Process
There were two coding rounds and a lot of background questions. There was very strange behaviour from the interviewer, whose camera was off and who asked questions in Mandarin. The LeetCode problem was medium to hard. There was very, very slow communication from the recruiters based in Asia for an English role.
Questions
The problem was to detect a palindrome LeetCode question in Python.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 606 interview experiences for the TikTok Software Engineer role.
Success Rate
6%
Pass Rate
TikTok's interview process for their Software Engineer roles is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive33%
Neutral46%
Negative22%
Candidates reported having good feelings for TikTok's Software Engineer interview process.
TikTok Work Experiences
3.0
Good Projects, Stressful Overtime
Software Engineer • Current Employee
March 1, 2022
Pros: New projects, nice people, good pay.
Cons: Overtime work, stress, and the need to have late meetings with the China team.
5.0
Thriving Company with Great Ambition
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
August 6, 2022
Pros: 1. Great leadership team.
Most top leaders are very modest and humble, eager to learn from other top tech companies, and easy-going.
2. Very engineer-driven culture.
Most top leaders are engineers, so the whole company is managed with an engineer's mindset. More focused on problem-solving rather than playing politics. No ass-kissing.
3. Most employees are self-motivated and have a sense of ownership.
4. Has potential to become a great company like its competitors.
Cons: Lots of things are imperfect in this company, e.g., WLB, language, etc. My observation is that:
1. Things like WLB vary by team; e.g., the WLB in my team is great, with at most 1-2 half-hour meetings after regular working hours (at 7 pm).
2. The management team is serious in resolving most of these complaints, and it is easy to see things are constantly getting better.
As a company born in Asia, this is not easy.
2.0
A company for workaholics
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Sydney, Australia
April 1, 2024
Pros: Projects and works are impactful.
Cons: - Lack of work-life balance.
- Management is terrible.
- 3.0Good Projects, Stressful OvertimeSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMarch 1, 2022Pros: New projects, nice people, good pay.Cons: Overtime work, stress, and the need to have late meetings with the China team.
- 5.0Thriving Company with Great AmbitionSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesAugust 6, 2022Pros: 1. Great leadership team. Most top leaders are very modest and humble, eager to learn from other top tech companies, and easy-going. 2. Very engineer-driven culture. Most top leaders are engineers, so the whole company is managed with an engineer's mindset. More focused on problem-solving rather than playing politics. No ass-kissing. 3. Most employees are self-motivated and have a sense of ownership. 4. Has potential to become a great company like its competitors.Cons: Lots of things are imperfect in this company, e.g., WLB, language, etc. My observation is that: 1. Things like WLB vary by team; e.g., the WLB in my team is great, with at most 1-2 half-hour meetings after regular working hours (at 7 pm). 2. The management team is serious in resolving most of these complaints, and it is easy to see things are constantly getting better. As a company born in Asia, this is not easy.
- 2.0A company for workaholicsSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSydney, AustraliaApril 1, 2024Pros: Projects and works are impactful.Cons: - Lack of work-life balance. - Management is terrible.
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