What are Airbnb interviews like?

Airbnb interviews are known for being structured, thorough, and designed to assess both technical capabilities and cultural fit. Depending on the role, you can expect a combination of technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and problem-solving exercises. Here’s a breakdown of what Airbnb interviews are typically like across various roles:

1. General Overview of the Process

The Airbnb interview process usually consists of 4 to 6 rounds and can take around 2 to 6 weeks to complete. The process includes:

• Initial recruiter screen: A general interview to discuss your background and the role.
• Technical or skill assessment: For technical roles, this often involves coding or system design challenges; for non-technical roles, it may involve case studies or business scenarios.
• Behavioral interviews: To assess cultural fit and your ability to align with Airbnb's core values.
• Final round interviews: You may meet with senior leaders or cross-functional teams, often with a more holistic focus on both your skills and how you fit within Airbnb’s mission.

2. Airbnb Technical Interviews (For Engineering and Data Roles)

Coding Interviews

If you're interviewing for a software engineering role, you'll face multiple rounds of coding interviews that typically focus on data structures and algorithms. These interviews are similar to those seen at other tech companies, with questions that can range from medium to hard on platforms like LeetCode.

• Common Topics: Arrays, linked lists, trees, dynamic programming, graph algorithms, and hash maps.
• Live Coding: You'll be expected to solve problems in a live coding session (e.g., via CoderPad) while explaining your thought process.

Preparation Tip: Using resources like Grokking the Coding Interview by DesignGurus.io is highly recommended to master common coding patterns.

• Grokking the Coding Interview

System Design Interviews (for Senior Roles)

For senior engineering roles, you’ll encounter system design interviews where you’ll be asked to design large-scale, distributed systems similar to what Airbnb uses. These interviews evaluate your understanding of architecture, scalability, and real-world problem-solving.

• Common Topics: Designing systems for video streaming, real-time messaging, or booking platforms.

Preparation Tip: Grokking the System Design Interview is a great resource to practice designing scalable systems.

• Grokking the System Design Interview

Data Science and Machine Learning Interviews

For data science or machine learning roles, expect questions related to data analysis, A/B testing, and machine learning models. You may also be asked to analyze datasets and create predictive models.

• Skills Tested: Proficiency in SQL, Python, and familiarity with statistical methods or machine learning algorithms.

3. Airbnb Product Management or Business Role Interviews

If you’re interviewing for a product management or business role, expect case studies and business problem-solving exercises.

Product Sense Interviews

You’ll be asked to demonstrate your ability to create and improve products. Common questions include:

• Example: "How would you improve the Airbnb host experience?" or "What features would you add to Airbnb Experiences?"

Business Strategy Interviews

You’ll be asked to solve business problems, such as expanding Airbnb into new markets or managing supply-demand challenges.

• Example: "How would you approach scaling Airbnb’s services in emerging markets?" or "How would you manage host churn?"

Analytical Interviews

For analytical roles, expect questions focused on data-driven decision-making and problem-solving. You may be given real-world scenarios to analyze and asked to provide recommendations based on data.

4. Behavioral Interviews and Cultural Fit

Airbnb places a strong emphasis on cultural alignment with its core values. Behavioral interviews assess your ability to work in a collaborative and innovative environment while embodying values like hospitality, creativity, and community.

• Common Questions: "Tell me about a time you faced a challenging problem at work" or "Describe a situation where you had to adapt to change quickly."
• STAR Method: It’s helpful to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your answers.

5. Airbnb Final Round Interviews

The final round typically involves meeting with senior leadership or cross-functional teams. The goal is to evaluate your holistic fit for the role and how well you align with Airbnb’s broader mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: You might meet with people from other departments to see how you’d collaborate across the company.
• Strategic Discussions: For senior roles, expect higher-level discussions about the company’s goals and how your role fits into achieving them.

Conclusion

Airbnb interviews are structured and cover a mix of technical skills, problem-solving, and cultural fit. While the process can be demanding, thorough preparation for coding, system design, product sense, or behavioral questions will set you up for success. It’s important to demonstrate not only your technical and professional capabilities but also how you align with Airbnb’s mission and values.