>>Almost always, communication is done over email with a recruiter, and the average response time is several hours to a day.
How about trying a different method? Instead of emailing a recruiter (or the company), try calling. This is signaling that you're more serious than someone who's just following up with an email (think of the volume of the candidate pool you're in) and distinguishes yourself. Even better, at the end of the interview you could plant the seed for a follow up, like "It's been great meeting you, blah, blah, blah…I'd like to check in with with you next Tuesday (or whatever) at 10am with a brief phone call, as I've got other positions to consider and I know you've got other candidates…"
>>They then emailed me asking if I’d like to stop by their office for a few hours for an on-site interview. I responded after a couple days…
then later the OP says
>>larger companies, such as Facebook, Amazon, or Apple, are very expedient with scheduling and setting things up, and keeping the loop. This is extremely to their advantage.
Time is of the essence, but I understand you might have been busy. Probably not too busy for a quick follow up email to set up the interview. And, if you don't hear back anyway, be tenacious and call them.
>>A friend told me that I should take the strategy of sending email after email until they give me some sort of response. (“Stop sending us damn emails. We don’t want you.”) I’ve not really done this, but I’ve done more than what I think I am responsible for doing…
Responsible for doing? A different way of thinking about it would be to think about being responsible to yourself, not them. You want the job; are you doing everything you can to get this job? See stuff by Ramit Sethi for interview tips.
How about trying a different method? Instead of emailing a recruiter (or the company), try calling. This is signaling that you're more serious than someone who's just following up with an email (think of the volume of the candidate pool you're in) and distinguishes yourself. Even better, at the end of the interview you could plant the seed for a follow up, like "It's been great meeting you, blah, blah, blah…I'd like to check in with with you next Tuesday (or whatever) at 10am with a brief phone call, as I've got other positions to consider and I know you've got other candidates…"
>>They then emailed me asking if I’d like to stop by their office for a few hours for an on-site interview. I responded after a couple days…
then later the OP says
>>larger companies, such as Facebook, Amazon, or Apple, are very expedient with scheduling and setting things up, and keeping the loop. This is extremely to their advantage.
Time is of the essence, but I understand you might have been busy. Probably not too busy for a quick follow up email to set up the interview. And, if you don't hear back anyway, be tenacious and call them.
>>A friend told me that I should take the strategy of sending email after email until they give me some sort of response. (“Stop sending us damn emails. We don’t want you.”) I’ve not really done this, but I’ve done more than what I think I am responsible for doing…
Responsible for doing? A different way of thinking about it would be to think about being responsible to yourself, not them. You want the job; are you doing everything you can to get this job? See stuff by Ramit Sethi for interview tips.