Software Engineer Intern - TikTok Search Architecture team - 2026 Summer (BS/MS)

Responsibilities

Team Introduction
Our Search Engineering Team is responsible for building and owning TikTok's search engine which can provide our users with the best search experience. In TikTok Search Team, you'll have the opportunity to build full-stack search engine system and combine information retrieval technology with modern machine learning methods from related fields such as NLP, CV, and recommender system. We embrace a culture of self-direction, intellectual curiosity, openness, and problem-solving.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Watch your ambitions become reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.

Internships at TikTok aim to provide students with hands-on experience in developing fundamental skills and exploring potential career paths. A vibrant blend of social events and enriching development workshops will be available for you to explore. Here, you will utilize your knowledge in real-world scenarios while laying a strong foundation for personal and professional growth. It runs for 12 weeks.

Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as early as possible. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).

Summer Start Dates:
- May 11th, 2026
- May 18th, 2026
- May 26th, 2026
- June 8th, 2026
- June 22nd, 2026

Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early.

Online Assessment
Candidates who pass resume screening will be invited to participate in TikTok's technical online assessment.

This internship provides students the opportunity to join one of our engineering teams where you will have the opportunity to:
• Build new features that touch hundreds of millions of people around the world.
• Solve unique, large-scale, highly complex technical problems.
• Optimize the search quality to provide TikTok's users the best search experience
• Combine your understanding of product objectives and take full advantage of modern machine learning, LLM, and information retrieval techniques to improve search quality and perception
• Build the core systems and algorithms development including query understanding, result ranking, system reliability, and etc.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: