Tell HN: Made to Use TikTok in Interview

[quantumwoke]

Kinda shocked by the whole thing. Usual background, looking for a new dev job, first round went well, but then came the take home. Seemed pretty standard at first, a bunch of generic react/typescript stuff, but then I read the description of the final task, which I was told is a new company policy for culture fit:

> To showcase your creativity and self-expression, we invite you to create a TikTok video on a topic of your choice within a time limit of one minute. This task provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your unique personality, ingenuity, and ability to captivate clients

Few friends have had to make videos but this one really took me by surprise. Told them to immediately get lost on principle. Was I being unreasonable? Aren't there privacy concerns for this kind of thing? The way interviews have gradually gotten worse, I just feel powerless, like this sort of stuff is going to be the new standard.

[yummygoat890]

Wow, just when you thought the interview process couldn't get any more cringe-worthy, they throw in a mandatory TikTok video. Because nothing screams "qualified developer" like showcasing your dance moves and lip-syncing skills, right? I can only imagine the level of "culture fit" they're looking for if it's based on how well you can entertain clients in 60 seconds or less. Privacy concerns? Nah, who needs those when you're desperately trying to prove you're a creative genius in the most awkward way possible. Good call on telling them to get lost. Who needs a job when you can become the next viral sensation, am I right?

[quantumwoke]

Not only degrading but most importantly to me a clear violation of my privacy. China doesn't need another developer's personal information.

[latexr]

> Told them to immediately get lost on principle. Was I being unreasonable?

I wouldn’t agree to the request either, but flat out telling to “get lost” may have been abrupt. An alternative would be to politely refuse and ask if that’s a deal breaker.

If you feel so inclined, you could provide a simple reason and offer an alternative: “For privacy reasons I don’t feel comfortable sharing on TikTok. Would it be OK to record the video and send via email?”

Or say that you avoid social networks because you find them to be distracting. Or that you don’t feel comfortable doing that task. Give them whatever reason is true in your case. You had already decided you were willing to pass on that job, so there’s no reason to lie or be coy. But you can be polite and at the same time figure out how flexible they are regarding your needs, which would either raise more red flags or positively surprise you.

[brudgers]

I agree a polite "no" is the way to go.

If they ask, explain politely why.

If they don't ask, let it go.

If they wanted to hear opinions about how the world is broken, they'd have asked.

[p-e-w]

I assume you are aware that you have the most in-demand qualification on the planet, and you don't actually have to submit to degrading hazing rituals in order to land a job. You made the right call in telling them to fuck off.

[christophilus]

Well, there’s a silver lining. You just avoided joining a (probably) terrible workplace. I use these sorts of things to screen out potential employers.

[ThomFox]

This is smart. It could be used to check other TikTok videos by the candidate. Like who would create a new blank TikTok account to upload that video? I'm not saying that the company does it, however I see this as a possibility.

Actually, if that was the case, I'd have an idea. Make a TikTok right during the interview together with the interviewer, saying exactly what you are doing right now and for which company you are interviewing. But don't actually upload that video, only wait for the reaction. Then ask if you may upload that video. If you may not upload it, ask them why. Use their answer as an explanation, why you won't give them your TikTok account.

[yummygoat890]

Ah, yes, the ol' "let's stalk their TikTok account" strategy. Because nothing says "professional hiring process" like digging into someone's personal life and scrutinizing their entire TikTok history. I mean, who in their right mind would create a separate account just for that one forced interview video, right? It's not like people value their privacy or anything. I'm sure the company totally doesn't have the time or inclination to go down that rabbit hole... but hey, it's always nice to keep an eye out for potential future HR stalkers, just in case. Truly a brilliant move, indeed.

[nunez]

Okay, so it's pretty normal for customer-facing dev/dev-adjacent roles (like devrel) to do a presentation showing that you can, indeed, talk to customers competently.

If it was indeed a devrel role, you'll probably be asked to spend a lot of time on the socials since that's (sadly) where the customers are.

But MAKING you upload a tiktok? For a dev role? 1000000% FUCK that.

[helveticar]

I'm kind of old and kind of appalled. As ThomFox said perhaps it is a way to look at your other stuff or perhaps as I suspect it is a way to screen out older people?

How old was the hiring manager?

[quantumwoke]

They were a middle aged woman. She didn’t seem to understand my objections

[defrost]

Good grief.

I'd pull the pin and exit and|or send a video of kittens casing a laser pointer with So Much Drama in the PhD overdubbed.

    I'm PSPACE-complete but I'll reduce you to 3-SAT.
    My crew is so hard that we roll in NP,

[qwertay]

There needs to be some kind of legislation to prevent these privacy abuses. Workers are having their rights continually eroded

[chunk_waffle]

> showcase your creativity and self-expression

> demonstrate your unique personality, ingenuity, and ability to captivate clients

That's what they want in their culture, you obviously aren't looking to join a company with this culture, good thing you found out now before starting.

Worth noting, I hate TikTok and don't use it but I think what they're asking for is not that bad. It's a good way to demonstrate that you fit into their culture: TikTok is just a (sadly popular) medium to test that. If you're totally opposed to TikTok ask if you can just make a one-minute video and submit it to them directly.

That's what I would do, and honestly I would have fun with it. You don't have to do some stupid dance, you just have to make a creative video that's a minute long...

[turtleyacht]

> Told them to immediately get lost on principle.

Thank-you. No, not unreasonable. They could have asked for a plain ol' video recording, or you could refer them to a livestream or conference presentation.

[Gigachad]

Recording videos has been pretty standard for some jobs for a while now. A tiktok is shocking though. Did they mean actually uploaded to tiktok or are they just using the term to refer to a short video?

[quantumwoke]

It was actually a TikTok! On the app and everything

[eiglow_]

Next thing you know, they'll be asking for a TikTok dance routine as part of the final interview. Can't wait to see the Silicon Valley Shuffle becoming a job requirement.

[HanClinto]

Assuming best intent on the part of the interviewer, I suspect that they don't realize the issues with TikTok as a platform, and were just using the phrase "a TikTok" to be synonymous with "a video".

I would probably just upload it to another platform and send them a link. "Here's my TikTok! It's here on Youtube / Vimeo / Google Drive / Dropbox and you can watch it there."

[dalmo3]

> a new company policy for culture fit

You should be glad you were asked that before joining the company.

[tmaly]

If this were for an advocate position or a CTO position, I could see this being a valid test to see if they have good communication/sales.

I personally would have made the video as I find this an interesting challenge.

[l33tbro]

Doesn't everybody choreograph a few moves and motifs before heading into a coding interview?

[throwawayadvsec]

Is the position 100% engineering related?