I was approached by Tik Tok via Linked In and proceeded with a bit of trepidation knowing their reputation, the realities of a satellite office (which i know well) and the late hours. I read all of the reviews on here, which were totally scathing - but like any optimist, i thought MAYBE just MAYBE I would have a different experience. I didn't. To anyone considering interviewing there especially in an international market, really think it through. It's a terrible experience - one that I would normally have shut down very early as a sign of what the company is like to work for, but since its COVID i decided to be a bit more lenient than normal and give it the benefit of the doubt. This was my experience: - Being contacted by a Tik Tok Hiring Manager at the very beginning of April who asked me to send my resume, which I did - Being contacted randomly on Whatsapp by a hiring manager with some instant interview questions 3 weeks later. - Interview put in the very next morning with a peer. Per the other reviews, absolutely no preparation on the role of the person interviewing you. Told straight after I had passed. Interview scheduled for the very next day - again no preparation on the role of this interview. It was a pretty good interview in terms of questions. - I then didn't hear anything for a week, so I reached out and was told the interview went well but there were changes in the team. I was told I would get an update. - A week later I reached out for an update, and 3 days later got told that everything was delayed because of a public holiday. - Another week later, I got a message from a new recruiter who said I had passed the second interview and wanted to schedule the third for the next couple of days. I confirmed a date, got the email and then I was told that suddenly there were changes in the team and the interview was cancelled. - A week later i reached out to see if there was any update, I had no reply. - Another week later, after seeing the job ad posted and re posted a million times I asked for another update and was finally responded to telling me that there were more suitable candidates. The entire time frame of this was 8 weeks to the day. 8 weeks of not knowing where you stand, successfully passing 2 x 2 hour last minute interviews and 8 weeks of seeing the job posted and re posted again. I've spoken to 2 other friends, also contacted who have been interviewed and the completely ghosted by this company. The irony is, they ask you to fill out a satisfaction survey half way through the process (i got 2) despite you not having any idea if you were going to progress. My experience does not sound as terrible as some of the others, as my initial recruiter was helpful at the beginning, and one of my conversations with a team member was interesting - but overall it's an appalling way to treat potential talent who are all happily employed and would be taking a big risk to join the company. In a new expanding market, talent is everything and connections are even more so - so to ruin this so early on with a terrible hiring strategy and experience does not lend Tik Tok with a good future in a media world that's already falling apart in Australia. A quick look at their current team shows a pretty non-descript line up with average experience, so i don't see huge business growth for them in the advertising market once they move out of the 'try phase'. I also find it interesting that as a sweep of terrible hiring reviews come up, there's a big influx of Sydney based employees 'recommending' the company. Very transparent. I feel quite relieved to be out of the hiring process now and feel I have potentially dodged a bullet.

Process: Total of 5 rounds: 1) Potential peer, 2) Reporting Manager, 3) Team Lead, 4) HR, and 5) HR VP. I progressed to the 4th stage. Interview was conducted in English. Experience: Rounds 1–3 were standard and focused on role-specific responsibilities and relevant experience. Round 4 with HR was straightforward, covering salary expectations, notice period, and a check on Chinese language proficiency for regional stakeholder management. Outcome: While I was informed a final interview with the HR VP would follow, it was never scheduled.