Multiple interview rounds. Recruiter was great, clear, answered the questions and pleasant. Hiring manager was the opposite. On a video call while driving in a car in China. As expected connection dropped multiple times and it was impossible to have a conversation. It’s clear this company wants Chinese leaders. Look at their leadership teams and recent lawsuits. Racism clearly thrives.
I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at ByteDance in Jan 2020
Interview
Although the turnaround time was fairly quick each time (within a week), the entire process was disorganized and confusing.
They were very secretive about the process to the extent that I didn’t even know what business unit I was applying for becus they refused to share and I never knew who my interviewers were so it was very hard to research or prep for the interviews.
I was told different things by different interviewers in the hiring process. After going through 3-4 rounds, I did not even get to speak to the hiring manager. I was interviewed by people who weren’t even related to the role I applied for and didn’t know what questions to ask or how to assess my abilities for the role.
The last round was the cherry on the cake when the interviewer kept bad mouthing their own company saying how they worked really hard, they’re demanding, no work life balance, and how Chinese culture is difficult to work with. Lol, maybe she was trying to warn me so I take it as a blessing in disguise.
Still, kinda weird but thought I’ll share my experience to anyone who’s interested to join them. Maybe think carefully if this is a place you can thrive in.
I applied online. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at ByteDance (São Paulo, São Paulo) in Feb 2025
Interview
Envio de questionário por email, em inglês, e entrevista com o gestor, em português. Entrevista fácil, mas algumas perguntas estão muito datadas e mal permitem ao candidato de fato demonstrar sua competência. Demora em passar um feedback depois da entrevista.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Apelido de infância, qual o último livro lido, etc.
Had interview at Bytedance Singapore. Interviewer is so inexperienced and rude. He did not introduce himself, and keep asking business proposal for free. When I requested additional information, he just said he wanted to know my ideas. He did not understand my scope and experience, I felt like I was giving training to a newcomer instead of attending an interview. He was transferred from China to SG office recently. Suspect that they already have someone on mind to fit into the role, just run through the process to show that they cannot find candidate here. HR is also inexperienced, he did not turn on the camera during interview and sent out the interview link without putting the title of the interviewer.
