I've been on the agency side placing candidates at Canva for about two years, and I coach people through the recruiter screen pretty regularly. Figured I'd write out what actually happens in that first call.
The basic structure. Usually 30 minutes. The Canva recruiter will spend about 5 minutes on company intro (which you can mostly skip if you've done your homework). The rest is them asking about you and giving you space to ask questions.
What they actually ask in the phone screen.
They always want to understand why Canva specifically. Not in a test-you way, just genuine. But "I like design tools" won't cut it. They're looking for some depth: what product area excites you, why now in Canva's trajectory, some awareness of how Canva is different from competitors.
They'll ask you to walk through your background with emphasis on what you've built and its impact. Keep it tight. Senior candidates should be able to summarize their most relevant work in about 3 minutes with clear outcomes.
For engineering roles, expect a quick "what's your strongest technical area" question. This isn't a technical screen, but they're checking if your self-assessment matches the role requirements.
Comp comes up in the first call. Canva recruiter screens almost always include a comp expectations question. Be ready with a number. If you're not sure about the range, you can ask them to share their band first. In 2026 the senior SWE range I've seen discussed is roughly $200k-$260k base depending on location. For US remote it tends to land in the middle of that.
What trips people up. Candidates who haven't used Canva. Even just 30 minutes with the product before the call changes how you answer everything. You don't need to have strong design opinions, just genuine familiarity.
Timeline. Usually 1-2 weeks between phone screen and the next step (OA or technical screen). They're not the fastest movers but they communicate clearly in my experience.