I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Booking.com (Amsterdam) in Mar 2025
Interview
My process began with a 30-minute phone screen with HR to discuss my background, motivations, and general fit. I then had a technical interview with the Team Lead, covering SQL, Python scripting, and data modeling. During that call it became clear they were specifically looking for SAP expertise, which my profile didn’t match, so we agreed the role wasn’t the right fit and I didn’t proceed to the take-home assignment.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In SQL Server, what’s the difference between a merge join and a hash join? In what situations would the optimizer pick one over the other—considering things like sorted inputs, memory use, and data volume?