Backend Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Jose, California
Process
Phone screen with recruiter, followed by two technical interviews on HackerRank. There were some delays in the interviews when the engineer did not show up, but the process was smooth after that. The questions were LeetCode medium type.
Questions
Recent projects:
- Interview 2: Left-align an array of strings within a certain width.
- Interview 1: Don't remember.
It seemed like they had more questions, but it took me some time to answer them, so they skipped them.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 4 interview experiences for the TikTok Backend Software Engineer role in San Jose, California.
Success Rate
TikTok's interview process for their Backend Software Engineer roles in San Jose, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for TikTok's Backend Software Engineer interview process in San Jose, California.
TikTok Work Experiences
- 3.0Bad work-life balance, kind colleague.Backend Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesJanuary 16, 2025Pros: Colleagues are talented. Compensations are competitive. Good free canteen for weekdays.Cons: Bad work-life balance, often needs to meet in the evening. Bad documentation. In the risk of being banned.
- 2.0Learn Lots, Brutal On-callBackend Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSingapore, SingaporeOctober 21, 2025Pros: A lot of work, a lot of ownership. You will definitely learn a lot.Cons: High-paced, brutal on-call. If you don't know Chinese, you have no career progression.
- 5.0Great Office, No ConsBackend Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSingapore, SingaporeJune 29, 2025Pros: Nice office with good food.Cons: Not much con so far.
TikTok Interview Questions
