With over 1 billion active users worldwide, it’s no surprise for TikTok to leverage its power and tap into the recruiting process. It may be hype for Gen Z, but is recruiting on TikTok help you find talents effectively?
Video resumes aren’t a new thing in this modern age. Some companies may ask candidates to submit a video resume instead of a PDF version. Or, they may ask for introductory videos to support candidates’ traditional resumes.
But, TikTok Resumes are different. Youngsters get to show off their personality, skills and creativity in a fun way. This opportunity appeals to Gen Z especially those who are entering the workforce for the first time.
Candidates can apply for multiple jobs and submit their LinkedIn profiles at the same time with just one video resume. If the video receives high engagement (i.e. views, likes, comments), they’re more likely to get attention from recruiters.
Although TikTok has ended the video resume programme in July 2021, people still wonder if the innovation could be the future of recruitment.
Nevertheless, here are the pros and cons of recruiting on TikTok:
The Pros
1. Humanising the company brand
Depending on your industry, recruiting on TikTok may help your business stand out from your competitors. Especially if you’re hiring creative roles like brand ambassadors or video editors, TikTok recruiting is the best approach.
Plus, showing off your modern office and work culture through some videos will definitely create a great impression on potential candidates, luring them to apply for a job in your organisation.
2. You don’t need a massive follower to recruit globally
That’s right, you don’t have to worry about how many followers you have when recruiting on TikTok. To put it simply, any candidate can see your vacancy video if you’re using hashtags.
Let’s say you’re recruiting for a role in Jakarta. Add hashtags like #jakarta and #indonesia to increase the chances of candidates in Jakarta seeing your video.
However, adding location-based hashtags may cause you to miss candidates who live in other countries but are willing to relocate. In that case, you can create a few different videos then add different hashtags.
3. Digestible 60 seconds videos
With TikTok, you can screen talents whenever and wherever you are. You can now learn about your candidates through short videos instead of screening resume PDFs.
TikTok limits their video resume to 60 seconds. So, you’ll get the summary of candidates’ experience and career goals in snippets. Therefore, recruiting on TikTok helps you to save time when screening candidates.
4. You can find talents with a very low cost
Before the launch of TikTok Resumes, candidates have to apply for a position first and wait for the company to reply. Until then, they won’t be able to send their resume or introductory video.
Now, job seekers can create a TikTok account for free and post their video resume online. Besides, if a candidate creates a video resume for a specific role in a company, there’s a chance that their video might go viral.
Hence, you’ll be able to find the talents you’ve been looking for at a very low cost. And get free exposure!
The Cons
1. You won’t be able to skim resumes
This is the number one downside of TikTok Resumes for recruiters. They won’t get to skim each video especially when they have a tight deadline.
According to JT O’Donnell, a career coach, CEO of WorkItDaily.com and a contributor to CNBC Make It; resumes should be straightforward. The applicant should display how they fit into the job requirements — which are best presented in writing.
“Give me the numbers. Quantify your accomplishments so I can quickly, as a recruiter, go ‘check, check, check,’ this person has the five things needed even to be considered for the job.”
2. Their other videos could be deal-breakers
Let’s say you’ve finally found a perfect candidate from TikTok. But then, you watch their other videos that you consider shocking or inappropriate. By that time, you may believe that it’s better to look for a more suitable candidate.
Recruiters and hiring managers can certainly look up someone’s social activities when they apply for the vacancy. However, recruiting on TikTok means you get easy access to the rest of the candidate’s videos – which we all know that it’s hard to resist not watching them.
3. More potential for bias
In a world where recruiters are trying hard to remove hiring bias, TikTok recruiting may do the opposite.
“Humans are prone to bias. We connect with people similar to ourselves – and this can often be a major problem in the hiring process. Video resumes and applications like TikTok’s offering may favour extroverted, funny and confident candidates and leave more qualified candidates who don’t necessarily have these characteristics behind,” says Eric Sydell, the Executive Vice President of Innovation at Modern Hire.
4. Most TikTok users aren’t looking for jobs on the platform
Although TikTok Resumes are gaining popularity, most users aren’t looking for jobs on the platform. It’s natural for them, as the platform isn’t originally designed for recruitment.
Moreover, when you post a video about a job role, you can’t link out to other sites from the video. So, people won’t be able to see your job page.
5. People rarely put their job title on the platform
Scouting talents, especially for a niche industry, is almost impossible on TikTok. Remember point #4? Most users aren’t using the platform for job hunting. So, they rarely put their job titles on their profiles or videos.
In addition, there’s no guarantee that the candidate you found will be interested. However, you’ll never know until you try! Drop a comment on their video, tell them that your organisation has an open role that you think suits them.
Even if that person isn’t interested, other users who read your comment may be interested in applying for that role.
All in all
Companies shouldn’t rely solely on TikTok to recruit talents. Recruiting on TikTok should just be the cherry on top of your solid recruitment strategy. Think of it as an additional platform to attract and source talents.
I believe TikTok Resumes are great for candidates who aim to work in the creative industry or casual work. Recruiters get to learn their personality, communication skills and see if they’ll be a good fit for the company.
