in a lot of gaps and provide the interviewer with context. In general, the interview was a friendly conversation with follow-ups from the interviewer here and there. However, it seems like it's all up to how you, the candidate, drive the conversation, and there's little help on what's really expected of you.

At the end of the interview, I was informed that due to application volume, Shopify would not be able to provide me with any feedback if I didn't make it to the next round.

The following day, I received a rejection email with the information that there were other candidates "whose experience was a closer match."

While many things were done right in this process, the Life Story left me somewhat disappointed and confused.

Here are some improvement suggestions:

• If one of the Life Story assumptions is to ensure the interviewer doesn't look at the candidate's resume, please make this clear in the careers portal.
• Consider making the Life Story preparation page contain material relevant to specific departments or roles. An example from my experience would be to mention what traits are considered relevant for a senior software engineer.
• Consider providing rudimentary feedback after the call. Since the Life Story is such an open format, it's very difficult for the candidate to know what went wrong or where they could improve.

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