Process
The interview process involved three rounds. The first was with HR, and the second and third were with technical recruiters.
I was asked not only to code but also a lot of operating system questions.
Among these two recruiters, one was good, and the other was bad. He mentioned he had only been with the company for about three months and seemed disengaged. During the interview, he constantly checked his email and phone, and even left the meeting while I was writing code, stating he had to reconnect his internet.
Questions
OS fundamental questions
Algorithms and LeetCode problems
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 411 interview experiences for the TikTok Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
TikTok's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for TikTok's Software Engineer interview process in United States.
TikTok Work Experiences
- 3.0A good place to growSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesMarch 26, 2024Pros: A good place to grow.Cons: No work-life balance and no pay raise.
- 4.0reviewSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesMarch 8, 2025Pros: Good pay, collaborative work environment.Cons: Long hours; most colleagues are Chinese.
- 1.0Horrible company with fake cultureSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesAugust 3, 2023Pros: The CEO is the main pro. Otherwise, the benefits and offerings on campus are not even comparable to what other large companies in tech provide. The best perk is their fitness allowance, I guess. WLB is pretty good too because you don't really need to work, as the company is overhiring.Cons: If you don't speak Mandarin, you're at a heavy disadvantage. 95%+ of the company is Chinese, so you'll have to get used to being in meetings where only Chinese is spoken and seeing the language spoken in the office and all your chat threads. Also, it's very obvious that everyone at the company is forced to do what satisfies HQ (aka "China Team").
TikTok Interview Questions
