During my interview for a machine learning engineer position, the experience felt more like an interrogation than a collaborative discussion. The interviewer appeared impatient, rushing through my responses without acknowledging my thought process or asking clarifying questions. When I hit a roadblock on one of the algorithmic problems, they offered no hints or guidance, leaving me to stumble through alone, even as I attempted to explain my reasoning. The atmosphere was tense, and there was no sense of a two-way dialogue; my questions about the company's projects and team were brushed off with curt, generic answers. It felt more like I was being judged on my ability to endure stress rather than on my problem-solving skills or potential to contribute meaningfully to the role. This one-sided interaction left me questioning whether the company valued collaboration and mentorship.
three rounds, each has coding + ml basic + resume related questions
understand all the details in resume is important, since might go very deep down the project you have worked on
The first round was mainly a CV walkthrough.
The second round focused in depth on one specific project.
Both rounds also included LeetCode medium-level problems.
The third round was with the hiring manager with both project and problems for their business.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at TikTok (San Jose, CA) in Mar 2026
Interview
one hour first round tiktok usds phone screen interview. past projects questions, leetcode mid questions, and machine learning, deep learning, large language model questions. And then ask the interviewer questions.
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