How to Land a Job at YouTube

One popular path to a YouTube career is to learn video editing and videography and become an independent YouTube video production professional, otherwise known as a YouTuber. However, YouTube also hires tech-savvy people for a variety of full-time roles. If you want to learn how to get a YouTube job, this article can help you. 

YouTube careers are available to a wide range of skilled tech workers. Working at YouTube offers professionals a chance to work for one of the top tech companies in the world while growing their skills and earning a lucrative salary. In this article, we’ll take you through the fundamentals of working at YouTube. We will discuss required qualifications, job titles, and salaries. Most importantly, we fill you in on how to apply for these positions.

YouTube: Company Background

YouTube is an American tech company and online video-sharing platform. It was created in 2005 by Steve Chen, Jawed Karim, and Chad Hurley, who originally envisioned YouTube as a dating website. Today, YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, and like or comment on a variety of video content across countless niches. 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. Accordingly to Statista, in November 2022 alone, YouTube had nearly 80 billion visits to its site. 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. 

Getting a Job at YouTube

YouTube’s wide array of job roles caters to candidates with diverse qualifications and experience. Some YouTube careers require a Master’s Degree in Computer Science or Math. Alternatively, you can qualify for certain YouTube 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, if you are wondering how to get a YouTube job, you need to be prepared to face many unique assessments and tough interview questions. Despite the rigorous hiring process, working at YouTube is said to offer many benefits, as the company strives to offer a fun, creative workplace. 

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. However, with the right application and qualifications, you’ll be much closer to landing a 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 will also be tested on your analytical and problem-solving skills. Part of the application process involves taking YouTube’s notorious aptitude tests. Thankfully, you can find ample practice questions online. 

If you pass the tests, you can expect to be invited for an interview. Make sure to go into the interview well prepared. Although it is extremely difficult to get hired to work at YouTube, it isn’t impossible. So do your best to meet all their job requirements and impress the hiring manager. 

Applying for a Job at YouTube

To apply for a job at YouTube, you must first identify 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.

To get a job at YouTube, 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 only the best candidates will end up working at YouTube, 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 consistently checking YouTube’s careers page. You can also sign up for career websites like Glassdoor and Indeed and opt into job alerts. Being aware of all the opportunities will help ensure that you never miss the perfect YouTube job. 

Once you have identified the position you want to apply for, you can then start the application process. The entire hiring process at YouTube usually lasts 23 days. You have to pass a thorough background check and survive multiple interview rounds before being selected to work at YouTube. 

When preparing for the interview, remember to brace yourself for a range of technical and behavioral 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 how to get a job at YouTube and what qualities the company is looking for. 

What Is the Average Salary at YouTube?

The average salary at YouTube across all employees is $97,000 per year, according to PayScale. However, when working at YouTube, your average salary will depend on the position you hold and how much experience you have. For example, PayScale also notes that a YouTube software engineer’s salary is $117,761 on average. 

Though the exact YouTube salary that you earn can be affected by various conditions, all positions are paid well. Further, since it is a large tech company, you can expect a multitude of additional benefits and perks on top of your base salary with a career at YouTube.

YouTube Career Opportunities: Job Titles and Descriptions

YouTube career opportunities cover a range of roles, including legal, marketing, data science, and technical fields. Below are some of the best job opportunities that YouTube offers. For each title, you read about the job description for the position and other important YouTube career information, such as benefits and the required level of education. 

Senior Manager of Business Intelligence

• 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. 

You are also expected to have a Master’s Degree in Computer Science or Business Technology. 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

• 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 

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. 

Quantitative business analysts are in high demand in every industry. 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 a 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 an extensive understanding of SQL. To get this job, you must understand the ins and outs of YouTube media and content partners. 

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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 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 the right technical abilities and communication 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. 

YouTube Remote Jobs

If you want to work at this company but don’t want to live in a major city, you should consider remote YouTube jobs. Since many roles at the company revolve around technology, you can do many YouTube jobs from home. Check out some of the best YouTube work from home jobs that are available in the list below.

• Senior Interaction Designer
• UX Researcher
• Senior UX Design Manager
• Trust and Compliance Business Analytics Lead

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 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 as a full-time employee. In addition, 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. This doesn’t just include 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, since there are many opportunities for growth and promotions. 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. Plus, if you ever decide you want to work elsewhere, you will be equipped with the best industry 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. However, don’t let that overwhelm you. In this article, you have learned more about how to get a job with YouTube, and there are many ways that you can prepare yourself.

Just make sure your application reflects your creativity and speaks to your qualifications. With the right skills, education, and experience, your YouTube career could be right around the corner. 

How to Get a Job at YouTube  FAQ