Internships provide an avenue to gain valuable work skills, experience, and professional networking opportunities for career development. It offers a platform for students to gain technical expertise that will set them apart in the labor market.
Internship positions can also lead to full-time jobs. A study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed that about 70 percent of employers employed their interns as full-time employees. This guide includes career-related information to help you improve your chances of landing an internship at Airbnb.
What Is Airbnb? A Brief Airbnb Background
Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects people who need accommodation in a particular area with people who want to rent out their home space. It was launched in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia. After a trial experience, they expanded on their idea and converted it into a business.
Currently, Airbnb operates in over 100,000 cities and 220 countries. Airbnb runs on a peer-to-peer business model. This means that any host or traveler can create an Airbnb account to list and rent their space anywhere in the world
Airbnb Internships: General Overview
Airbnb offers different types of internships to students of all backgrounds across a wide range of disciplines such as computer science, management, and design.
Students interested in a career in management can find internship positions in the operations department, quality analysis department, and sales and marketing department. There are also design internships, experience design internships, data analysis internships, and software engineering internships.
What Does an Airbnb Intern Do?
Internship programs at Airbnb last for 12 weeks. During that period, students work on a team where they demonstrate their talents on challenging projects to develop new features on Airbnb services and improve the infrastructure of business operations.
From the first day, interns learn the core values of Airbnb, which are: Champion the mission, be a serial entrepreneur, and embrace the adventure. Interns practice these core values in their daily activities as they work on projects that positively impact the economy and improve Airbnb.
Airbnb Internship Reviews: What Is the Experience Like?
A survey from over 1,890 reviews on Glassdoor showed that Airbnb is a great place to intern. Airbnb received a five out of five rating with hardly any negative reviews. Most of the reviewers report that Airbnb offers an incredible learning experience with good perks, strong IT infrastructure, and a positive working environment.
“Incredible internship experience”, “great company”, “great internship”, “awesome place to intern”, and “amazing manager” are some of the words that have been used by former interns to describe Airbnb internship programs. You can safely say that Airbnb internship programs are worth it.
Is It Hard to Get an Internship at Airbnb?
Yes, it can be difficult to get an internship at Airbnb. The company has a long hiring process involving two field-specific and one HR interview. Engineering interns have to take an additional coding test and a 60-minute Hackerrank challenge to evaluate their technical knowledge.
Airbnb internship interviews are rated three out of five on Glassdoor’s difficulty scale. Most candidates had an overall positive interview experience.
Airbnb Intern Salaries: How Much Does an Airbnb Internship Pay?
According to Glassdoor, Airbnb internships pay between $26 and $52 per hour. The rate depends on the department, job description, and working hours. Software engineering interns and data analysis earn more on the high side than interns in other departments.
How to Apply for an Airbnb Internship: A Step-by-Step Guide
Interested in landing an internship role at Airbnb? Here are a few steps to guide you through the internship application process.
Step 1: Apply Online
This first stage is completing an online application on the Airbnb university application page. There are typically several internship openings at any given time. It is up to you to choose the one that best fits your career goals.
Airbnb recruiters are often present at career fairs on university campuses. Interested students can talk to recruiters who can guide them through the application stage.
Step 2: Employee Referral
This is not compulsory, but having an employee referral can help you skip from the initial resume screening stage to the interview stage. You should try to connect with Airbnb employees through LinkedIn and ask for referrals.
Step 3: Submit Your Resume and Cover Letter
Create a strong resume and cover letter for your application. It is crucial that you write a letter that demonstrates how Airbnb’s core values align with your personality and your career goals. You should also state what you want to gain with the internship and why you are the best candidate for the position.
How to Get an Internship at Airbnb: Internship Opportunities in 2022
Airbnb internships can help you convert theoretical knowledge into practical skills and learn how the industry works. Students benefit from an amazing work environment that provides all the support and mentorship one needs to accelerate their career growth. Below we’ve listed some of the summer internship opportunities available in 2022.
Business Operations Intern
- Location: Germany, UK (Remote)
- Eligibility Requirements: Currently in the last year of a Master’s Degree in Business Informatics, Information Systems, or Business Administration
- Skill Requirements: Proficiency in SQL, Microsoft Excel, and Tableau
- Length: Six months
- Start Date: Summer 2022
A business operation intern will need strong database management skills. The intern will work in a fast-paced environment and learn the business dynamics of the UK and German markets while focusing on business development opportunities and data analytics.
This internship position is fully remote. However, the candidate must be located in London or Berlin to be qualified for the job role.
Legal Intern
- Location: San Francisco (Remote)
- Eligibility Requirements: First-year law student at a nationally accredited law school
- Skill Requirements: Strong academic credentials and excellent communication skills
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: May 23, 2022
The legal intern will gain experience in policy and laws around the world. They will work with team members on a wide range of legal functions such as marketing, litigation, privacy, employment, regulatory policy, and intellectual policy. They will also collaborate with other team members on projects.
This internship position comes with various benefits such as a work laptop, health insurance, employee travel coupons, and admission to tech events. The position is remote, so applications will be accepted from students living anywhere in the US.
Tax Legal Intern
- Location: San Francisco (Remote)
- Eligibility Requirements: First-year law students in a nationally accredited law school
- Skill Requirements: Strong academic credentials and excellent communication skills
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: May 23, 2022
The tax legal intern will assist the Airbnb legal department to perform tax functions such as tax planning, tax policy, tax support of new business initiatives, and indirect taxes. They’ll also work on critical projects and join virtual meetings with stakeholders.
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting an Airbnb Internship
Airbnb receives over 15,000 job applications every month. As a result, it can be difficult to stand out from the sea of applicants and subsequently get an invitation to an interview. Even then, the interview process is long and rigorous and split into a series of stages to find the best candidate for the position. Here are a few tips to improve your chances of getting an Airbnb internship.
Create a Cover Letter That Demonstrates Airbnb’s Core Values
Airbnb places very high importance on its core values. Candidates that have submitted applications that align with the company culture and core values of Airbnb have a higher chance of getting invited to an interview. The interview section also includes a behavioral section that checks if the candidate possesses personality traits and behavior that fits the ethics of Airbnb.
Create a Resume That Effectively Highlights Your Skills and Expertise
Along with your cover letter, your resume demonstrates your skills, expertise, and compatibility with the job role. You should also create an effective internship cover letter and resume tailored to fit the internship you’re applying for. Use your resume to show the hiring manager that you can effectively perform the duties of the job. A well-written resume will help you score an interview.
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Prepare for the Interview
After getting an invitation for the interview, you should still take your time to prepare for questions you may be asked. Go to the Airbnb website and read up on anything that could give you a deeper insight into how the company works. It is crucial to show that you are interested in the company’s initiatives, what they do, the company’s strengths, and its missions.
You should also go online to research potential Airbnb interview questions. Doing this can give you an idea of what to expect in the interview.
Should I Apply for an Internship at Airbnb?
Yes, you should. Airbnb is a great place to gain experience, technical skills, and industry exposure. All reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed show that Airbnb internship programs deliver an engaging platform for career growth and development.
Airbnb Internships FAQ
Yes, there are summer internships available in various departments for undergraduate students at Airbnb. Interested students should send in their applications before the application deadline. The application process takes around three to four weeks before successful candidates are invited for an interview.
The Airbnb interview process for interns is a bit longer than other tech companies. You’ll first have to pass a phone call test first. If you pass this stage, you will be invited for an interview that involves two field-specific interviews and a behavioral or company culture interview. Software engineering interns also have a coding interview.
Some of the questions you should expect at your Airbnb internship interview are:
Why do you want to work at Airbnb?
What inspires you?
Can you work as part of a team?
What is your superpower?
What kind of questions do you ask concerning your work?
If you had to pick a present for somebody, what would that be?
How would you explain Airbnb to your grandparents?
What are your expectations at Airbnb?
What do you like the most about Airbnb?
Airbnb typically posts its internship openings as early as four months before the internship program starts. During this period, interviewers receive applications and screen candidates to find the best person for the job role.
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