Process
The interview process consisted of:
- A 1-hour HackerRank
- Two back-to-back technical Skype interviews
- One culture fit interview
The HackerRank was quite challenging and time-constrained. I recommend studying algorithms, maintaining composure, and planning your thought process before typing rapidly.
The Skype interviews were difficult, but not as impossible as some other experiences I've read about online. To prepare for these, I suggest strengthening your knowledge of graph theory and studying traversals/search algorithms.
The culture fit interview was a standard, less conversational behavioral interview. For this, simply be yourself and prepare as you would for any typical behavioral interview. It certainly doesn't hurt to prepare for common questions like "Why Airbnb?" and "What was your last Airbnb experience? How was it?"
Questions
1 unique algorithm question, 2 graph questions (DFS and tree traversal), and all the normal behavioral questions
Was this helpful?
Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 17 interview experiences for the Airbnb Software Engineering role in United States.
Success Rate
Airbnb's interview process for their Software Engineering roles in the United States is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having good feelings for Airbnb's Software Engineering interview process in United States.
Airbnb Work Experiences
- 3.0Great Place to Work, But Company Culture Feels Like a CultSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesMarch 9, 2018Pros: - Great benefits and work-life balance. - Good hiring bar. - Friendly co-workers. - Relatively little office politics.Cons: They love promoting their work culture and think it's absolutely amazing. It's great if you fall very much to the left of the political spectrum, like the rest of the company (and SF). But if you happen to have a couple of right-wing sympathies like me, such as expressing your admiration for Ben Carson in a team lunch, you will be met with frowns and disdain. I overheard an argument where a co-worker said he opposed universal income, and everyone around him started to argue with him. I'm pretty sure if you said you liked Trump in any way, you'd be out of the building with all your possessions in a box. Also, the co-founders are infallible and worshipped by everyone on the team. Their "Is Mankind" campaign was a terrible, "Emperor's New Clothes"-esque flop, but no one dared to correct them.
- 5.0Exciting Work, Cold FoodSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesAugust 22, 2013Pros: Great atmosphere, lots of opportunity, still a small company. It's great being a part of such an exciting company. Every day is an adventure, and it's like nothing I've ever experienced.Cons: The food is not very good. It's usually cold, and the vegetarian options aren't great. The food is better than Google, but not as good as Twitter. Being at such a young, immature company means the benefits are young and immature. The salary is okay, but I still took a 40% pay cut to join this company. Hopefully, the stock options will be worth something someday.
- 5.0Recognize the pros and cons of the companySoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeEngland, Oklahoma, United StatesSeptember 8, 2022Pros: The company has great benefits and bonus.Cons: There is great pressure that we need to undertake.
Airbnb Interview Questions
