What Is the GitLab Interview Process Like? (Round by Round)

The GitLab engineering process usually has four to five stages. Candidates report a recruiter screen, a technical interview built around a merge request, a hiring manager interview, and a leadership interview. Some roles add a short written questionnaire before the calls. Rounds are often one to two weeks apart, so the full process commonly takes about a month.

GitLab is an all-remote company. All-remote means there are no offices and every employee works remotely. Every interview happens over video, and written communication is evaluated throughout.

Quick Overview

Stage 1: Written Questionnaire

Some roles begin with a short written assessment done on your own time. GitLab documents its whole company in a public handbook, so writing matters here. Answer in complete, plain sentences. Treat this stage as a writing sample, because it is one.

Stage 2: Recruiter Screen

A recruiter talks with you for about 30 minutes. Expect questions about your background, your interest, and your experience with remote work. GitLab wants people who can work independently across time zones. Prepare one example of async work, meaning work coordinated through writing instead of live meetings.

Stage 3: The Merge Request Technical Interview

This is GitLab's signature round, and it runs about 90 minutes. A merge request is a proposed code change submitted for review, called a pull request on other platforms.

Candidates report the round has two parts:

• An MR review you complete before the call. GitLab sends a link to a small application at least 72 hours ahead. You review a merge request against it, asynchronously, as if reviewing a teammate's code.
• Live pair programming in the same MR. During the call, you discuss your review and then extend the code together with the interviewer.

This format tests real work: reading unfamiliar code, giving respectful feedback, and making small correct changes. Practice by reviewing open source merge requests and writing comments for them.

Stage 4: Hiring Manager Interview

You interview with the manager of the specific team, for about an hour. At GitLab you apply to a team, not just a company. Expect behavioral questions based on GitLab's CREDIT values, plus a discussion of your past projects. The full question list is in Top GitLab Behavioral Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them).

Ask this manager real questions about the team. GitLab publishes team pages in its handbook, so informed questions are easy to prepare.

Stage 5: Leadership Interview

The final round is with a senior leader, often the manager's manager or a director. It runs about an hour. The focus is values alignment, judgment, and how you communicate. Senior candidates should also expect system design discussion at this level. That round is described in What to Expect in the GitLab System Design Interview.

After the Final Round

Feedback from all interviewers goes to the hiring team together. Candidates report decisions within about a week of the last round. Because rounds are spaced apart, tell your recruiter early if you hold another offer. Recruiters can compress the schedule when they know your dates.

What Makes GitLab Different

Three things separate this process from other companies. First, the merge request round replaces most algorithm puzzles with real code review. Second, writing quality counts at every stage, because the company runs on documents. Third, the values are used as real scoring criteria, not decoration.

How to Prepare

• Read the public handbook pages for hiring. GitLab documents its own interview process, which removes most surprises. Read your team's page too.
• Practice code review out loud. Pick an open source merge request daily. Write three comments: one bug, one design point, one question.
• Keep coding fundamentals sharp. Practical problems still appear, and pattern practice makes them fast. Use Grokking the Coding Interview for structured practice.
• Prepare six values stories. One story per CREDIT value, written down, each under three minutes.
• Study design basics if you are senior. Grokking the System Design Interview covers the building blocks the leadership round expects.