When I first researched Shopify one of the things which stood out was their interviewing process. More practical technical screening, lower stress levels and the Life Story interview seemed unique within the industry when compared to similar size/impact 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 emphasis on clear communication with the interviewer throughout the process. After I implemented a correct solution there were no technical follow-ups (no complexity, optimisation or other questions). Instead, there was quite a lot of time for questions from me. The person interviewing 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/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/LinkedIn profile or use it as reference during the call. The Life Story began with a question about my first job. 15 minutes into the interview I realised 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 the application volume Shopify would not be able to provide me with any feedback in case I don't make it to the next round. The following day I received a rejection e-mail with the information there were other candidates "whose experience was a closer match". While there were many things done right in this process, the Life Story left me somewhat disappointed and confused. Here are some improvement suggestions: 1. If one of the Life Story assumptions is to make sure the interviewer doesn't look at the candidate's resume - please make this clear in the careers portal. 2. Consider making the Life Story preparation page contain some material relevant to specific departments/roles. An example from my experience would be to mention what traits are considered relevant for a senior software engineer. 3. Consider providing rudimentary feedback after the call - since Life Story is such an open format, it's very difficult for the candidate to know what went wrong/where they could improve.