Clio interview, and pairing with AI in the room.

Clio's Director of Engineering describes the loop in a CoderPad case study: an initial screening with a talent acquisition specialist, then an onsite panel held virtually with four interviews. Clio's job ads don't describe the process themselves, so the durations below come from candidate reports.

Clio replaced its old coding exercise because a large language model could solve it outright. The new pairing interview runs on CoderPad with progressive challenges, lets candidates pick problems that suit their strengths, and encourages them to use AI tools thoughtfully. Clio says it is designed to resist simple AI-driven solutions and scores how far you progress through the requirements, not a pass or fail.

• Confirm the AI rules before the day: The case study is from 2025. Ask your recruiter whether AI tools are allowed in your pairing, and which ones, so you aren't surprised either way.
• Pick the problem that fits you: Clio lets candidates choose problems aligned with their strengths. If you're offered a choice, take the one in a domain or language where you are fastest.
• Get the first requirement working early: You are scored on how far you progress. A simple, working, tested first version beats an elegant plan that never runs.
• Write code that can change: New requirements arrive mid-session. Keep functions small and rules separate, so each change is a small edit, not a rewrite.
• Use AI as a pair, not an answer: Say what you're asking the tool and why, read what it returns, test it, and fix it. Clio says it assesses how you guide and enhance the tools.
• Talk the whole time: It's a collaborative session. Explain your plan before you type and your choices as you go, especially when you accept or reject AI output.
• Prepare without AI too: If your interview turns out to ban AI, you still need to solve the progressive problem yourself. Practise both ways.

Candidates report the pairing and system design together in one sitting of about two and a quarter hours. Clio's job ads don't describe the interview; ask your recruiter for the order and timings.

Clio says it redesigned the interview with two of its values in mind, and its job ads say what it expects of engineers today.

• Design for diversity: candidates choose problems that suit their strengths
• Win and help win
• Using AI well: Clio's ads ask for a keen interest in improving your craft with AI
• Progress over perfection: the pairing is scored on how far you get, not pass or fail

Few candidates report Clio's behavioural questions word for word. The ones below are written for the rounds Clio names and the values it cites; the technical themes come from candidate reports and the case study.

Your Clio interview

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Base salary ranges from Clio's own job ads, read on 31 October 2026. The Barcelona Software Developer ad states no range.

Applying to Clio? Paste the posting and see whether they’d shortlist you →

1. Check the ad's location and pay: Clio states ranges for Canada and Dublin, not Barcelona.
2. Ask your recruiter whether AI tools are allowed in your pairing interview.
3. Practise progressive problems: solve a simple version, then add rule after rule without rewriting.
4. Practise pairing with an AI assistant, saying aloud what you ask it and how you check its output.
5. Practise the same problems without AI, in case your interview doesn't allow it.
6. Prepare a system design for a file storage service, with a real schema for the metadata.
7. Pick two past technical decisions and prepare an honest verdict on each for the leadership interview.
8. Prepare stories for win and help win and for design for diversity, the values Clio cites.

This guide covers Clio's software engineering hiring in Canada and Europe, with the co-op route in outline. Clio does not describe its product, design or sales interviews publicly. For management and leadership roles the loop is similar but the bar shifts to people, delivery and strategy, so pair it with the leadership interview prep hub. The bar for your exact role comes from the role-by-role guides, and the prep that actually transfers is spoken, so run a mock interview before the real one.

Also interviewing at Xero, Coveo or Figma? Their guides follow the same format, from the first screen to the offer.

• 01CoderPad, How Clio created a fair hiring process for the AI-enabled developerthe loop as described by Clio's Director of Engineering: progressive pairing with AI encouraged, system design, technical leadership, culture screen, and the values behind it (page modified 25 October 2025)
• 02Clio careers (Workday)124 open roles by department and country; pay ranges in the Software Developer (REQ-4630, REQ-4858, REQ-4687), Senior Software Developer, Staff, Software Development Manager and Senior PM Payments ads; Dublin named as the European headquarters (read 31 October 2026)
• 03Clio, Software Developer, TorontoCAD 112,000–151,500 and an interest in improving your craft with AI (posted 6 August 2026)
• 04Glassdoor, Clio Software Developer interviewscandidate reports: the Pig Latin pairing problem, the file upload design, the culture add round and the co-op route

Interview processes change. This reflects widely-reported and sourced conditions as of 2026 — confirm specifics with your recruiter, and treat it as a map rather than a guarantee.