Get a Job at Shopify: Interview Process and Top Questions

Learn how to prepare for Shopify interviews with this in-depth guide.

We break down the Shopify interview process and the top questions you should expect to answer.

About Shopify

What is Shopify?

Founded in 2006, Shopify is one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, powering over one million merchants globally with online and offline commerce solutions.

Shopify is globally recognized for its merchant-first approach, enabling entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes to build, manage, and scale their online stores with integrated payments, inventory, and marketing tools.

Where is Shopify located?

Shopify operates as a digital-first company with employees working remotely across the globe. Its main corporate office is located in Ottowa, with major concentrations in New York, Dublin, Vilnius, and Singapore.

The company employs approximately 10,000 people globally who work on commerce solutions serving merchants across every industry and market.

Who does Shopify hire?

Shopify prioritizes individuals who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and values candidates who get things done, think independently, and constantly learn and develop their craft.

The company is particularly welcoming to those who embrace change and chaos, with extensive opportunities for both individual contributors (Crafter Track) and leaders (Manager Track) at all experience levels.

Shopify Interview Guides

Get role-specific insights for Shopify interviews:

• Shopify Product Manager (PM) Interview Guide

Shopify Interview Process

The Shopify interview process includes:

• A recruiter call with a potential initial coding assessment,
• A Life Story interview,
• A final round of onsite interviews.

Shopify has a unique interview process that varies significantly depending on your role, team, and seniority level. The company embraces change as a core philosophy, so expect format variations between candidates.

How long does the interview process take?

Shopify's interview process typically takes 3 to 4 months from initial application to final decision.

The process structure is consistent, but its content varies dramatically based on the position and team you’re applying to.

Technical roles emphasize coding challenges and pair programming, while product and design roles focus more on strategic thinking, case studies, and portfolio reviews.

Are there unique interview formats?

The Life Story interview is a distinctive feature of Shopify's process, focusing on behavioral assessment through conversational exploration of your background.

Technical candidates may receive coding questions during the initial recruiter call, and UX candidates participate in "problem-solving duet" sessions with current designers.

Recruiter Call

The interview process at Shopify begins with a 30 to 45-minute recruiter call that serves as the initial evaluation of your qualifications and cultural fit.

This call assesses your interest in Shopify, past experience, and basic qualifications for the role you're applying to.

What is the Shopify recruiter call for technical roles?

Technical candidates may receive a coding question during the recruiter call to solve on CoderPad, typically at easy to medium difficulty.

These problems are practical in nature rather than theoretical, testing your ability to solve real-world coding challenges efficiently.

What about non-technical roles?

Non-technical roles focus on conversational assessment covering your background, interest in Shopify, and cultural alignment.

Prepare to discuss your resume thoroughly and, for UX roles, be ready to reference projects from your portfolio.

How should I prepare for the recruiter call?

Ensure your resume is current and accurately reflects your experience and accomplishments.

For technical roles, review fundamental coding questions and practice on CoderPad. For design roles, prepare a portfolio showcasing your best work and be ready to discuss specific projects.

Life Story Interview

The 1-hour Life Story interview is Shopify's unique behavioral assessment that explores who you are through conversational storytelling.

This casual interview evaluates your decision-making processes, working style, and alignment with Shopify's values through a series of behavioral questions about your background and achievements.

What does Shopify look for in the Life Story interview?

Shopify assesses five key traits during this interview:

• Impact: Do you make a big impact on others around you?
• Trust: Can you communicate authentically?
• Engagement: Do you invest meaningfully in your work and life?
• Self-awareness: Do you understand your strengths and weaknesses?
• Readiness: Are you qualified and prepared for this role?

How should I prepare for the Life Story interview?

Reflect on your past experiences and prepare several stories demonstrating the five traits Shopify values.

Choose specific examples of past projects covering what problems you solved, processes you used, challenges you overcame, things you'd do differently, and lessons you learned. Consider providing visual aids to enhance your storytelling.

What should I research before the Life Story interview?

Stay up to date on Shopify's latest developments and familiarize yourself with the team you're joining.

Download the Shopify app to experience it as both a customer and a merchant, read Shopify's engineering blogs, and listen to the UX team podcast to understand the culture and working environment.

Onsite Interviews

What is Shopify's onsite interview?

The onsite round consists of 3 to 5 interviews lasting 40 to 90 minutes each, conducted via Google Meet and spread across multiple weeks or in a single day loop.

Shopify onsite interviews include both technical assessments and behavioral conversations, with specific formats depending heavily on your role and target team.

On-site structure for technical roles

Technical roles typically include:

• Coding Exercise: 40-minute problem-solving session on CoderPad in your preferred programming language, with access to documentation and search engines.
• Pair Programming: 75-90 minute co-working session with a Shopify developer where you write code collaboratively via Google Hangouts.
• Technical Deep Dive: 60-minute conversational interview exploring your impact on past technical projects and roles.

On-site structure for product management roles

Product management candidates meet with 3 to 5 team members across three interview formats:

• Thought Leadership Interview: Big-picture thinking about market positioning and product vision for Shopify products.
• Case Study Interview: Whiteboard exercise solving a 1-paragraph product challenge.
• Dev/UX Interview: Dual session with engineering and UX team members discussing your background and ideas.

How does Shopify evaluate cultural fit?

Shopify prioritizes candidates who embody their values: get things done, think independently, thrive in ambiguous environments, and continuously learn and develop their craft.

Prepare examples demonstrating how you've succeeded in fast-paced, changing environments and how you make decisions under pressure.

What should I research before onsite rounds?

Familiarize yourself with Shopify's culture and core philosophy of thriving on change.

Understand Shopify's backend, which is built with Ruby on Rails. Study the Ruby Style Guide, and explore recent product developments through the company blog and news page.

Shopify Interview Questions

These are examples of real interview questions asked at Shopify.

Behavioral

• Why do you want to work at Shopify?
• What interests or side projects do you have outside of work?
• Tell me about your journey as a [programmer, product designer, etc.].
• What would you do if another team member had strong opposing opinions?
• Give me an example of a time when you successfully worked with a challenging customer.
• How do you connect with and support those around you?

Coding

Be prepared to answer common data structures and algorithms questions like:

• Arrays
• Graphs and trees
• Hash tables

Some common coding questions you might encounter are:

• Given an array of integers, find the length of the longest subarray with a sum equal to zero.
• Implement a function to perform a binary search on a sorted array of integers and return the index of a given target value.
• You are given code that merges two sorted linked lists into one sorted linked list, but it contains bugs. Identify and fix the bugs.

Product Design and Strategy

• Tell me about a time you were responsible for a product from beginning to end. What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
• You're the CEO of Shopify. What should we focus on next?
• Shopify wants to help merchants be more successful. What will you do to achieve this mission as a PM at Shopify?
• How would you improve Shopify for new merchants who have difficulty sourcing products to sell?
• Design a returns solution for Shopify, considering that most users look for return policies.

User Experience and Design

UX/Design candidates will be asked to go deep on a few experiences in their resume or portfolio. 

Choose a few of your best projects that best illustrate your process and discuss:

• The user problems your project solved
• Which UX processes you use
• Other options you explored, and how you settled on this one
• Constraints you worked under
• How you collaborated with team members
• Data on the benefits/business value it created
• Things you might have done differently in retrospect

Other UX questions you may face include:

• What do you enjoy most about working in design?
• Have you revisited your key success metrics since successful launches? Have they changed or remained the same?
• How have you navigated compromises or trade-offs when working with a team?

Machine Learning and Data Science

• Explain the bias variance tradeoff.
• Design a monitoring system for Shopify.
• Design a recommended products page for Shopify.
• How would you evaluate the impact of fake products on users?
• Tell me about your proudest project.
• Python questions.
• SQL questions.

Behavioral

The behavioral assessment at Shopify spans multiple interviews and focuses on:

• Getting things done,
• Independent thinking,
• Thriving in ambiguity,
• Continuous learning,
• And authentic communication.

Shopify's behavioral evaluation occurs primarily during the Life Story interview but continues throughout the process with conversational elements integrated into technical rounds.

How should I prepare for behavioral questions at Shopify?

Prepare by understanding Shopify's core philosophy that the company thrives on change and values individuals over credentials.

Develop scenario-based stories demonstrating how you've succeeded in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with minimal direction.

For behavioral interview questions, focus on examples showing impact, trust-building, engagement, self-awareness, and your ability to learn and adapt quickly.

Be authentic and personal in your responses, as Shopify values getting to know you as an individual rather than evaluating a polished resume.

Coding

Shopify's coding assessments combine practical problem-solving with collaborative evaluation:

• Easy to medium difficulty problems,
• Real-world practical challenges,
• Data structures and algorithms fundamentals,
• Communication and collaboration skills.

How are coding rounds structured?

Expect coding assessments starting with potential problems during the recruiter call, progressing to dedicated 40-minute exercises during the onsite interview on CoderPad.

Shopify interviewers assess both your technical solutions and collaborative problem-solving approach, so communicate openly and ask clarifying questions. You will be able to use resources like documentation and search engines throughout.

What topics are covered in coding rounds?

Shopify's coding interviews focus on practical technical concepts relevant to e-commerce platforms:

• Data structures including arrays, linked lists, trees, and graphs,
• Hash tables and string manipulation,
• Binary search and sorting algorithms,
• Ruby and Ruby on Rails for backend roles,
• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for frontend positions,
• React Native for mobile development,
• SQL and Python for data science roles.

What does Shopify look for in engineers?

Shopify seeks engineers who can solve practical problems efficiently while communicating clearly and collaborating effectively with teammates.

Familiarize yourself with Ruby on Rails and the Ruby Style Guide, and prepare to discuss your approach from start to finish.

Pair Programming

Shopify's pair programming sessions are 75-90 minute collaborative exercises where you write code while working closely with a Shopify developer.

These sessions evaluate both technical proficiency and teamwork skills, as pair programming is a frequent working mode at Shopify.

How should I prepare for Shopify's pair programming round?

Practice communicating your thought process clearly while coding, as your interviewer observes and collaborates throughout the session.

Focus on asking clarifying questions, explaining your decisions, discussing trade-offs, and working toward functional solutions rather than rushing to finish.

What approach should I take?

Think of your interviewer as a teammate who's there to help you succeed rather than evaluate you silently.

Demonstrate strong communication skills, openness to feedback, and collaborative problem-solving abilities that reflect how you'll work on cross-functional teams at Shopify.

Technical Deep Dive

The Technical Deep Dive is a 60-minute conversational interview exploring your impact and achievements in past technical roles and projects.

Shopify interviewers want to understand your past successes and how you could bring a similar impact to their teams.

How should I prepare for the technical deep dive?

Prepare several examples of past project successes, crafting narratives about how you achieved results, challenges you faced, and lessons learned.

Focus on team-based projects where you played leadership roles, as you'll work closely with cross-functional teams at Shopify. Avoid discussing solo side projects.

What topics should I cover?

When discussing past experiences, address:

• Business impact and measurable outcomes,
• Architecture setup and technical decisions,
• Trade-offs and alternatives you considered,
• Collaboration with cross-functional teammates,
• Challenges overcome and lessons learned.

Product Management

Shopify's product management interviews focus on strategic thinking, analytical skills, design sensibilities, and cross-functional leadership.

You'll meet with 3 to 5 team members across multiple interview formats during an on-site loop lasting several hours.

Product strategy and execution

Product strategy interviews assess your ability to think at a high level about markets, competition, and product vision in rapidly changing environments.

Execution questions examine how you use analytics and product sensibilities to devise strategies, prioritize features, and drive products forward under uncertainty.

Analytical and design skills

Analytical questions test your data-driven decision-making, understanding of metric trade-offs, KPI measurement, and A/B testing approaches.

Design thinking questions present ambiguous problems requiring user empathy, product vision, and consideration of trade-offs in your solutions.

Shopify-specific preparation

Study Shopify's merchant-focused product philosophy and explore the platform as both a customer and a merchant to understand user experience firsthand.

Prepare for technical discussions even though you won't code, as familiarity with technical concepts is critical for success as a PM at Shopify.

User Experience and Design

At Shopify, UX and design candidates participate in 3 to 4 hours of onsite interviews, meeting UX team members and learning about current projects.

The process includes both conversational interviews and a unique "problem-solving duet" technical exercise.

What are Shopify's UX interviews?

Shopify's UX interviews explore your portfolio deeply, focusing on representative achievements that illustrate your design thinking and process.

The “problem-solving duet” pairs you with a current Shopify designer to collaboratively work through an interaction design challenge, evaluating your raw thought process and teamwork approach.

How should I prepare for UX interviews?

Choose several portfolio projects and prepare to discuss:

• User problems your project solved,
• UX processes and methodologies you employed,
• Options you explored and how you made decisions,
• Constraints you worked under,
• Collaboration with cross-functional team members,
• Data demonstrating benefits and business value created,
• Things you might approach differently in retrospect.

Focus on demonstrating authentic problem-solving and collaboration skills rather than rehearsed answers, as interviewers assess your genuine approach to design challenges.

Shopify Interview Tips

Be yourself.

Shopify hires individuals, not resumes or credentials, so bring your genuine self to interviews without over-polishing your presentation.

The Life Story interview specifically assesses who you are beyond accomplishments, so don't be afraid to get personal and show how you interact authentically with others.

Demonstrate comfort with ambiguity and willingness to grow.

Shopify thrives on change and values those who make decisions independently in fast-paced, chaotic environments.

Prepare examples showing how you've succeeded when working outside your comfort zone, learned from mistakes, and grown quickly through challenging situations.

Tailor your application specifically to Shopify.

Candidates who tailor their applications for Shopify stand out to recruiters. Customize your materials to show your curiosity about Shopify and how its mission resonates with you.

Detail your specific interest in the company, the role, and the team in your cover letter and throughout the interview process.

Communicate openly and ask questions.

Shopify's conversational interview style and pair programming format assess collaboration skills alongside technical abilities.

Don't hesitate to ask clarifying questions, discuss your thinking process, and engage with interviewers as teammates throughout technical and behavioral rounds.

FAQs

How competitive are Shopify interviews?

Shopify interviews are highly competitive, with a reported hiring rate as low as 0.3%, though achievable with proper preparation and genuine cultural fit.

The process varies significantly by role and team, so prepare for format variations and the possibility of unexpected questions.

Does Shopify hire students and new graduates?

Yes, Shopify offers 3, 4, and 8-month paid engineering internships for students and new graduates seeking to launch their careers in tech.

These programs provide entry points for early-career professionals to join Shopify's remote-first environment and experience the company's unique culture.

Are Shopify interviews in person or virtual?

Shopify operates as a digital-first company with all interviews conducted remotely via Google Meet and other virtual platforms.

The remote structure extends to employment, allowing you to work from anywhere while connecting with concentrated teams in core areas for occasional in-person meetings.

Can I reapply if I don't get hired?

Shopify recommends waiting 6 months to 1 year before reapplying to allow time for skill development and new opportunities.

New roles are posted every 3 months across various functions, so check back regularly if you don't see your ideal position immediately.

Shopify Interview Prep

Exponent has extensive resources to prepare you to feel your best when it comes time for your interview at Shopify:

• 💬 Brush up on interview questions asked at Shopify
• 📖 Read through these role-specific Shopify interview guides