Recently, I applied for an sde role at Booking.com. I cleared the Online Assessment and was officially informed that I had been shortlisted for the interview round. Everything seemed to be progressing normally.

But out of nowhere, I received an update saying that the interview process for this role is no longer happening.

No proper explanation. No accountability. Just a sudden change after candidates have already invested time and effort preparing and clearing the OA.

This is extremely disappointing and frankly unprofessional. Candidates put in hours of preparation, manage their schedules, and take these processes seriously. The least a company can do is respect that effort.

If there were changes in hiring plans, it should have been communicated earlier—before conducting assessments and shortlisting candidates.

Hoping companies like Booking.com improve their hiring transparency and candidate experience going forward.

Has anyone else faced something similar?