I survived 3 months at ByteDance ๐ญ Apparently I enjoy making my life difficult.
Here is everything I learned:
๐ญ. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป
Recruiter reachout > team connection > referral > cold application.
Yes, clicking โApplyโ is somehow the hardest mode.
๐ฎ. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป
Find someone who actually knows you.
They may be able to see your progress, follow up with HR, and help you understand what happened.
This works in both China and the US.
๐ฏ. ๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐
If you work in R&D, 9 PM starts looking suspiciously normal.
๐ฐ. ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฒ๐
๐ถ๐๐
Interns can make around RMB 500/day.
The compensation is real.
So is the exhaustion.
๐ฑ. ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Meetings through dinner.
Legs going numb.
Ordering the most expensive ride home at 9:30 PMโฆ
โฆand still not getting a car.
Peak productivity.
๐ฒ. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ถ๐โ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
If something cannot be done, you still need to bring:
a reason,
an alternative,
and a solution.
No matter how crazy the requirement sounds :)
๐ณ. ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Very exciting.
Until something breaks.
Then suddenly you understand why testing, monitoring, rollback, and ownership exist.
๐ด. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐โฆ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐
You can perform well.
Your manager can like you.
Your team can like you.
But if there is no HCโฆ
Even the CEO probably cannot invent one for you ๐ญ
๐ต. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐
Donโt wait until your final presentation to remember what you did.
Write down the metrics.
Write down the ownership.
Write down the problems you solved.
Your work does not speak for itself nearly as loudly as you think.
๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐-๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ
If your team may not have HC, start networking early.
โEarlyโ does not mean three days before your internship ends.
๐ญ๐ญ. ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ
Jobs disappear.
Teams change.
Headcount changes.
Your career will survive one rejection, one bad project, or one missing return offer.
Your health is much harder to replace.
So yes.
Three months later:
Still alive.
Still building.
Still learning.
And slightly more respectful of sleep. ๐
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