I have to say that my interview experience with Canva was the worst I've encountered in my career. I've been part of recruitment processes at top-tier companies like Google, Facebook, TikTok, Atlassian, and leading Australian firms such as Harisson.ai, Immutable and Safety Culture. Unfortunately, Canva's recruitment process fell far below standard.
The recruiters showed little to no regard for the candidate's well-being, and the initial interviewers seemed unprepared and unqualified for the roles they were assessing. The questions were extremely generic and seemed to hinge more on subjective biases or "vibe" rather than objective criteria. On top of that, the interviewers were rude and made it very clear they felt their time was being wasted, which created a hostile atmosphere. Mind you, I'm qualified for the role, I just didn't drink the cool-aid.
While I progressed to the penultimate stage, I ultimately withdrew at the technical challenge stage. By that point, it was clear to me that this company wasn't worth pursuing despite its great reputation due to the negative experience.
I believe Canva is an incredible company overall, but its talent acquisition function is severely lacking and needs significant improvement. Based on other feedback I’ve seen, this seems to be a recurring issue.
I also got the impression that it's super culty, like borderline religious vibes. Weird. At their core, it's a company that looks very glamorous, but it's not the holy grail that it presents.