Booking Holdings

Role: Full-Stack Software Engineer

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: December 2023

Interview Type: Full-Time (Relocation & Visa Support to Amsterdam, NL)

Result: Rejected

Difficulty: Hard (implied by perceived rush and specific feedback)

Rounds: 3 rounds (Online Assessment, Onsite Tech, Cultural Fit)

Experience:

The candidate, with 7 years of experience, interviewed for a Full-Stack Software Engineer position at Booking.com in Amsterdam, requiring relocation and visa support.

Round 1: Online Assessment
This round consisted of a HackerRank test and a small code challenge. The candidate felt they "almost 100% passed" this stage.

Round 2: Onsite Technical Interview
This round was described as "3 interviews in 1.5 hours" (30 minutes each for Backend, Frontend, and System Design). The candidate felt rushed and confused by this format.

• Backend: The task involved implementing some sort of filter function.
• Frontend: The task was to create an input form using Vanilla JS with some dynamic rendering based on incoming data.
• System Design: This part was about designing a suggestion system related to the backend and frontend tasks discussed.

Round 3: Cultural Fit Interview
This call was with a manager and a Tech Lead. Questions included "Why Booking?" and "How do you prioritize what to work on inside the team?". The candidate's answer for the prioritization question, describing working on initiatives chosen from a department-level plan, received feedback indicating a "lack of experience in deciding in a team, referred to 'what was given to him'" and "lack the customer centricity on what is priority." The candidate was rejected.