TikTok

What made you decide to join TikTok?

As someone who's passionate about creating an impact on a global level, TikTok presented itself as an ideal workplace for me. The platform's reach extends to over 1 billion users worldwide, presenting a unique opportunity to contribute to a massive and diverse audience. TikTok's also the perfect place to collaborate alongside some incredibly talented professionals, which means I have the opportunity to grow and develop my skills in new and exciting ways.

Share some insight into your current role at TikTok:

I am part of the Business Integrity team at TikTok. Our mission is all about building trusted and safe connections between people, business, and TikTok. Specifically, my role is focused on developing machine learning models to predict and mitigate potential risks to TikTok's monetization platform. It's an exciting challenge because we're talking about the models for understanding all aspects of content, including text, images, and audio. From designing the system to building and deploying the models, each member oversees every step of the process to make sure their models run smoothly. We're always on the front lines of making TikTok's monetization platform the safest it can be through machine learning.

What does your day at TikTok look like?

At TikTok, we have pretty flexible working hours. One thing that's cool about our team is that we have members based in several locations, not just in Singapore. We use messaging as the main communication channel, so the first thing I do is check important messages and system alerts. Then, I dive into my development work, which could involve anything such as data collection, data analysis, model training, service deployment, and maintenance. At lunch, I enjoy a (free!) meal with my colleagues, and sometimes I even take a quick power nap to recharge. Each week, we have a team meeting to share progress and plan for the week ahead. We also have a weekly paper reading session where we upskill our technical knowledge.

What do you love most about your job?

What I love most about my job is the challenging nature of the problems we tackle on a daily basis. As part of a team that's dedicated to developing state-of-the-art machine learning models that can detect potential risks in monetization platforms, we're constantly pushing ourselves to stay one step ahead of the curve. Our work is constantly evolving as risks become increasingly complex over time. I find it incredibly rewarding to collaborate with a team of experts from various fields and constantly apply cutting-edge techniques to address these challenges.

What is your favourite part about the culture at TikTok?

My favourite aspect of TikTok's culture is the emphasis on "Grow Together," a key value that promotes collaboration, continuous learning, pushing boundaries, and mutual growth. This culture is supported by a wealth of knowledge sharing opportunities, including lectures, meetings, and documentation. Whenever I encounter obstacles, I can quickly seek help from colleagues both within and outside of my team, which fosters a supportive and collaborative work environment.

How does TikTok support your career growth and aspiration?

We offer mentorship programs that pair new joiners with experienced members who can provide guidance and support. The program is designed to support employees to develop new skills, expand their networks, and gain exposure to different areas of the company. Additionally, we host several seminars, lectures, and paper reading sessions to share and discuss cutting-edge machine learning which provides  us with opportunities to stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends and advancements.

What tips do you have for prospective graduates who are in the process of submitting their application or even going through the interview process.

My first tip would be not to hesitate to apply for a position even if you don't meet all the requirements listed in the job description, especially for early-career roles. You can demonstrate your potential to bridge any gaps in your skills or experience. From a technical standpoint, I recommend taking time to review the fundamental theories behind the machine learning techniques you have been using. While high-level libraries simplify the process of developing machine learning models, it is essential to understand how they work to efficiently diagnose and address issues in a real-world environment. Having a solid understanding of the underlying principles will aid in diagnosing and resolving complex problems.

Why Join TikTok?

You'll have the opportunity to learn and work alongside talented and experienced people. You'll gain insight into how we've created a product that's loved by over 1 billion users worldwide and is consistently shaping the social media landscape.