Canonical's hiring process
Understand how we approach hiring talent at Canonical, creating a fair and equal playing field for our applicants across the globe.
A fair system for hiring from a global talent pool
Deciding on your next career move is an important decision for you. We have worked hard to create a fair and equitable hiring process that allows us both to make informed decisions as you move forward in your career.
We have been operating a fully distributed working environment for over 20 years. We are proud to have created a business that is not limited by flags or borders, and where we are afforded the opportunity to hire exceptional talent regardless of location.
This creates a unique environment with multicultural teams spanning many time zones giving our people the chance to work with colleagues from all over the world. Our open source world relies on a rich and varied set of perspectives; to deliver our best products we seek diversity of ideas through effective and impactful collaboration.
Our culture of talent
We have built an exceptional culture of talent by creating a recruitment process that helps us identify those people likely to bring real impact to our mission. Being able to work with such a distinctive group of colleagues brings huge benefits, such as allowing for true diversity in thinking and ideas.
Our fully distributed organization
When assessing talent from across the globe it takes careful planning to build a hiring model that is fair for everyone. We have crafted a recruitment process that allows us to compare applications in a fair and consistent manner ensuring that no single person has an unfair advantage or better chance of success over another.
We want everyone to have a chance to present their most relevant skills. We train our hiring teams to be experts in selecting talent across multiple geographies and cultures and to keep fairness and equity at the forefront of all decision making.
Hiring exceptional colleagues
We have been deliberate in designing an effective hiring process that helps us select those who are most likely to thrive in our environment. We have identified a set of traits and behaviors that we have found to be present in our most exceptional talent at all levels; high academic performance with evidence of initiative, leadership and drive during this period of personal growth, and those with good cognitive ability. So regardless of your level or the longevity of your career, you can expect to be assessed on these two areas.
In addition, we value people with elevated drive, relentless curiosity and those with true resilience and stamina to solve new problems and do ground-breaking work. We seek people who are motivated by working in an environment that feeds continuous learning and development.
Our hiring model
We believe our business leaders are best placed to select their own talent. Unlike most organizations we do not have a team of HR recruiters making early decisions. Instead we prioritize getting you in front of technical experts in our business. These individuals know our business well and have the knowledge to ensure you are considered for the most suitable team and role.
At the start of the process you will be introduced to a Hiring Lead who will handle your application from start to finish. A leader from a business function, your Hiring Lead, will be deeply passionate about attracting exceptional talent and highly skilled in selection processes with the ability to match people to right roles across our business.
Our hiring process
Our process helps us gain a deep understanding of your experiences and achievements to date. We ask that throughout your assessments and interviews you use your own words to describe your thoughts and ideas, without use of online aids, so that we can gather the best evidence we require to evaluate your suitability.
The hiring process is split into three main stages.
What new hires say
Joined December 2023“I was impressed by the recruitment process. It required a lot of involvement from my side but also from Canonical's side. I wanted to work for a company who takes great care when selecting its employees. I was able to talk to many Canonical employees and this convinced me this is a great place to work.”
Joined March 2024“I really liked having access to the platform where I could check the entire selection process and upcoming interviews, as well as download the reports about my tests”
Joined January 2024“I met a lot of interesting people during the recruitment interviews and I can say that they were a reassurance that Canonical was a great place for me.”
Joined April 2024“I felt very lucky meeting with people from different continents as I met with people from the US and from EMEA.”
Joined July 2024“Ubuntu had its own reputation – but the ideology behind the hiring process made it standout!”
Life at Canonical
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Celebrating 20 years in open source
Our story is closely linked to the communities that shape us, including the community of open source enthusiasts who form part of our team. Hear from people who have shaped Ubuntu and Canonical.
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Team member interview: Adrian Matei
What's it like to be an SDR at Canonical and how do we foster a learning culture internally? Hear from one of our colleagues.
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A new joiner shares her experience: discover Amy Song's story
As Canonical continues to grow, we've developed a unique onboarding process that enables our new hires to quickly settle and establish themselves in our globally distributed environment. Learn more in this blog.