I was contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn, and the process took around 4 weeks.

The process, in short, is as follows:

• HR screening
• Recruiting coordinator
• Systems and behavioral
• Live code pairing
• Team fit

The initial call with a recruiter was 30 minutes. The discussion focused on my previous work, available job posts, and how my profile might fit at Booking.com.

After that, my profile was considered for possible openings. If there was a potential fit, I was assigned to a recruiting coordinator. The recruiting coordinator had a short call to explain the possible openings and what to expect in the next interviews. For my case, I then had to pick one team among a couple to interview with.

The technical interviews were scheduled for 2.5 hours, back-to-back. The first hour covered behavioral questions with some high-level systems design. It was very straightforward, with questions around certain situations and past experiences. I had to share my screen to draw a system diagram I had worked on previously, and the interviewers asked questions about possible changes.

The live code pairing session was 1.5 hours and was a true code pairing experience. I had never had a similar interview. I opened a HackerRank page with an easy-to-medium level question. I had to use Test-Driven Development (TDD). The interviewer wrote the first test, and I had to write the solution. Then, I wrote more tests and updated the solution code. I eventually wrote around 15 tests and updated the solution accordingly. The session was very proactive and fun; I really liked it and believe it effectively evaluates typical daily work with a team. I even enjoyed the discussion, and the interview was extended for 30 minutes.

After that, I was contacted by the recruiting coordinator to inform me that the interview feedback was positive and I needed to meet the team for a team fit call. The call took around 40 minutes. I met with the engineering manager and another Senior Engineer from the team, where more behavioral questions were asked. They also explained the expectations for this role. The same day, I was contacted again to inform me I had passed, an offer was sent, and I approved it.

I think the best aspect of the interviews was the people I met. I enjoyed meeting everyone, from my recruiter to the engineers, and the overall experience was really positive for me.

Why Booking.com?

Do you work on TDD?

Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with another engineer?