Twitter Careers: Everything You Need to Know

Twitter was founded in 2006 as a platform where people care can create and share ideas freely with others. The American social networking and online news service have its headquarters located in San Francisco, CA.  Users on the platform can post and interact with short messages, which are known as tweets. With more than 25 offices around the world, Twitter offers a wide range of employment opportunities to potential candidates.

In terms of size, Twitter’s workforce comprises 1001 to 5,000 employees. People working for the company enjoy different benefits, including the H1b sponsorship policy and the work from home & back to office policies. The salary range is from $85,000 to $430,000 a year, with RSU and stock Twitter company page on Blind. The company is rated 4.0 in employability, with the highest work-life balance, company culture, and compensation.

Twitter Interview Process

Twitter has not definite hiring seasons but recruits all year round. Like other tech giants, the company is always hiring at all its locations. Among the top locations to work for include New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Seattle. You can also work in any other country the company has an office depending on the role applied.The steps are slightly different regarding the interview process, depending on the position and level.  Here are some insights from verified professionals on Blind:

Twitter Director Position interview process shared on Blind:

1. Recruiter video interview – Takes about 45 minutes under a panel of 2 interviewers
2. Scoping Call – Conducted via video call with a director and lasts for 45 minutes
3. Onsite interview – Conducted on the site with 5 people
4. Case presentation round
5. Final call with VP or super high-level boss (Twitter Director interview process)

Junior tech position:

You will go through two phone screens. First, a PM will conduct a behavioral assessment around your past projects, weaknesses, the most significant achievements, and how you handle conflicts. Second, the engineering director will conduct a behavioral assessment focused on how you were handling trade-offs, a brief tech explanation of the products you have worked on, and the most interesting tech challenges. Once you pass both screenings, you are in a better position of being employed.

Product Manager Position:

A look into the position of a product manager at Twitter can help demonstrate how the hiring process takes place. A project manager (PM) at Twitter is referred to as a “Tweep” and is responsible for shaping how people discover and consume information. The person holding this position collaborates with engineering, design, and user research teams in solving high-impact customers’ issues. So the communication skill will be evaluated during the Twitter interview to ensure that the work at every stage aligns with Twitter’s values around health, security, and privacy. The position is favorable for individuals who value work-life balance.

In general, for you to qualify as a tweep, you are required to have a solid product background, a passion for algorithms, and a thorough understanding of engineering concepts. Although you are not required to have a technical background in CS degree, Twitter runs a program for recent graduates lacking the experience needed to become qualified PMs. You may take an internship and get to grow your skills for this position. Whichever route you decide to take, make sure you have prepared adequately for the interview and the possible questions to be asked.

How to Prepare for the Interviews

When preparing for an interview at Twitter, you need to understand the company’s hiring policy and what to expect. Some of the policies unique to Twitter include:

1. Diversity Hiring – Twitter has a diversity hiring policy, which means they consider diverse candidates before hiring. Although some of the parts may be accelerated, you might wait until all candidates have been considered.
2. Behavior – The mission of Twitter is to give everyone the power to create and share information and ideas instantly without barriers. You will be expected to behave in a manner that demonstrates you are in support of this mission.
3. Top Grading – Twitter utilized a top grading approach when hiring new employees. The process involves going over candidates’ resumes from top to bottom, asking questions about each job. The purpose is to check the BS ability of the candidate before being hired. The questions will usually be centered around behavior, particularly repeatable mistakes. Therefore, make sure you can prove that you can prevent similar issues from happening in the future.

Interview Preparation Tips found on Blind

The exact requirements for a job at Twitter depend on the role you are interested in. Although the company is looking for individuals with a proven record of success in specific niches, knowing what to expect will help you prepare better for the interview. The interview process will take the standard approach used by digital companies; lookout for the following:

1. 1. Being asked Leetcode hard questions is a red flag.

Although not a standard, you may encounter hard questions during the interview. While this is a poor approach by interviewers, the question can make you fail the interview. On the one hand, it may be because you do not understand the concepts being asked. On the other hand, you probably did not meet their expectations. Therefore, adequate preparations are key. (Twitter phone interview)

1. 2. Easy Algorithm Questions Test Your Ability to Identify Edge Cases

Algorithm questions can be easy and allow you to demonstrate your capabilities. An exploratory system design is used where the interviewer defines a problem. You are then expected to base your answer on the issue, and the interviewer utilizes your answers to dig deeper. The more they dig into your proposed solution, the close they get to determine whether you are fit for the position(Twitter Interview Prep).

1. 3. PM Candidates Get Leetcode Style Coding Questions

If you are applying for a PM position, you should expect some Leetcode style coding questions even if you are not from Leetcode. The questions often arise for those applying for roles that are medium-level difficult. Nonetheless, you should be fully prepared and acquit yourself with the relevant knowledge (Twitter Interview).

1. 4. Be good at System Design

As far as interviews at Twitter are concerned, you can find them to be the easiest or the most difficult. Essentially, the interview will be hard if you are bad at system design but good at algorithms. On the other hand, you will find the interview easy if you are good at system design, even if you are poor at algorithms (Twitter staff interview prep).

1. 5. Impact of Other Voices like DS Org

Twitter is an excellent product for DS work, which can be advantageous during the interview. For instance, senior hires can make their own teams and projects that have a lot of flexibility. This means that they can use DS Org to their advantage and sail through the interview. On the contrary, junior candidates are disadvantaged by DS org due to a lack of flexibility and experience. They will have a difficult time proving themselves during the interview process(Data Science onsite interview at Twitter).

1. 6. Beware of Organizational Culture

One of the major causes of issues at Twitter is organizational culture. As much as the company has completed multiple projects over the years, team members have been left as disjoint components. The culture is also likely to be evident during the interview process. If your values and interests do not align with the current culture, passing the interview will be a bigger challenge(.

Team Matching Process in Twitter

Team matching in Twitter is quite inefficient. Considering the customer is internal, one would expect to find a dynamic instrumentation team. However, the case is different, and team matching at Twitter is a challenge, especially when responding to customer concerns. Customers have occasionally complained of not getting any responses or help whenever they raise an issue. It usually takes time for the team to give feedback to the customer, and in most cases, the reactions are not given. In terms of careers, this may also mean you will have a hard time finding help when applying for a job at the company(Best teams@Twitter).

Twitter Salary

Despite the issues of team matching and culture, salary and compensation at Twitter are pretty attractive. As stated earlier in the article, the salary for employees at Twitter ranges from $85,000 to $430,000 annually. On average, the company pays its employees between $80,000 and $172,000 a year. Some of the job titles attracting a higher salary include software engineers, reliability engineers, engineering managers, application software developers, and data scientists. A simple breakdown of the salary and the positions is as follows:

1. Market research manager: $90,000 – $181,000
2. Senior software engineer: $106,000 – $203,000
3. Product Manager: $85,000 – $155,000
4. Program Manager, IT: $86,000 – $158,000
5. Machine Learning Engineer: $87,000 – $172,000
6. Product Marketing Director: $142,000 – $231,000

Although the salary variations at Twitter are extensive, the company pays all its employees fairly. Being employed by the company means you will have to undergo their hiring process and demonstrate you are qualified enough to work for Twitter. The entire hiring process at Twitter usually takes 2-4 weeks from start to finish. Since the criteria differ for different positions, you can increase your chances of being selected by preparing enough.

Twitter Career Conclusion

Starting a career at Twitter is pretty much the same as the other giant tech companies. The hiring process differs depending on the position and level you are applying. You will go through several phone screening and onsite interviews before being hired.

Check out Blind Blogs about other companies’ career:

Facebook Careers: What You Need to Know

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Apple Careers: What You Need to Know

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