What two Software Engineer candidates report about Skyscanner's interviews: a four-stage structure, a booking-system design exercise, a flights algorithm question, an architecture deep dive and slow communication.
$95K
Avg. Base Comp
$110K
Avg. Total Comp
4 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Two Software Engineer candidates describe Skyscanner's process, and both ended without an offer. One was told by the recruiter that there would be four stages: an initial screening, a depth-of-expertise interview, a systems design round and a culture fit round. The other described a screening, a low-level design exercise, a live coding round and a technical deep dive.
The most specific technical detail comes from the second candidate. The design round centered on a booking system and came with skeleton code. The candidate was expected to add classes and build out the implementation while following the interviewer's hints. That rewards candidates who can quickly learn an unfamiliar domain and extend existing code cleanly. The live coding round involved an algorithm question about flights. The candidate called it not overly difficult but said it tested clear, clean thinking.
The same candidate found the technical deep dive hardest. They had to draw the architecture of a project they had worked on, then explain the challenges and design tradeoffs. Choose a project you know well enough to defend each decision.
Both candidates also raised communication. One had an interviewer miss the screening and got no reply to two follow-ups. The other heard nothing after a screening that had gone well. Early questions reportedly included relocation and motivation, so have clear answers ready. Follow up with your recruiter after each stage rather than waiting.
Synthesized from 4 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Skyscanner process.
I went through Skyscanner's interview process for a Software Engineer role, and it was a mixed bag that left me frustrated. The first thing that stood out was the screening round — my interviewer simply didn't show up. I sent two follow-up emails trying to reschedule, but heard nothing back. That ghosting experience was honestly demoralizing, especially since I was genuinely excited about the company.
When I did get to the technical rounds, things moved quickly. One interview focused on a low-level design problem centered around a booking system. They provided skeleton code and expected me to add classes and flesh out the implementation while working through their hints. It required solid comprehension of the domain to follow their directions effectively. The live coding round involved an algorithm question about flights — nothing overly difficult, but it tested my ability to think through the problem cleanly.
The part that really caught me off guard was the technical deep dive. They asked me to draw out the architecture of a project I'd contributed to, then started drilling into the challenges I'd faced. It was much harder than I expected, less about the code and more about articulating design decisions and tradeoffs under pressure. Throughout the process, I felt rushed and like I was just a number moving through their pipeline. The HR interactions were aggressive rather than collaborative, which didn't help. Overall, the experience left a sour taste — not necessarily because of the technical bar, but because of how the process was handled.
Prep tip from this candidate
If you interview with Skyscanner, prepare for low-level design questions with skeleton code provided — you need to understand the domain quickly and build on their hints. Also be ready for a technical deep dive where you explain project architecture and articulate design tradeoffs; this was the most challenging part and required thinking beyond just coding.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Skyscanner
Design a scalable ETL pipeline for ingesting heterogeneous data from Skyscanner's partners.
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Flight Routes | |
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Empty Neighborhoods | |
| Employee Salaries | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Random SQL Sample | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| Raining in Seattle | |
| Over-Budget Projects | |
| Delivery Estimate Model | |
| Weighted Keys | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| Google Maps Improvement | |
| The Brackets Problem | |
| Top 3 Users | |
| User Experience Percentage | |
| Job Recommendation | |
| Permutation Palindrome | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Maximum Profit | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Rectangle Overlap | |
| Groups of Anagrams | |
| Nearest Common Ancestor | |
| Download Facts | |
| Completed Shipments | |
| Integer to Roman |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
One candidate says a recruiter explained the role and the four-stage structure, then the screening covered why they wanted Skyscanner, relocation and their background. Another candidate reports a missed screening and no reply to follow-ups, so confirm timing in writing and follow up if you hear nothing.
One candidate reports a design round built around a booking system. They were given skeleton code and expected to add classes and flesh out the implementation while working through hints. Prepare to learn a domain quickly, write object-oriented code, and respond to interviewer guidance rather than designing in isolation.
The same candidate describes a live coding round with an algorithm question about flights. They found it manageable but said it tested whether they could reason through the problem cleanly. Practice talking through your approach while you code, since clear explanation appears to matter as much as the final solution.
This candidate found the deep dive hardest. They drew the architecture of a project they had contributed to and were pressed on challenges and tradeoffs. Expect to defend decisions rather than only describe them. The other candidate's recruiter also mentioned systems design and culture fit stages, though that candidate gave no detail on them.
