Fellow
The Airbnb Fellow Software Engineer interview process for the G14 level is a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation designed to identify candidates with exceptional technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and a strong cultural fit with Airbnb's values. The process typically involves multiple rounds, including technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and a final hiring manager discussion. The goal is to assess a candidate's ability to design, build, and maintain scalable and reliable software systems, as well as their capacity to collaborate effectively within a team and contribute to Airbnb's mission.
5
~21 days
10 - 15 yrs
US$180000 - US$250000
255 min
Overall Evaluation Criteria
Technical Skills
Behavioral and Cultural Fit
Preparation Tips
Study Plan
Data Structures and Algorithms
Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice coding problems.
Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, and Cracking the Coding Interview.
System Design
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles. Practice designing scalable systems.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into system design concepts. Study topics like distributed systems, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching, load balancing, message queues, and API design. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, or a ride-sharing service.
Behavioral Interview Preparation
Week 5: Behavioral interview preparation. Use STAR method.
Week 5: Prepare for behavioral interviews. Reflect on your past projects and experiences, identifying examples that showcase leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and alignment with Airbnb's values. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
Mock Interviews and Final Review
Week 6: Mock interviews and final review.
Week 6: Mock interviews and final review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the actual interview experience. Review your notes, practice articulating your thoughts, and prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers.
Commonly Asked Questions
Location-Based Differences
San Francisco
Interview Focus
Common Questions
How would you design a distributed caching system for Airbnb's listing service?
Discuss a time you had to deal with a major production incident. What was your role, what did you learn, and how did you prevent it from happening again?
Describe your experience with A/B testing and how you would set up an experiment to test a new feature on the Airbnb platform.
Tips
Remote
Interview Focus
Common Questions
How would you design a real-time notification system for Airbnb bookings?
Tell me about a complex technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
How do you approach performance optimization in a large-scale web application?
Tips
Process Timeline
Interview Rounds
5-step process with detailed breakdown for each round
Recruiter Screen
Initial screening to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.
The initial screening round is conducted by a recruiter or HR representative to assess your overall fit for the role and Airbnb's culture. They will typically ask about your background, motivations for applying, and general understanding of the company. This round also serves to confirm your eligibility and provide an overview of the interview process.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Tell me about yourself.
Why are you interested in Airbnb?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What are your salary expectations?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Technical Coding Interview
Assess coding skills with data structures and algorithms problems.
This round focuses on your technical abilities, specifically your knowledge of data structures and algorithms. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically on a shared online editor. The interviewer will assess your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean code, and analyze its time and space complexity. They will also look for how you handle edge cases and test your code.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
Find the kth smallest element in a binary search tree.
Design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and getRandom in O(1) time.
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
System Design Interview
Assess ability to design scalable and distributed systems.
This round evaluates your ability to design large-scale, distributed systems. You'll be presented with a broad problem statement (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a ride-sharing service) and expected to design a system that is scalable, reliable, and performant. The interviewer will probe your design choices, ask about trade-offs, and explore potential bottlenecks and failure scenarios.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
How would you design a rate limiter for an API?
Design a distributed key-value store.
How would you design a system to handle real-time analytics for millions of events?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Behavioral and Cultural Fit Interview
Assess behavioral competencies and cultural fit with Airbnb's values.
This round focuses on your behavioral competencies and cultural fit. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, focusing on how you've handled various situations related to teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and dealing with challenges. The goal is to understand how you operate within a team and if your values align with Airbnb's.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague. How did you handle it?
Describe a situation where you took initiative to improve a process or product.
How do you handle constructive criticism?
Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn?
How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple competing deadlines?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Hiring Manager Discussion
Final discussion with the Hiring Manager to assess overall fit and discuss the role.
This is typically the final round with the Hiring Manager. They will consolidate feedback from previous rounds, discuss the specific team and projects you would be working on, and assess your overall fit. This is also an opportunity for you to ask in-depth questions about the role, team dynamics, and career growth opportunities at Airbnb.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
What are your long-term career goals?
What are you looking for in your next role?
What are your thoughts on the challenges facing Airbnb's engineering team?
Do you have any questions for me?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Commonly Asked DSA Questions
Frequently asked coding questions at Airbnb