TLDR; A terrible candidate experience and a tactless HR rep. 2 months after applying I got emailed to start what ended up being a 3 month, 10+ round interview process, first with the hiring manager and then a HR person. It was unclear whether there was any effective screening. There was zero transparency on the process e.g., how many interviews to expect, where you are in the process at any given moment, and what they were looking for or what to expect in each round. Half way through my first loop they decided I was more suitable for another role and moved me across, without telling me. Three interviewers failed to turn up. The rescheduling only happened because I chased people; no one apologized . The first recruiting coordinator was apparently fired because he was ignoring candidates. The second one was more diligent and equally exasperated that a senior interviewer kept failing to turn up. There was also some strange stuff happening about what they were actually looking for. I kept being told it was an IC role (so I downplayed my experience) but then heard afterwards from internal contacts that they were actually looking for an experienced people manager but they never told me that. Within a few days of the last round I got a very poorly written email saying I had to speak to the original HR rep. A week later their HR rep called to reject me and refused to give any feedback. She offered no encouragement and had a very contemptuous attitude. I was confused as to why she wanted to deliver the rejection in a call. Several other friends have had similar experiences with her. Overall it was the most ineffective candidate experience with any tech company I've interviewed with. They try and excuse themselves claiming to have a start up, fast paced culture. But my experience suggests the opposite. Startup doesn't mean ineffective and rude. The interviewers were all decent, engaging people but they all asked very repetitive, soft ball questions. So it was really unclear how they'd be able to evaluate my suitability. Several interviewers also revealed their unhappiness in their roles and the lack of internal mobility. This may just be this part of TikTok as friends elsewhere in the company were just as horrified and embarrassed by my experience.

headhunted by recuriter > set up recruiter screen > submit CV > interview with hiring manager > 3-4 rounds of interviews you can't interview for multiple roles at a time unfortunately relatively fast responses if they are interested in you