One popular path to a YouTube career is to learn video editing and videography and become an independent YouTube video production professional, a YouTuber. But YouTube also hires a ton of tech-savvy people researching how to get a job at YouTube to help make sure the platform is always up and running.
These employees help YouTube keep pace with the increasing number of users, and keep those advertising dollars rolling in. YouTube careers are available to anyone willing to learn what it takes to work with them behind the scenes.
In this article, we’ll take you through the fundamentals of working at YouTube. We will discuss required qualifications, job titles, and salaries. And most importantly, we fill you in on how to correctly apply for these positions.
YouTube: Company Background
YouTube is an American tech company and online video sharing platform. Its headquarters are in San Bruno, California. The company was created in 2005 by former PayPal employees Steve Chen, Jawed Karim, and Chad Hurley.
Chen, Karim, and Hurley originally envisioned YouTube as a dating website. The dating aspect never caught on, but the video-sharing feature of the platform certainly did. They soon realized the need for a service that enabled users to upload not just dating videos, but whatever they wanted, to the Internet for public consumption.
YouTube allows users to upload videos, view them, rate them, share them, like or comment on them, report them, and subscribe to other users’ YouTube channels. Corporate media and small content creators all use this platform.
In November 2006, Google acquired YouTube for a whopping $1.65 billion, making it Google’s second-largest acquisition. This set the stage for YouTube to become a global media giant and a billion-dollar business. YouTube now operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries.
By 2017, users were uploading videos to YouTube at the rate of 400 hours of content per minute. Each day, users stream over one billion hours of content on the platform. Free and open-sourced since its inception, YouTube mostly earns revenue through advertisements and marketing, though it has recently ventured into TV and monthly subscription plans.
What’s It Like to Work at YouTube?
Working at YouTube comes with several perks and challenges. Most jobs are very demanding and have a high daily workload. In general, though, working at YouTube will offer you a great amount of flexibility and opportunities for improvement. Judging by reviews left by both current employees and former employees, it is a very rewarding place to work.
Inclusive but Demanding Work Environment
As a full-time employee at YouTube, you get to work in a very supportive and innovative work environment. YouTube promotes a very diverse and accepting work culture.
Full-time YouTube workers are expected to be professional at all times. Your performance level is constantly monitored and you are expected to have great professional skills, soft skills, and IT skills.
Opportunities to Work with the Best Technology
Employees at YouTube work with cutting-edge technologies of all kinds. It’s not just new videography tools, but also data analysis and administrative tools. YouTube provides its employees with the space they need to use the technology in innovative and creative ways.
At YouTube, you can expect to work with the latest tools in engineering, business technology, product design, and data science.
Career Growth
It doesn’t get better than working for a mega-company like YouTube. You can expect to work within and across departments on collaborative and inclusive projects. Everyone gets the opportunity to contribute to the overall growth of the company. If you ever decide you want to work elsewhere, you will be equipped with the best industry skills.
Getting a Job at YouTube
YouTube’s wide array of job roles cater to candidates of diverse qualifications and experience. Some jobs require a master’s degree in computer science or math. If you don’t think a master’s degree is worth it, you can qualify for certain jobs by taking management courses or data science courses, or by learning UX/UI design.
YouTube follows the same hiring process as Google, and Google is known for its creative application process. So, to get a job at YouTube, you need to be prepared to face many unique assessments and tough interview questions.
How Hard Is It to Land a Job at YouTube?
Just as you’d expect, there is huge competition for available jobs at YouTube. So getting a job at this company is extremely hard. But with the right application and qualifications, you’ll just be one step away from landing the job.
Although having the right qualifications and skills matter the most, YouTube focuses a lot on your general attitude. The company gauges your willingness to work on a team and your innovative skills. You are also tested on your analytical and problem-solving skills. Part of the application process involves taking YouTube’s notorious aptitude tests. You can find ample practice questions online.
If you pass the tests, you can expect to be invited for an interview. But make sure to go into the interview well prepared. Although it is extremely difficult to get hired at YouTube, it isn’t impossible. So do your best to meet all their job requirements and more.
Applying for a Job at YouTube
To apply for a job at YouTube, you must first know the position that your skill set matches the most. Read the job listing thoroughly to understand the role, then carefully look over the minimum qualifications. Use these to guide yourself through your application process, and try to frame your qualifications according to the company’s goals.
Avoid using a generic application template. Focus on the position you want, and tailor your application to match it. If there are any qualifications or experiences you don’t have, you should try to achieve them before applying. Moreover, don’t forget to include your portfolio, as some skills are better showcased than written about.
Remember that YouTube only hires the best candidates, so do everything you can to make your application stand out. Since YouTube values creativity, feel free to get creative with your resume and cover letter.
YouTube Application and Interview Process
To begin YouTube’s application process you must be aware of the best job openings. You can do this by constantly checking YouTube’s careers page. You can also sign up for career websites like Glassdoor and Indeed. It is crucial to be aware of all the opportunities.
You can then start the application process for your desired job role. The entire hiring process at YouTube usually lasts 23 days. You have to pass a thorough background check and survive multiple interview rounds before getting selected for a position.
When preparing for the interview, remember to brace yourself for a range of technical and whimsical questions. Consider checking out the Inside YouTube blog, and look for tips from current and former YouTube employees on online discussion forums. By taking this step, you will get a much better understanding of what YouTube looks for in a typical job search.
YouTube Career Opportunities: Job Titles and Descriptions
YouTube careers cover a range of roles, including legal, marketing, data science, and technical fields. Below are some of the best job opportunities that YouTube offers.
Senior Manager of Business Intelligence and Data Infrastructure
- Salary: $113,000 – $177,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Advanced
- Required Experience: 12 years of relevant industry experience.
- Required Education: Master’s Degree
This senior managerial position at YouTube combines business skills and tech skills. You are expected to perform a leadership role while managing the IT department that handles business intelligence and data infrastructures.
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You are also expected to have a master’s degree in computer science or business tech. Along with that, your expertise should lie in data design and data analytics. You are expected to be fluent in programming languages such as Python. Overall, you will succeed in this role if you have excellent product consulting and management skills.
Global Lead for Shorts, Scaled Operations, and Partnerships
- Salary: $128,000- $359,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Advanced
- Required Experience: 10 years of experience in consulting, media industries, and software
- Required Education: Master’s degree
The global lead for YouTube Shorts and operations is responsible for developing strategies that will improve the business performance of the YouTube Shorts app. Your primary responsibilities lie in collaborating with the operations, marketing, and content management teams to increase the popularity of Shorts globally.
Your duties will also include hiring business analysts and product specialists for the app. To get this job, you must understand YouTube’s content strategies, business development, and product management.
Quantitative Business Analyst
- Salary: $51,000- $100,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Advanced
- Required Experience: 3 or more years of experience in business analytics using SQL and Python
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree
Quantitative business analysts are in high demand in every industry. At YouTube, these analysts make strategic recommendations to improve operations. They also monitor, analyze, and offer solutions for business software systems. The primary responsibility is to pore over analytics information to find inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
To get this job, you’ll need to master scripting languages such as PHP and Python, and improve your proficiency with data analytics software.
Partner Operations Manager
- Salary: $82,000-$234,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Intermediate
- Required Experience: 2 years of experience in client-facing or in relevant field
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree
As we all know, YouTube is a content-based platform and content creators and users need to be managed well. A partner operations manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations that support the YouTube creation team.
As a partner operations manager you are expected to have excellent managing and networking skills. This job also requires extensive SQL understanding. To get this job, you must understand the ins and outs of YouTube media and content partners.
Policy Enforcement Manager
- Salary: $58,000 – $107,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Beginners
- Required Experience: 1+ years of experience in operations or in a relevant field
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree
As a policy enforcement manager at YouTube, your primary role is to monitor the platform for hate speech and other content that portrays sentiments against the company policy. You are expected to maintain a safe environment for YouTube users. This involves working with the legal department to help identify abusive trends.
To get this job, you must possess a variety of skills including SQL skills, data analysis skills, communication skills, and cross-cultural skills.
Platform Strategy Lead
- Salary: $104,000 – $195,000
- Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance
- Level: Advanced
- Required Experience: 7 years of experience in product development, CRM, or in other relevant fields
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree
As a platform strategy lead you will be a member of the business intelligence team. You will be responsible for providing data-driven solutions that support the YouTube experience. Your duties will include analyzing user needs, understanding and assisting product design, and working with several business teams.
To succeed in this position, you must acquire technical management skills, programming skills, and project management skills.
What Does It Take to Get a Job at YouTube?
To begin a career at YouTube, you have to be one of the best candidates for your desired role. But don’t let that overwhelm you. There are many ways to prepare yourself.
Just make sure your application reflects your creativity and speaks well to your qualifications. With the right skills, education, and experience, your YouTube career could be right around the corner.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
