Is the new TikTok Resumes platform actually good?
TikTok has started using its platform to help people get jobs in the US by posting a video onto their public page and linking it in their application through the brand new TikTok Resumes website.
What is it?
People looking to get a new job would check out the jobs board and see what different openings there are. Businesses like Chipotle, E.L.F Beauty, Shopify, Target, WWE and TikTok themselves have started using the platform looking for various employees ranging from Marketing & PR Specialists, Data Analysts, Cashier/Hospitality Workers, Warehouse Operators and even WWE Superstars.
Potential candidates would read about the job and company on the new website. Then to apply, all they have to do is write their full name and email, paste in their video link, and (encouraged but optional) their LinkedIn profile URL.
Let’s Discuss
Now that you’re all caught up on the logistics, let’s get into some thoughts that our very own TikTok obsessed Marketing & PR Executive Michael Saliba has on this new hiring platform.
I think my short answer is that I do like the potential that this has, but there are some issues that I think would be nice if they could be addressed. Overall, I’m a firm believer that you can learn how to complete tasks, you can be taught and educate yourself on ways to succeed. But having a good personality is much harder to learn, so if you can quickly see a person for who they are rather than what they look like “on paper”, I think it’ll work really well for roles that require likeable, outgoing personalities. Now, let’s jump into 4 things that I’ve noticed so far.
👎 Can we get a little privacy?
Not everyone feels comfortable posting publicly for all of their contacts to see that they’re applying for a job. Many people have their friends, family & colleagues on TikTok, and because of how the algorithm works, sometimes even if you aren’t connected with them, you can still see the posts of people you know in real life on your “for you page”.
What if your manager sees your application while they’re scrolling through their usual dog videos and dashcam near-miss footage? What if your little cousin sees you applying for a role in the middle of them learning the latest dance challenge, and now they bring it up at every family gathering?
Speaking of Privacy, I’ve noticed from a few dozen videos posted onto the platform that some people haven’t made a “video” per se, but rather flipped their camera onto their resume pdf and showed that instead. Moving past the fact that it defeats the purpose of using TikTok, it also means they’re publishing their full name, phone number and email address for the whole world to see!! I don’t need to explain why that is a bad thing…
👎 It isn’t always being used properly
I’ve had a look at the hashtag #TikTokResumes to get a better sense of how the public is using it. Videos that use the hashtag have been viewed over 169.4M times (at the time of writing), which, of course, is very impressive!
However, the truth behind that number is that people have seen that the hashtag is trending and decided to throw it in their captions to completely random videos in an attempt to get more views. Consequently, the most trending ones don’t even have any relevance to resumes or job applications.
People trying to promote their resumes and experience get left behind and brushed out of sight because the effectiveness of the hashtag has been watered down, which is a big shame considering the overwhelming talent out there waiting to be noticed.
👏 It feels so much more natural
When it comes down to making a video application, many candidates have said that sitting down and filming a horizontal video is unnatural to them. A lot of the time, the video calls for the person to be their “raw, natural selves”, and it’s hard to do when what you’re doing isn’t natural. But with the popularity of posting story updates on social media, sending videos to friends on Snapchat or even practising your public speaking by making TikToks, this makes filming vertically in a selfie video very natural and comforting, and much easier to get behind.
Here’s a great example of an impressive application by TikTok user @makena.yee looking for a role in Communications:
👏 Motivation + Reach
Usually, you would spend all your time applying for a job, and only those select few people on the hiring team would get to see your application. Now, random users worldwide get to “hype up” and motivate the applicants in the comments, sending through supportive messages and compliments to the candidate. And if they’re unsuccessful in getting that particular job, they have a chance for other businesses and companies to discover them and offer them a position instead.
The Summary
- Outstanding candidates will miss out on applying for jobs simply because they don’t like the idea of publicly posting their videos.
- There should be an option to have it ‘unlisted’ so only those with the direct URL can view.
- Too many people use the hashtag #TikTokResumes for unrelated videos, so the hashtag is now useless as a discovery tool.
- Instead of making a video, some people are posting their A4 resumes onto TikTok and, by doing so, leaking their personal information. 🤦♂️
- Selfie videos where you’re encouraged to play around with green-screen effects, voiceovers and filters are much more comfortable to film than sit-down, horizontal, “candid” video applications.
- Videos can be a great way to show what is a little harder to do on paper… Showing personality!
- Users all around the world can motivate applicants in the comments section, and creators can also build their own personal brands by the new likes/followers the video can bring in.
Do you want to start using it in your hiring process?
Despite #TikTokResumes only being a US initiative at the moment, I think it’s definitely still something brands all over the world can be a part of. The only thing you couldn’t do is use TikTok’s website and job’s board. Here’s a secret though, you don’t really need it, if you’ve got your own jobs board, you can use that instead!
Just like any hiring process, it can get hard when you’ve got 100 videos to go through ranging from 1-3 minutes long, and the logistics behind setting this up can be tricky or just outright tedious.
So, if you wanted to take the hiring aspect off your hands and have experienced professionals help set it up and go through the videos, only sending you the best ones, then feel free to reach out to us over at hello@creativenatives.com.au for a confidential discussion about how we can help you find your next new hire!