At ByteDance, interns are an integral part of our team. They make a real impact on Day 1 by joining a team in one of our global offices and contributing to fast-moving projects that drive our growth. Many of our interns go on to become full-time employees.
To learn more about the transition from intern to full-time employee, we sat down with two members of our Tokyo office, Xinzhi Xu (Business Development) and Suguru Noah Sato (Client Partnerships). Xinzhi, who holds a Masters in Accounting from the University of Tokyo, and Noah, who holds a BA in Applied Linguistics from Sophia University, are both fresh graduates who accepted offers to stay with ByteDance full-time after graduation. We asked them to share what they learned by starting at the company as interns, and what being a ByteDancer means to them now as a full-time employee.
Tell us how you came to work at ByteDance.
Xinzhi: My friend shared the job post with me while I was looking for internships in the tech industry. After doing some research, the success and reputation of ByteDance's products and technology around the world really stood out, so I applied to a number of openings.
Noah: I was actually already using TikTok before my internship. I was fascinated by the types of content and creators I had on my personalized For You page. Like Xinzhi, a friend introduced me to an open position, and I jumped at the chance to work with an app I truly love and believe in!
Noah: I was actually already using TikTok before my internship. I was fascinated by the types of content and creators I had on my personalized For You page. Like Xinzhi, a friend introduced me to an open position, and I jumped at the chance to work with an app I truly love and believe in!
What were the most important lessons from your internship?
Xinzhi: Since Business Development is a team that gets to interact with many different industries, I've learned a lot about how various industries intersect and build on one another. So far, I've learned the most about the music and entertainment industries, but there are many more that I'm excited to dive into in the future.
Noah: Even as an intern, I was given multiple opportunities to give presentations to important clients, which built my confidence with public speaking. I also learned a lot about ByteDance's products by translating media guidebooks each quarter, which in turn helped me drive sales while writing proposals for clients. Doing research and creating advertising proposals tailored to each individual client's needs has been really exciting for me.
Xinzhi: Since Business Development is a team that gets to interact with many different industries, I've learned a lot about how various industries intersect and build on one another. So far, I've learned the most about the music and entertainment industries, but there are many more that I'm excited to dive into in the future.
Noah: Even as an intern, I was given multiple opportunities to give presentations to important clients, which built my confidence with public speaking. I also learned a lot about ByteDance's products by translating media guidebooks each quarter, which in turn helped me drive sales while writing proposals for clients. Doing research and creating advertising proposals tailored to each individual client's needs has been really exciting for me.
What do you think has changed the most since you became a full-timer?
Xinzhi: As I've become more experienced with the style of work here, I've become more skilled at thinking outside the box and getting creative. When I was an intern, I still preferred to receive simple tasks from my manager that I could complete by following certain steps. But now, I've learned to ask myself "what is the 'why' of this project?", or "how can we make it better?" In this sense, my mindset has gradually aligned with our ByteStyle "Aim for the Highest" and has become much more relevant in my daily work.
Noah: In a full time role, I now have my own clients and the scale of my work has expanded well beyond Japan. In collaborating with other teams, I get to learn something new every day and brush up on meaningful skills like time management and sales strategy.
Noah: In a full time role, I now have my own clients and the scale of my work has expanded well beyond Japan. In collaborating with other teams, I get to learn something new every day and brush up on meaningful skills like time management and sales strategy.
What are your goals for the future?
Xinzhi: Given my unique cultural background, I'm looking forward to serving as a "bridge" between Japan and China. I was born in China and have lived in both China and Japan, and I speak the languages of both places. As a China-based company with a scope of business that is truly international, ByteDance is allowing me to make my dreams a reality.
Noah: I'm still growing as a sales representative for ByteDance, so I'm eager to learn more about the art of sales, especially how to improve my presentations and proposals. On a personal level, I'm working to stay positive and set clearer goals for myself, as these habits will benefit my career in the long term. All in all, I just love working with my team and hope I can make greater contributions over time!
Any advice for students looking to intern at ByteDance?
Noah: I'm still growing as a sales representative for ByteDance, so I'm eager to learn more about the art of sales, especially how to improve my presentations and proposals. On a personal level, I'm working to stay positive and set clearer goals for myself, as these habits will benefit my career in the long term. All in all, I just love working with my team and hope I can make greater contributions over time!
Any advice for students looking to intern at ByteDance?
Xinzhi: "Take on challenges with the best people" is a great phrase to describe my experience here at ByteDance. If you show this kind of attitude in your application, you'll definitely stand out as a good fit!
Noah: At ByteDance, interns are trusted with real responsibilities and projects. You'll grow so much more in this environment than you would by doing mundane tasks with PowerPoint somewhere else. So why not take a chance and apply?
Noah: At ByteDance, interns are trusted with real responsibilities and projects. You'll grow so much more in this environment than you would by doing mundane tasks with PowerPoint somewhere else. So why not take a chance and apply?
