Make an impact in HR!

At TikTok, When you're boundless with your thinking, the career possibilities are limitless. When you begin a career in Human Resources (HR), you'll have both the opportunity to make an impact on all the teammates who make TikTok a great place to work and to grow your own career. We spoke with Christine, Lizi, and Sameer about their career journeys with HR.


Tell us about your work at TikTok!

Lizi: My name is Lizi and I'm an Early Careers Lead here at TikTok. In the Early Careers space, I work with a team that focuses on finding candidates for our internship programs, university programs and partnerships. I've been at TikTok for almost 2 years now!

Christine: I'm Christine, and I've been at TikTok for about 3 1/2 years. I'm in Talent Acquisition (TA) for the USDS team, hiring for non-technical roles vital to United States data security. I'm also the co-president of Arise, the employee resource group for Asian and Pacific Islander employees here at TikTok.

Sameer: Hi, I am Sameer Chowdhri, Global HR Leader for E-Commerce Operations based in San Jose, California! My team supports Global E-Commerce businesses across the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia markets. I have been with TikTok nearly 2 1/2 years now.


Describe your career journey. How did you get to your current role?

Lizi: I've had a couple of different roles in my time here. I started off as a Talent Acquisition Partner (TAP) supporting non-technical Early Career hiring (interns, new grads). Then I went on to lead a team of TAPs hiring non-technical early career talent, and recently transitioned to working within the Early Career Programs team.

Christine: When I first joined TikTok, we didn't have a fully built Talent Acquistion team! So our focus in the first year was building out the infrastructure and best practices. When the USDS team was being established and the opportunity to join as a TA Lead came up, I decided to raise my hand to interview. I've been in this role for a month, and I get so excited about how much I will impact the future of the team. It takes me back to those memories of earlier in my career at TikTok.

Sameer: I started my journey at TikTok with Trust & Safety, as the first HR Leader supporting the Americas region. My work involved hiring for and scaling the Human Resources Business Partners (HRBP) and recruiting teams, laying the foundation of ways of working in a very hands-on way. After two years, I transitioned into a new role as Global HR Leader for the E-Commerce operations team.


How has the scope of your role changed throughout your time at TikTok?

Lizi: The only constant at TikTok is change. When I first started on the team, we were brand new to the Americas. We had to build our processes from scratch and design them with the Always Day 1 mentality in mind. Now that we've been operating for a couple of years, we are always challenging ourselves to improve our programs, expand into emerging markets, and refine our strategy.

Christine: My role has never stopped evolving, which is what I love most about working at TikTok. I always tell candidates that while we aren't a title driven company, you will experience more professional growth here than anywhere because you evolve and grow as rapidly as TikTok does!

Sameer: When I started at TikTok, we were a small team. As the business expanded, so did my role. For example, six months after I started, we formed a new Global Risk and Response Operations team that I managed as an HR leader, and then we further expanded Trust & Safety teams across Mexico and Brazil. Across departments, we're invested in building teams that foster an inclusive culture and provide sustainable, long-term career opportunities.


How has your experience in HR at TikTok differed from your previous experiences?

Lizi: Working in HR at TikTok, I have a much larger regional scope. I look to solve big picture challenges, and have much more exposure to other global regions than in previous positions.

Christine: The nice thing about working at TikTok compared to other companies is that there is a lot more opportunities to make real impact. Everyone is open to feedback, so you have the opportunity to take existing policies and procedures and improve upon them. The flat organizational structure is also nice because it allows everyone on the team to get exposure to leadership and shine.

Sameer: The environment at TikTok allows for individuals to be highly empowered in day to day decisions. When experiencing challenges for the first time, we seek input from many different people, so we can learn more and then discuss as a leadership team. This helps us build deeper context, and leverage the collective power of the organization, before we make a final decision. This is very unique to TikTok and something I have personally found extremely fascinating and helpful.


Can you describe what career growth can look like at TikTok? How is career growth at TikTok unique? What resources were most helpful for you as you navigated your career here?

Lizi: It's fast! Since the company is growing at such a fast rate, your potential for grows with it! Leveraging connections with my managers and colleagues has been helpful because they are smart, passionate people with great ideas! A good team that constantly supports you is vital to navigating career growth.

Christine: TikTok is unique because there is no single career path that is pre-set for you. A lot of opportunities come from business needs, as well as what you are interested in. You can advance both vertically or move horizontally to other teams as appropriate. I've had individuals on my team transition to other verticals, or from HR to a completely different function in Global Business or Tech. The opportunities are endless and taking ownership of your career growth is encouraged.

Sameer: At TikTok, career growth is driven by your passion and hard work. We offer opportunities to HR team members to explore roles across Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partner, Organizational Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, and Talent Operations – to name a few! When it comes to growing my own career, I find building a network and connecting with as many people in business and HR as possible was extremely valuable. I got to learn about what different HR teams were building and share best practices with them. This helped me better understand the company, our business, and ultimately perform my job as an HR leader more effectively.


How do you continue to develop your skills? How has your manager or your team empowered you to do so?

Lizi: We have helpful competency models that allow us to continue to develop our skills and have clearer expectations of what it looks like to operate in a higher, more global capacity. My manager often gives me "stretch" assignments to help develop my skills. For example, I had the opportunity to partner with multiple global departments to develop our internship program in Brazil this past year!

Christine: There is no shortage of training available at TikTok! I've taken training in diversity hiring from internal management and global leadership training from external vendors. There are countless resources to challenge me.

Being part of the ARISE board means that I also spend time nurturing new ideas from the community and encouraging members to develop and expand their skillset. This has empowered me to be a leader within the organization. It has also exposed me to working and coordinating with many other teams outside of my day to day TA role too.

Sameer: I identify myself as a lifelong student, so I listen to entrepreneur/leadership podcasts every day, read up with the latest trends in HR, and network with HR colleagues across TikTok to learn from their experiences. We share not only our successes, but our failures and what we learned from them.


What advice would you give someone considering TikTok as an employer?

Lizi: Buckle up! It's a fun, wild ride, full of incredibly rewarding experiences inspiring creativity and bringing joy to the world.

Christine: There is no other company like TikTok. Everything we do here will truly allow you to make an impact.

Sameer: You will have the opportunity to work on products and services that inspire creativity and bring joy. We're looking for smart problem-solvers that work with curiosity, humility, and commitment.


You can grow your own career – and the careers of countless others – when you join the HR team at TikTok. Check out the open positions now!