TikTok for Recruiting? The Why’s, the Do’s, the Don’ts

Okay, after listening to about all the TikTok recruiting buzz, I assumed it was lastly time to take a deep dive into it. I’m not a TikTok consumer, so I assumed for the aim of this weblog, I have to obtain the app! Upon login, I used to be instantly blasted with a video. It took a second to orient myself as random movies flashed on my display screen, however quickly after I used to be swiftly navigating across the app. I checked out trending hashtags and movies, then unexpectedly, I discovered myself laughing aloud! From males doing dramatic jumps off of ledges for pizza rolls ready for them at house, to a lady recording a video concerning the co-worker you might be aggravated with throughout Zoom® conferences, I used to be simply (and rapidly) entertained.

I then determined to get severe, and seek for “profession recommendation”, since that was a latest hashtag trending on TikTok (and that’s most likely a bit extra related for this weblog than a video exhibiting somebody working house for pizza rolls.) What I assumed can be a sequence of extra severe movies, had been truly extra movies that made me snicker out loud! I wasn’t anticipating profession recommendation to be each academic and entertaining! Might TikTok actually be a very good place for recruiters to dabble into, I assumed?

On this weblog, we are going to check out what TikTok may imply for recruiters: Is it actually the proper platform to be recruiting on? What are the advantages of utilizing it? What sort of movies do you submit on it? What are somethings it is advisable take into account earlier than utilizing it? We are going to look into all of those questions and even discover the rumored new job service that TikTok is presently piloting.

First, what’s TikTok?
Earlier than downloading the app, I knew what TikTok was, however you by no means actually know the way it works till you employ it first-hand. If you’re very a lot not aware of TikTok, it’s a social media software that lets you create brief type movies. To your movies you may add results, filters, enhance pace, add a background, splice movies collectively, and extra! If you’re viewing movies, you may view by subject, trending hashtags, seek for hashtags or subjects, and even observe customers. You can see all types of movies on the applying from dancing movies, to pranks, to the right way to movies, to movies for simply pure comedy. There may be not one kind of TikTok video on the market!

That’s cool, however what’s all the thrill about?
In 2020, TikTok grew to become essentially the most downloaded app worldwide, overtaking Fb, Instagram, and Zoom.(1) The App Annie State of Cellular report exhibits TikTok is presently on monitor to hit 1.2 billion energetic customers in 2021. Demographic clever, 78% of TikTok customers are beneath 39 with 30% falling between the ages of 20-29 based mostly on a latest report printed by Statista.(2) Whereas the age group is youthful, what’s vital to notice is that Millennials and Gen Z’s have gotten the most important demographic within the workforce as Child Boomers retire. Millennials have already grow to be the most important group of pros within the U.S. Labor Power, making up 1/3 of workers.(3)

If one factor is for sure from these stats, TikTok utilization is quickly on the rise, particularly for youthful generations. Corporations need to have the ability to get in entrance of the proper candidates for alternatives, which is why extra staffing and recruiting firms have flocked to TikTok, the place the most important demographic within the workforce is spending their time.

How are firms utilizing TikTok for recruitment?
Regardless of what the statistics present, TikTok can nonetheless seem to be an uncommon place to spend time recruiting candidates. How do you method potential candidates on TikTok? What sort of movies do you have to submit? Beneath are a number of totally different video concepts that firms can attempt to entice expertise:

Promote Jobs Utilizing Hashtags
HBO promoted a job on TikTok utilizing the hashtag #HBOMaxsummerintern and acquired 300 purposes.(4) The clothes model Hollister additionally experimented with TikTok to recruit job candidates. They created a promo video with singer Montana Tucker to encourage purposes for a social media place. Job candidates had been inspired to make use of the hashtag #HCoHireMe and submit a video that brings a t-shirt to life.

Whilst you will not be a big company like HBO or Hollister, these are good examples of a few of the methods you should use hashtags on TikTok to both complement a video you might be posting a couple of job or encourage others to submit a video utilizing your hashtag.

Suggestions and Profession Recommendation
Corporations may also submit movies providing job search suggestions and profession recommendation. After I looked for “profession recommendation” on TikTok, a complete plethora of movies popped up! Those with the very best views although made the movies participating. They don’t essentially need to be comedic, however you need them to be fast-paced and fascinating. Movies which can be 60 seconds or much less are preferrred. TikTok movies can solely be 15 seconds lengthy (when recording on TikTok), however you may string 4 15 second movies collectively. You may make these movies fascinating by including textual content, filters, and backgrounds. If you’re stringing 15 second movies collectively, you may even think about using totally different backgrounds or taking pictures them from totally different places.

This was an entertaining video I got here throughout that includes recommendations on rewriting a retail resume! It’s participating, comedic, but in addition actually informative and gives good recommendation on methods to enhance a retail resume.

Behind the Scenes/Day within the Life
One other form of video that staffing and recruiting firms can report are “Behind the Scenes” or “Day within the Life” movies. These might be movies that both function your organization or a shopper you need to fill a place for. If you wish to promote your organization, you may function recruiters as model ambassadors discussing how the method works when candidates work along with your firm. You’ll be able to even function movies discussing the advantages of working along with your firm and how one can assist them.

On the opposite aspect of issues, staffing and recruiting firms can take movies for his or her purchasers a couple of job discussing the “day within the life” of that place and “behind the scenes” data on how it will be like working for that firm.

Model Consciousness and Challenges
Corporations may also submit movies for simply pure model consciousness! Is there something enjoyable you might be doing at your organization that’s totally different and would make you stand out out of your opponents? Maybe it’s celebrations you might be having at your workplace that highlights your organization tradition. Or perhaps there’s a problem you might be having at your workplace that you just wish to lengthen to others. Chipotle was one of many first firms to draw expertise by going viral.(5) The corporate posted a video that confirmed an worker touchdown a lid on a meals container. This led to a lid-flip problem that produced over 110,000 video submissions. Chipotle acknowledged TikTok’s affect on model consciousness and landed up making a recruiting technique only for TikTok.

TikTok is certainly a platform that lets you get artistic. Inside your TikTok recruiting technique, discover methods to include movies that units your model aside!

What are the advantages of utilizing TikTok?
To this point, we explored a number of totally different video methods to experiment with on TikTok, however it’s possible you’ll be questioning what are the advantages of utilizing TikTok compared to different extra conventional recruiting strategies. Listed below are some advantages:

Seeing and Listening to the Candidate
If you end up browsing via a pile of resumes, you may’t inform the persona of every particular person. Some could even blur collectively after some time and it’s laborious to inform aside one from the subsequent. TikTok permits candidates to submit movies about themselves, which actually lets you perceive the persona of every candidate, see the particular person, and really feel their pleasure for the place.

Humanizing Your Firm
Moreover seeing and listening to the candidate, it additionally permits firms to humanize your model. Candidates can see recruiters speaking to them head to head concerning the job, which might be extra interesting than if that candidate would simply be in your web site studying the job description. It additionally offers candidates the chance to see the recruiter they’d be working with earlier than making use of for the job.

Attracting Younger Expertise
TikTok can be a manner for staffing and recruiting firms to achieve a youthful viewers. If there’s a sure trade that’s struggling to draw younger expertise, TikTok could possibly be a solution to seize the eye of youthful generations. As we all know from the start of this text, over 78% of TikTok customers are 39 and beneath, so it could be a candy spot for firms to search out these youthful candidates. Contra, a job platform for freelance staff, mentioned that between 80 and 90 % of its Gen Z customers arrived by way of its TikTok or Instagram Reels.(4)

Paid advertisements
TikTok gives paid advertisements as properly that lets you goal content material based mostly on gender, age, location, and pursuits. This provides you a chance to achieve folks that in any other case wouldn’t have come throughout your model. In case your content material is related and fascinating they are going to come again to your model and perhaps even observe you!

What do you have to take into account earlier than utilizing TikTok?
As with the whole lot, there are somethings it would be best to take into account earlier than including TikTok to your recruitment technique.

Movies Would possibly Not Be Seen
TikTok chooses movies “For You” based mostly on movies that you’ve got preferred, shared, re-watched, or commented on. It additionally exhibits movies to individuals based mostly on location, so utilizing location-based hashtags may help get your movies in entrance of individuals based mostly on places you need to goal.(6) That is good for the truth that you don’t want TikTok customers to observe your organization with a purpose to be seen, nevertheless, for the reason that content material is so area of interest and focused it could not present up in entrance of candidates.

Customers Don’t Use TikTok Essentially to Search for Jobs
Whereas some job seekers may use TikTok for profession recommendation, most customers aren’t utilizing TikTok with the intent of discovering job alternatives. When somebody makes use of LinkedIn® or views a job board, they go there with the intention of in search of job alternatives. Some customers could also be turned off by job-oriented content material. A survey performed by Tallo discovered that 63% of surveyed highschool and faculty college students mentioned they would like employers to contact them on knowledgeable social media web site, akin to LinkedIn.(7) Some thought it was awkward to be messaged on TikTok a couple of job alternative.

On the distinction, individuals have proven curiosity in content material that focuses on profession recommendation. This could possibly be an space for firms to focus a few of their content material technique on for model consciousness, along with, posting about job alternatives.

Not Everyone seems to be Inventive or Videogenic
If you’re in search of candidates to submit movies for job alternatives, it would be best to do not forget that not everyone seems to be “videogenic” or enjoys taking movies of themselves. This will deter nice candidates from making use of as a result of they don’t wish to undergo the method of making a video. Additionally, it’s vital to notice that not everybody is sweet at taking movies or has the artistic expertise for it! A certified candidate could give off the improper impression in the event that they submit a nasty video as a result of they aren’t used to speaking on digicam.

For a Youthful Viewers
Whereas one of many benefits is that TikTok may assist goal youthful expertise, you additionally wish to do not forget that a draw back is that it’s meant for a youthful viewers. You received’t be capable to use TikTok to recruit for each place, particularly if you’re seeking to recruit for a extra senior stage position. Some jobs could naturally be a greater match for an older demographic as properly. Earlier than promoting jobs on TikTok, you wish to take into account, if that chance is an effective match for a youthful viewers, in any other case it received’t be price your time selling it on TikTok.

TikTok’s New Job Service
Along with methods firms can presently use TikTok for recruitment, sources inform Axios, that TikTok is piloting a brand new device for firms to recruit candidates on. This system would permit firms to simply join with candidates and candidates can use it to assist them discover jobs. This system wouldn’t be built-in throughout the TikTok app, however would as a substitute be a separate webpage that may be accessed via TikTok. The service would permit candidates to submit video resumes and provides an elevator pitch, as a substitute of submitting a standard paper resume. The service is presently being examined by a beta group.

The concept for the job service was sparked by the hashtag #careeradvice, which gained robust momentum in the beginning of 2021 with greater than 80 million views a day by the center of February.(4) TikTok then realized that the platform is not only for leisure, however can be utilized to study one thing new or acquire a brand new ability. Time will inform whether or not the service shall be launched, however TikTok exercise exhibits there could possibly be a requirement for a TikTok Job Service, which might give staffing and recruiting firms much more cause to make use of the app for recruitment.

To make use of TikTok or to not use TikTok?
So, we come to the million-dollar query. Ought to TikTok be used for recruiting? The cliffhanger lies with you. As we will see there are each execs and cons of implementing TikTok into your recruiting technique. If you wish to experiment with it, I don’t see how any hurt could possibly be finished, except not with the ability to acquire again useful time whether it is unsuccessful. Earlier than utilizing it although, bear in mind the gadgets to contemplate, and in addition take into consideration the demographic you might be recruiting for. If most of your recruits are over the age of 40, then it may not be one of the best platform to check out, nevertheless, for those who additionally recruit youthful generations, it could be one thing to look into.

I’ll depart you with one final TikTok video and that’s from an skilled TikTok consumer himself on “How one can be TikTok Well-known!” (for those who so select to wish to be!)

Sources

  1. Appfigures
  2. Stat appeared in Rewire. Initially, got here from the Statista report.
  3. Enterprise Information Every day
  4. Washington Publish
  5. Staffing.com
  6. FireFish Software program
  7. Tallo
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