My Journey into Check24: A Junior Full-Stack Developer Interview

Berlin Dreams and AI – It All Started With Check24

Okay, so this interview with Check24 was… intense. I’ve been living in Berlin for about six months now, moved here from Poland after university, and I’m really trying to build a career here. Finding a job as a junior full-stack developer with a focus on AI felt like a really good fit – a chance to actually use what I’m learning and contribute to something that feels useful. Honestly, just seeing that job posting – “app-web-full-stack inkl. DevOps” – made me want to dive in. The Check24 travel platform? I use it all the time when I’m planning a trip, so the idea of helping improve it felt really motivating.

The Initial Questions – Setting the Stage

The interviewer started with the standard stuff, “Warum interessieren Sie sich für diese Stelle?” – “Why are you interested in this position?” – I went for it, saying something like, “Ich bin sehr an dieser Position interessiert, weil sie eine spannende Kombination aus Frontend- und Backend-Entwicklung bietet – und natürlich die Möglichkeit, KI-Technologien in ein echtes Produkt zu integrieren. Ich finde die Reiseplattform von Check24 sehr gut und möchte gerne dazu beitragen, sie noch besser zu machen.” (I said it a little hesitantly, trying to avoid tripping over my words!) They seemed pleased with that.

Then came the questions about my experience with AI tools. They mentioned Cursor, and I’d been working on a project with it during an internship. I explained that we were experimenting with LLMs to improve product descriptions and using a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) approach to integrate company data. We were even looking into some basic concepts of MCP (Machine Control & Perception) – analyzing user behavior. It felt a bit overwhelming to explain everything clearly, but I wanted to demonstrate I was aware of those technologies.

Clean Code and Scalability – My Technical Philosophy

Next, they asked about my technical approach. I really wanted to show them I wasn’t just coding randomly. I said something like, “Ich bin ein großer Fan von Clean Code und sauberen Architekturen. Ich glaube fest daran, dass Code lesbar und wartbar sein muss – nicht nur für mich selbst, sondern auch für mein Team. Ich versuche immer, performante Anwendungen zu entwickeln, die schnell aufrufen und skalierbar sind.” (I really hammered home the “Clean Code” part – it’s a huge deal in German development culture, apparently!). I also explained my focus on automation, particularly CI/CD pipelines and testing.

When they asked for an example, I talked about this small API I built in Go for a university project – aggregating data from different sources. I spent ages optimizing the performance, tweaking the code, and learning about Go routines – it was actually a really satisfying project.

Teamwork and Conflict – Navigating the Conversation

The questions about teamwork were a little nerve-wracking for me. I really wanted to convey that I’m a good team player. I said, “Ich bin ein Teamplayer und schätze eine offene Kommunikation. Ich bin bereit, mich in neue Projekte einzubringen und von den Erfahrungen anderer zu lernen. Bei Konflikten versuche ich, einen konstruktiven Dialog zu führen und gemeinsam nach einer Lösung zu suchen, die für alle akzeptabel ist. Ich bin offen für unterschiedliche Perspektiven.” (It’s a little cliché, I know, but it felt honest).

The Final Question – Agile and Adaptability

Finally, they asked about the typical development process at Check24 – “Wie sieht der typische Entwicklungsprozess hier bei Check24 aus? Werden Sie agile Methoden verwenden?”. I told them they use Scrum with two-week sprints and that I was totally up for learning new technologies and taking on new challenges. “Absolut! Ich lerne sehr schnell und bin immer bereit, mich neuen Herausforderungen zu stellen. Ich sehe das als Chance, mich weiterzuentwickeln und mein Wissen zu erweitern.” (I think that last sentence really sealed the deal!).

A Real Conversation – The Scrum Question

Then came a really practical question: “Können Sie uns ein Beispiel nennen, wie Sie Ihre Begeisterung für neue Technologien in die Praxis umgesetzt haben?”. I’d already given a project example, but they pushed for a more detailed one, specifically about the Go project. I went through it step-by-step, explaining the challenges and the performance improvements I made.

They ended the interview with a question about the development process, and I told them about their method, “Wir arbeiten mit Scrum und zwei Wochen Sprints.” It’s interesting because I’ve heard about some companies in Berlin using Kanban too – it seemed like Check24 was quite open-minded.

Overall, it was a really positive experience. I’m still waiting to hear back, but I’m hoping this is a step closer to achieving my goal of becoming a full-stack developer in Berlin! “Vielen Dank für Ihre Zeit und die interessanten Fragen! Ich freue mich auf Ihre Rückmeldung.” (Thank you for your time and interesting questions! I look forward to your feedback). Ich hoffe, ich habe meine Begeisterung für das Projekt gezeigt. (I hope I showed my enthusiasm for the project.)