I'm a 2025 grad and just finished the Canva new grad SWE interview process. It was my first time going through a multi-round loop at a company this size and I want to write up everything I wish I'd known going in.
First: the Canva new grad process is slightly different from their experienced hire loop. I had 3 rounds total, not 4-5.
Round 1: OA. HackerRank, two problems, 90 minutes. I got a string problem and something involving arrays/sliding window. Both were Leetcode medium. The time limit per problem isn't shown separately, it's just one timer for the whole thing. I took about 40 minutes on the first problem (overthought it) and had 50 minutes for the second. Both passed all test cases.
Round 2: technical interview. 45 minutes, one engineer, one problem. Mine was a tree problem, not especially hard but they went deep on time complexity and asked me to trace through my code manually for a specific input. They also asked me to talk through alternative approaches I considered and why I chose what I did. This part felt like they were assessing how I think, not just whether I got the right answer.
Round 3: behavioral + fit. 45 minutes with the hiring manager. Half behavioral, half "why Canva, why now." The behavioral questions for a new grad are lighter than what I've heard experienced hires get. I got: tell me about a project you're proud of, tell me about a time you had to ask for help, how do you approach learning something new. Pretty standard, but prepare real stories, not textbook STAR answers.
What I prepped that helped. Leetcode medium grind (the usual), two mock behavioral interviews with a friend, and I made myself use Canva for 2 hours to understand the product before the final round. That last one came up and I had something real to say.
Offer timeline. I got a verbal offer about 8 days after the final round. The official offer letter came 3 days after that. The wait was stressful but the outcome was worth it.
Happy to answer questions. I know how hard this process is when you don't have a reference point.