I can only describe my interview process with Airbnb's recruiter as a constant struggle.
My HR Rep initially reached out to me to ask for an brief phone screen. She failed to call me. I emailed her about 30 minutes after her slip-up. She gives 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 to be hospitable for two weeks, but it's all cool".
Anyway.... So she asks me for another chance to speak on the phone. Another week goes by and I speak with her on the phone. She says the next step would be for me to speak over the phone with the director of the department. Another week goes by and the director failed to call me. I immediately emailed my recruiter. She tells me that the director has called my phone and has left a voice message. Of course that wasn't true - I never had a phone call and never had any message. He likely misdialed. I insist I have not received any phone calls and that I need to speak to him about the position immediately. My recruiter yet again gives me the cold shoulder.
At this point, I am so annoyed with my recruiter's apathetic attitude and her lack of communication that I go out of my way to actually GUESS (correctly) the department director's Airbnb email address. I write the director that my recruiter basically is useless and that he can call me anytime at his convenience. Not more than 5 hours later the director calls me. He is thrilled to speak to me and is 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 hearing from her.
Another week goes by and I meet the director at Airbnb's HQ. The interview itself was actually very relaxed. It felt like we were chatting more than we were interviewing. So in that sense, Airbnb's interview (not the interviewing process, but specifically the interview) was quite enjoyable. The director is elated at my experience and at my personality and wants to push me through to the next step, which is to speak with six staff members to see if I fit into Airbnb's culture.
Another week goes by.
I reenter Airbnb's HQ and speak 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 super hero 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 find myself meeting with my doorknob of a recruiter. I had to swallow my pride and not confront her about how disrespectful she has been and how impossible it has been to work with her. She tells me the salary for the position and tells me she will 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 go by and I email her asking to speak with her. She emails me a week later. "Apologies! We are meeting with staff midweek to determine if you are a good fit."
She somehow manages 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 that 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, but 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.
