My interview process with Airbnb's recruiter can only be described as a constant struggle.

My HR representative initially reached out to me to schedule a brief phone screen. She failed to call me. I emailed her about 30 minutes after her missed appointment. She gave me the cold shoulder. She emailed me two weeks later with this statement: "Apologies - an unexpected, yet essential, meeting popped up." The sad thing is, if you read a few other interview reviews here on Glassdoor, this seems to be (almost word-for-word) a pathetic excuse for Airbnb to basically say to their prospective candidates, "YEAH, we didn't care to do our jobs or be hospitable for two weeks, but it's all cool."

Anyway... she asked me for another chance to speak on the phone. Another week went by, and I finally spoke with her. She said the next step would be for me to speak over the phone with the director of the department. Another week passed, and the director failed to call me. I immediately emailed my recruiter. She told me that the director had called my phone and left a voicemail. Of course, that wasn't true – I never received a phone call or a message. He likely misdialed. I insisted that I had not received any phone calls and that I needed to speak to him about the position immediately. My recruiter yet again gave me the cold shoulder.

At this point, I was so annoyed with my recruiter's apathetic attitude and her lack of communication that I went out of my way to actually GUESS (correctly) the department director's Airbnb email address. I wrote the director that my recruiter was basically useless and that he could call me anytime at his convenience. Not more than 5 hours later, the director called me. He was thrilled to speak to me and excited to meet me in person. The next step was to meet in person, but unfortunately, I had to go through my lame recruiter. So, naturally, this process was drawn out for a week and a half before I heard from her.

Another week went by, and I met the director at Airbnb's HQ. The interview itself was actually very relaxed. It felt like we were chatting more than interviewing. So, in that sense, Airbnb's interview (not the interviewing process, but specifically the interview) was quite enjoyable. The director was elated at my experience and personality and wanted to push me through to the next step, which was to speak with six staff members to see if I fit into Airbnb's culture.

Another week passed.

I reentered Airbnb's HQ and spoke with six different staff members. They were all friendly and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. The interviews were relaxed. I was asked questions relating to my personality: What's your favorite movie? What superhero would you be if you could be one? What fundraiser would you love to start? If you could give a TED Talk, what subject would you preach? Why do you want to work for Airbnb? Given the nature of my title, no one person on staff seemed to know anything technical regarding the position. In that sense, I was only asked very vague questions related to the position: "Uh, what kind of experience do you have working with Mac platforms?"

After 3 hours and six interviews, I unexpectedly found myself meeting with my doorknob of a recruiter. I had to swallow my pride and not confront her about how disrespectful she had been and how impossible it had been to work with her. She told me the salary for the position and promised she would call me the next day to tell me if I were going to be hired or not. She promised me she would call – in either case, definitively the next day – with a final answer.

Again, and for the third time, she failed to call me. A few days went by, and I emailed her asking to speak with her. She emailed me a week later: "Apologies! We are meeting with staff midweek to determine if you are a good fit."

She somehow managed to drag out our lackluster communication another week before sending me a pathetic "Thanks for your interest in the position, but unfortunately, you had slightly less experience than other candidates."

What experience was I lacking? She couldn't tell me. Naturally.

TL;DR Sorry for the rant, but ultimately, the interviews themselves were easy and relaxed. However, due to unprofessional staff, my interview process was a constant, miserable battle for communication, which remarkably enough was somehow dragged out for over 60 days.

If you could give a TED Talk on any topic, what subject would you preach to Airbnb employees?