It was the first-round phone interview. After a self-introduction, I was asked a research design question and the interview asked a lot of details on the design. But it was based on qualitative research though I am a quant person.

I submitted my application online and heard back within two weeks or so. The recruiting team was amazing. They were accessible and happy to answer all of my questions. The interview process was intense, and I spend severals prepping for each interview. There was a two step process. Step 1: Virtual call with a researcher (45 minutes) During this interview, I had the opportunity to talk about my training and strengths. I discussed my dissertation research, focusing on my methodological expertise, along with other projects that show additional methodological skills. Then my interviewer gave me a short exercise where I had to problem solve on my feet. For example, "How would you study X, Y and Z?", and "How would you conduct the same research if you only had 7 days?" Step 2: Virtual Presentation (45 minutes) For this part, I basically an academic job talk geared toward an interdisciplinary audience. Two people watched the talk and asked questions. Virtual call with a researcher with a focus on research skills (30 minutes) The researcher was super nice, and asked me questions about my background. They told me to prepare for the following questions: If you were teaching a class on design research, what three things would you want to make sure students walked away with? How would you decide your methods and account for bias/validity? Virtual call with a researcher with a focus on communication (30 minutes) This interview was with another researcher, who was also friendly. For this interview, they told me to prepare for the following questions: What are some different ways you communicate your work to different audiences? What is an example of a time when your findings were not well received, and how did you progress? How do you give and respond to constructive feedback? Cross-functional interview (30 minutes) I found this interview to be the easiest. This interviewer tried to get to know me as a person and tried to get a sense of why I wanted to work at Airbnb.