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Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

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Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#241

Post by lampshades »

zer8k wrote: post #209
weinzierl wrote: post #10

This is from a very long time ago, but if you dig deep enough you can still find this gem. From memory, and not the precise wording: The Canonical jobs page used to say you should only apply if you have accomplished something extraordinary in your life. If you haven't you should apply here , where here liked to the US government website. EDIT: I misremembered the site, it was not on canonical.com but http://markshutt…

For a man who asks so much of someone, as is typical of this kind of person, he himself is unremarkable. Founding Thawte isn't a particularly impressive technical feat. Then he became a VC which is even less impressive. There is no respected engineering leader who would look at this moron as inspiration for anything other than jumping out of a building. I can't believe someone who has no actual technical chops, no li…

The irony of almost anyone on Earth, let alone some no-name person on HN, calling Musk a moron, is rich.

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#242

Post by kzrdude »

hcks wrote: post #18
weinzierl wrote: post #10

This is from a very long time ago, but if you dig deep enough you can still find this gem. From memory, and not the precise wording: The Canonical jobs page used to say you should only apply if you have accomplished something extraordinary in your life. If you haven't you should apply here , where here liked to the US government website. EDIT: I misremembered the site, it was not on canonical.com but http://markshutt…

Huge red flag. What extraordinary thing did Canonical accomplish by the way? Making a Debian distro for first year uni students?

Ubuntu is now the "Windows" of the Linux world. It's pretty successful if you ask me.

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#243

Post by toyg »

_zoltan_ wrote: post #168
ghaff wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't seem that odd? I imagine he has a pretty busy schedule.

This would be a deal breaker for me. 0 respect.

I don't disagree, but on the other hand: Lloyd's used to be a London pub where merchants would hang out all day, carrying out their business as they ate. Business deals at the highest level are still routinely done over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

I think the problem, as usual, is the power imbalance: they are eating and you are not, in addition to the fact that they have the money and you don't - so it becomes a bit too humiliating.

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#244

Post by [deleted] »

weinzierl wrote: post #10

This is from a very long time ago, but if you dig deep enough you can still find this gem. From memory, and not the precise wording: The Canonical jobs page used to say you should only apply if you have accomplished something extraordinary in your life. If you haven't you should apply here , where here liked to the US government website. EDIT: I misremembered the site, it was not on canonical.com but http://markshutt…

[deleted]

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#245

Post by pydry »

diegoveralli wrote: post #204
caboteria wrote: post #39

Their focus on high-school looks like a thinly-veiled strategy for weeding out anyone who is old enough that they no longer remember the details of their high school education.

I don't know whether it's a deliberate strategy but this definitely happened to me during my interview with Canonical this year. From a diversity perspective, putting any focus on teenage years will probably select candidates from a privileged background, or people who have re-written their past into the award-winning narrative that's implied by the questions. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe someone could answer the quest…

I ran into somebody recruiting for Canonical who mentioned, regretfully, that it would matter.

It's sad because they were otherwise very convincing. It was too big of a red flag though.

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#247

Post by physicsguy »

I looked at applying recently and with the overwhelmingly negative Glassdoor reviews and convoluted interview process… I decided not to even bother applying.

I just got a referral from someone I used to know for a company, and my technical interview was mostly chatting through what I’d built in the past. Then they asked me to go over in about 5 minutes how I’d build a link shortener. That was it. Why would I bother going through multiple rounds of interviews including quizzing my life story?

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#248

Post by physicsguy »

_zoltan_ wrote: post #168
ghaff wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't seem that odd? I imagine he has a pretty busy schedule.

This would be a deal breaker for me. 0 respect.

I recently turned down a job where the CEO of a startup came into an interview unexpectedly, and started texting or checking his emails or something halfway through. It wasn’t the only thing that put me off but it certainly was a big part.

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#249

Post by mcguire »

TrackerFF wrote: post #175

Having previously worked at a place where it took minimum 3 months to hire someone (but often 6-12), I'd be amazed if Canonical actually ever gets to hire their first choices. What happened was this: By the time the first pick hires had been cleared, they had gotten another job. Same with second pick. Maybe even third, too. Most people don't have the luxury or will to just sit and twiddle their thumbs for months and…

Well, you see, the potential cost of losing a good candidate is much less than the potential cost of hiring a bad candidate, so every effort should be made to prevent the latter.

There's a Joel on Software or Stack Overflow thing on this....

Re: Canonical’s recruitment process is long and complex

#250

Post by Alupis »

TrackerFF wrote: post #175

Having previously worked at a place where it took minimum 3 months to hire someone (but often 6-12), I'd be amazed if Canonical actually ever gets to hire their first choices. What happened was this: By the time the first pick hires had been cleared, they had gotten another job. Same with second pick. Maybe even third, too. Most people don't have the luxury or will to just sit and twiddle their thumbs for months and…

There's a point you may be missing - they're seeking fanatical Canonical fans that share in a common vision.

Their lengthy process might mean they don't get your typical fast-flying FAANG engineer, but it does mean they get someone who's a die-hard Canonical fan.

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