About the role#
The Search team builds systems that help users find relevant and engaging content on TikTok. This role focuses on search retrieval, ranking, recommendation signals, and infrastructure. You will work with large-scale machine learning and distributed systems to improve search quality for our global user base.
What you'll do#
- Design, implement, and test search features and tools with guidance from mentors.
- Analyze large-scale data, logs, and metrics to understand user behavior and improve system quality.
- Partner with engineering, product, and data science teams to define requirements and hit project milestones.
- Write clear, maintainable code and keep documentation updated for your work.
- Share progress, risks, and findings with stakeholders throughout the term.
What you'll need#
- You are completing or have recently completed a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Development, or a related field.
- You can commit to 12 weeks of full-time work.
- You have strong coding skills and a solid grasp of algorithms and data structures.
- You have experience in areas like NLP, ranking, search engines, recommender systems, or distributed systems.
- You are comfortable using data to investigate system or user problems.
- You have experience with databases, data pipelines, or large-scale backend services.
- You communicate technical ideas clearly and work well in teams.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California.
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment: Full-time internship.
- Hiring process: Rolling basis.
About TikTok
TikTok operates as an entertainment provider. The company maintains a global presence with offices in cities including Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, London, and Tokyo. It employs over 92,000 people. The organization is privately held.
How to get in at TikTok
Landing an internship at TikTok requires speed because early applicants often get seen before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you can apply among the first. This gives you a better chance of your resume being reviewed while the team is still actively filling the position. You should aim to be one of the first people to submit your materials. Reaching out to the right person can also improve your chances of getting a response. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the role or a referral. This direct approach often works better than waiting for a response from a general application queue.
