An increasingly remote world and a hot job market are causing employers to embrace an out-of-the-box way to recruit workers: TikTok.
Chipotle, Target, WWE, Shopify and other employers are partnering with a new feature on the social media platform to recruit potential workers.
TikTok—best known for short and trendy videos—is getting into the recruiting space with its launch of TikTok Resumes platform. It launched the feature last week as a pilot program, allowing job seekers the opportunity to apply to openings with video resumes. Users will be able to submit video resumes to U.S. job openings through July 31. Job seekers will have to create a video resume, post it to TikTok and then send that video to recruiters through the app. Then companies and HR managers can review.
The move comes as employers are trying to get creative to recruit workers in a hot job market. Employees are leaving, or considering leaving, their jobs at a rapid pace, and many employers are struggling to find workers to fill positions. Recent research from talent solutions firm Robert Half finds that 95% of senior managers find it challenging to source skilled professionals.
“Many companies want to bring on new employees but face an extremely competitive hiring environment,” says Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half. “In today’s talent-short market, employers have to work harder and smarter to overcome recruiting challenges—and this includes exploring every avenue to uncover their next great hire.”
Using social media—including TikTok—is a trend that can be helpful to find and recruit workers.
“Social media is one of many tools that hiring managers can use to find talent, especially for jobs that require creativity and tech savvy,” McDonald says. “Marketing and design professionals, for example, often use sites like TikTok and Instagram to showcase their work, get inspiration and connect with others.”
Using TikTok to find workers may be more common for certain industries, like retailers or creative industries, and less for others, adds Carolyn Kleiman, career expert at ResumeBuilder.com.
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“I can’t imagine the financial industry, for example, jumping on board with this trend,” she says.
Although it’s a trend to watch in the recruiting space, McDonald does point out a couple of potential pitfalls. For instance, HR leaders should avoid being quick to judge when watching video resumes, and they need to understand that video versus traditional resumes can be time-consuming to review. Some organizations may want to avoid video resumes because of concerns about potential discrimination claims, he adds.
In general, video resumes and social media outreach can be an innovative way to find workers, but they can’t entirely replace resumes and interpersonal interaction.
“Social media efforts should augment, not replace, traditional one-on-one outreach to potential candidates,” McDonald says.
For more on talent and technology, check out the HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas from Sept. 28-Oct. 1, including this mega-session on Using TA Tech to Populate Your Recruiting Funnel.