Go Down Under with TikTok!

Did you know TikTok has offices on six continents? We work without borders, and take a global approach to all we do – and we're currently hiring a multitude of tech roles at our Sydney, Australia office.

We sat down with Natalie Antoniadis, HR Business Partner supporting tech functions across Engineering, Data, Trust & Safety and Quality Assurance roles. She spoke about how TikTok is growing and innovating in Australia, what life at the Sydney office is like, and all the opportunities teammates have to make a real impact on the company, touching the lives of more than one billion users worldwide.

Antoniadis originally studied to be a midwife – "I realized very quickly that was not for me," she laughed – and later switched to a business degree, majoring in finance, picturing herself working at a bank. Then one of her lecturers suggested a career in Human Resources. "They said, 'hey, you're very good at explaining things really concisely, really clearly. Have you thought about HR?'. I took a class in employment law, and absolutely loved it. That led to me to this moment in my career."

She joined TikTok nine months ago because she saw a unique opportunity to lend her years of HR experience to establish and evolve Sydney's tech presence. "We're looking to invest in our people and in tech within the Australian market. We truly believe that our people make us who we are. Whether they're building the platform to support users or working directly with our clients to grow businesses, our people make TikTok what it is."

Those hired for tech positions in Sydney will work on global projects. "It's not every day, in every job, that you get to work on a feature or function that directly impacts that many users," Antoniadis says. She is excited by the work of building a team that will allow local talent to produce something on such a global scale. During the candidate interview process, Antoniadis and her colleagues hope to show off TikTok Sydney's culture.

Natalie giving a talk at a TikTok networking event held recently at the Sydney office.

"We want to be transparent about our values and who we are. It's just as important for the candidate to get to interview us, and make sure we're a good fit for them, as it is for us to make sure their skills and technical capabilities are a good match for TikTok."

Located in Sydney, the Australian TikTok office is known for its amazing modern facilities and the opportunities it affords to create and learn together.

"The Sydney office features all the amenities and technology an office should have to help you bring your best self to work," says Antoniadis. "We don't want to limit the growth of our people, and we don't necessarily want to limit what our people can work on. So creating an office environment where constant conversation and collaboration is facilitated is a must."

The tech teams in Sydney are constantly learning from each other. Antoniadis describes weekly sharing sessions, where a teammate who is experienced in a particular system, or piece of technology shares their learnings with the rest of the group.

"We really aim to ensure knowledge is shared among colleagues, no matter your level of experience or expertise." For example, one of the mobile engineering teams took it upon themselves to build a structured onboarding system to help support new graduates who are coming onto the team. "It's a very robust program for new talent," she says. "It was built by the team, and ensures hires are equipped with all the technical capabilities that are expected of them."

This culture of knowledge-sharing and growing together has impressed Antoniadis since day one. Prior to joining TikTok, she worked for many small-to-medium sized companies. She was initially concerned that transitioning to a global tech company would be a big jump, but she felt supported the whole time. "The advice I would give to anyone who is intimidated by the prospect of joining a large global tech giant is: back yourself. Embrace a growth mindset and volunteer to participate in any and all opportunities that are made available to you. We have some of the smartest minds working collaboratively to bring joy to our people. There's every reason to believe you'll be successful."

This work is driven by our company values that influence our culture and employees. "Being candid and clear is by far my favorite value we embody. There's no fear of voicing your opinions or ideas when maybe they're a little bit different than the status quo. It is welcomed here and it's encouraged. We're very open-minded to new ideas, new ways of working, and because of that you learn and develop at a much more rapid rate than perhaps you would somewhere else."

Interested in landing a role in the Sydney office and experiencing life at TikTok? Explore open roles in tech and beyond here.