After the university HackerRank test, I received an email about a week later inviting me to a 90-minute phone interview. The questions were moderately tough compared to other FAANGULTAD interviews.

The first interview went well, and I was able to come up with a working solution within the given timeframe. The interviewer seemed satisfied with my solution, and I proceeded to the second round.

The second interview didn't go as expected, though. The interviewer was nice but seemed inexperienced. I usually try to brainstorm a few ideas, discuss them with the interviewer, and then pick the best solution to code. However, whenever I verbally expressed my thought process, the interviewer intervened, asking if it was the best approach and trying to nudge me toward his way of thinking.

I appreciate that he was trying to help, but not everyone's thought process works the same. I could have ultimately arrived at the same optimized solution, but because the interviewer kept interrupting my initial brainstorming, my thoughts became tangled, and I didn't perform too well.

I was able to get to a working solution, but I believe the second interviewer was dissatisfied that I couldn't think in his way immediately. I think Airbnb should train its interviewers better to get the most out of their candidates.

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