Booking.com Phone Interview

Perl !!! A lot of it I believe or maybe it was.

For what role? This will help me to help you :)

non-engineering is quite broad, process can be very different.

It’s a UX/Content strategy role.

I had an interview for a non-engineering position (with a recruiter) on Friday and I believe it went well. The interview is a more conversational style which I really appreciated. Just have compelling reasons for why you want the role, why booking.com, why Amsterdam and why you are a good fit for the positions. Also, I understand that the recruiters appreciate honesty so if you don't know about something, admit it instead of chatting BS. Good luck if you haven't had your interview yet.

booking sucks

Incredibly negative experience. I interviewed with Booking.com for a management position in 2022 for which the hiring process took over three months. Under normal circumstances, this would have been an acceptable timeframe, given the importance of the role and the salary scale. However, I have experienced the process as extraordinarily unprofessional and even unethical. Here is why: Throughout the process, the recruiter went radio silent several times. He was not responsive and was incapable of setting clear expectations. I had work to do and thought they probably had a lot on their plate, so I did not mind it at the beginning. Finally, after three interviews with an unusual stretch of time between each round and presenting a business case that took comprehensive preparation, the recruiter called me to say they had a strong internal candidate along the way with whom they decided to continue. What can I say? The emergence of an internal candidate is undoubtedly not a last-minute development. There are works councils in place in companies like Booking.com to make sure open positions are first internally communicated. The hiring manager knew they would not proceed with my candidacy and knowingly decided to continue with my business case - and presumably that of the other external candidates - making the process highly unethical in my book. The recruiter was not forthcoming with me when I specifically asked if there were any reasons why the position was closed on LinkedIn before presenting my business case. Correspondingly, they cost me so much valuable time. Getting free consultancy from the market and relaying it to an internal candidate… With the intel they got from the overall recruitment process, I am sure they will be able to make significant improvements, even without an internal candidate taking up the position. What makes it sting even more is that when I asked about the possibility of meeting the hiring manager before the business case to understand his priorities and vision, the recruiter said that it would be unfair to the other candidates in the running if I were to meet the hiring manager earlier. It was shocking to hear the other candidate was internal; so much for the fair play argument. I was provided misleading and inaccurate information regarding where they were in the recruitment process. My advice to fellow candidates: - If you sense red flags, trust your intuition. - Insist on meeting your direct manager-to-be to whom you would be reporting. People you expect to work with should have an interest in getting to know you. Does the hiring manager take distance, or does the HR keep delaying the organisation of a one-on-one with the hiring manager for any reason? The odds are high that they see this process as transactional, and you are being used as a benchmark/information source, not considered a serious candidate.