Our Conversations

Curious about what it’s like to land a spot in the Booking.com Graduate Programme as a Junior Software Engineer? We sat down with Patricia-Nicole, one of our incredible grads, to hear all about her journey.

Hi! I am originally from Romania. I moved to the UK in 2020 to study Computer Science with an Integrated Master’s at The University of Manchester. It was an intense academic environment, but I saw every challenge as an opportunity to grow – from building Angular-based personal projects, to mastering React during an internship. I joined Booking.com in September 2024 as a Junior Software Engineer through the graduate programme.

First of all, I’ve been a huge fan of the app for years. I use it every time I travel, and I always wondered how the features were built. Joining the graduate programme felt like the perfect way to find out! Secondly, one of my friends from university joined the graduate programme the year before me, and when she told me about the amazing culture and people, I decided to attend an open day at Booking.com’s Manchester campus. This gave me a great insight into the company before joining. A year later, I can confirm that being here is everything I had hoped. My colleagues truly make this a special place to work! 

The recruitment process for the Graduate Programme started in January. My friend referred me for the role and submitted my CV. My application was successful, and I proceeded to the next stage, where I received a coding challenge to solve as well as a take-home cognitive ability assessment, designed to evaluate skills such as logical reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical thinking.

The next stage was a phone call with a Booking.com recruiter, where I had the opportunity to discuss my CV in more detail. The final step was the assessment centre, which went really well, and I was offered a role.

I won’t lie – I was a little nervous at first! Once I arrived, the friendly atmosphere and welcome from the team put me at ease. Everyone was really kind and I realised that they were there to help us make the most of the experience. The day started with an introductory presentation, followed by three assessments: behavioural interview, technical interview, and a group exercise. 

The technical interview was my favourite part. I met with two senior developers, where I was able to show them my programming knowledge by solving a real-world problem. Lunch was a great opportunity to get to know people from the team, and learn more about their roles and backgrounds. We had so much in common and I really felt like I could be myself and fit in here.

Absolutely! Here are my top tips:

For the Technical Test: For the coding parts, practice solving problems on platforms like Leetcode and review key algorithms to be able to showcase your coding skills effectively.

For Behavioural Interviews: Answer questions authentically and highlight your experiences and share stories that demonstrate your alignment with the company’s values. 

For the Group Exercise: Here you have the chance to showcase your communication skills. Share your ideas constructively and stay positive. Have fun and enjoy the experience and remember – you’re there to learn! 

It has all been incredible and I feel so lucky to be a part of this team. I am learning new things every day. There are always events and activities to connect with colleagues from across the company like a Halloween quiz night and team socials.

On top of that, we get two days per year to volunteer through the Booking.com Cares programme. I spent one of these days volunteering with B.Bold, our employee resource group for Black employees and allies. For this, my colleagues and I painted the walls of the African Caribbean Care Group together. We will also be volunteering with a local charity, Wood Street Mission, which supports families living on a low income in Manchester and Salford. I’ll be helping out with their festive activities, like operating a holiday store where struggling families can select toys and gifts. It’s a privilege to be able to give back to the local community and help families have a memorable Christmas.

Applications for the Graduate Software Engineering programme open in January 2025.

Find out more about Compass.

Join our Compass talent network.