TikTok is currently the top social media app for gen Z, with higher organic reach than any other social app on the app store. It is rapidly hiring for its teams in the United States, which includes Mountain View, Los Angeles, and New York. Month by month, millennials and now older folks have even joined in on the fun. Some may perceive the content created on TikTok to be "cringe", but one cannot argue with the viral numbers the app is posting day after day.

With TikTok, users can post 15 to 60 second videos. The app's easy to use video editor allows creators to apply filters and effects, many of which go viral on the app week after week. There is also the option to use the audio from an existing TikTok, which many content creators use to hop on trends in hopes of acquiring more views. Essentially, this allows creators to "remix" and reuse audio from others, like a meme template, and record their own video over it.

The biggest contributor to TikTok's viral success is its algorithm, whose power is displayed on the "For You Page" also known as the FYP. In fact, the majority of the work in TikTok is around building and improving this algorithm and the FYP. While some claim to know how to get on others' For You Page (no, the secret is not to use the hashtag #fyp in your TikTok video description) in reality no one really knows. A variety of factors go into it such as view time, interactions (likes and comments), and perhaps even interests that TikTok thinks you have and your geo-location.

Product manager interviews at TikTok focus on one's understanding of content creation, user behavior, and machine learning (such as how the FYP may work).

Interview Stages

The TikTok PM interview may vary from position to position as the company standardizes its U.S. hiring practices. The following is the experience of one product manager whom we spoke with. Each interview was one hour in length. The candidate heard back, on average, within one week.

Recruiter (optional)

Your first phone interview may be with a recruiter. In this call, be prepared to talk about your past experiences (both from work and side projects) and practice communicating clearly.

You may be asked why you want to work at TikTok and your expectations for the role. The recruiter will also want to hear how familiar you are with the TikTok app.

Phone

After the initial recruiter call, you may have up to 6 phone interviews with product managers of varying levels (PM, Head of PM, GM, VP).

In these phone interviews with product managers, you will be asked product design, analytical, and strategy questions. Most of these questions are likely to be centered around TikTok. Examples of such questions can be found on the next page.

As an example:

• Why do more users view videos rather than post?
• How would you get users to upload more videos?
• What are the differences between user-generated content vs professionally made content?
• Design a new UI for TikTok to improve a key metric.
• Discuss some of the different ways TikTok can acquire new users.
• How do you work with engineers?

You may also be asked to elaborate on some of your work experience in these interviews with PMs.

Each subsequent phone interview was with a more senior PM, culminating with the interview with a VP level product person.

On-Site

Traditionally, product management interviews have a final on-site round where the candidate travels to the office to meet and interview with the team. However, the candidate we spoke with was offered a position after the phone interviews.

As Exponent gathers more data points on others' experiences interviewing for a PM role at TikTok, we will update this guide. If you have an experience you would like to share, we'd love to hear from you! Send a message to [email protected].

Hiring Decision

From speaking with a TikTok PM, it seems like TikTok values PMs with a good understanding of the following topics:

• Recommendation systems (eg. For You Page)
• Viewer and creator user behavior
• User acquisition strategies
• Content creation strategies
• Experience with consumer facing products
• Experience with user-generated platforms Note that some of your interviews may be with product managers whose native language is not English. If you face someone who clearly is not a native English speaker, take extra care to speak slowly and communicate clearly.

Also, TikTok values data science a lot. Exponent's data science interview course has good material to help you become more well-versed when dealing with data and analytics.

Tips and Strategies

Remember that you may work with folks from Asia in your day to day role. So even in your interview, you may face some communication barriers. The level of English of your interviewer will depend based on whom you're speaking with. If this is the case, make sure you understand the question completely before answering. Be polite and patient. Ask clarification questions as needed before jumping in if you are unsure at all about the question.

While not all PMs are expected to be experts with using the TikTok app, it is in your best interest to download and try out the app. Flip through the FYP and understand the experience from the viewer's perspective. What are the mechanical steps needed to view some videos. How does TikTok help replicate meme culture? Then try your hand at making some content. Talk to friends who use TikTok. What are some of their struggles on the app? It is likely that these pain points are the same issues many others face when using the app.

It may also be useful to brush up on your knowledge of machine learning and recommendation systems. This Crash Course on AI may be useful.