TikTok interviewed in October, finished in November, got the offer but not planning to go.
HR efficiency is low, interview scheduling is not automated, all done through back-and-forth emails with HR, average response time >= two days.
Interviewers are very nice, all Chinese, no basic knowledge, LeetCode medium variation questions, 45 minutes for two questions or one question + follow-up.
The salary offered is very low, more than three thousand less pre-tax compared to big companies/mid-sized companies, and more than two thousand less in hand, specific data can be found on levels.fyi. Initially thought I misread it, because HR said it was comparable, later realized it was HR’s overly confident response.
Interviewer mentioned having meetings with China at night, meetings ending between 8-10 pm, a bit concerned about work-life balance.
ByteDance’s valuation in the primary market has plummeted drastically, now less than 400 billion, not joining in on this hype, feels like wasting the rapport built with HR.
Inner thoughts: Really don’t know what kind of intern can be recruited with such a salary, maybe only go because there are no other options.