



Recruiting News Network
Recruiting
News
OperationsThe Recruiting Worx PodcastMoney + InvestmentsCareer AdviceWorld
Tech
DEI
People
People on the Move
The Leaders
The Makers
People
People on the Move
The Leaders
The Makers
Brand +
Marketing
Events
Labor +
Economics
SUBSCRIBE





Technology

TikTok Enters Job Services - Can They Succeed Where Other Social Giants Have Failed?

Martin Burns

May 12, 2021

Technology

TikTok Enters Job Services - Can They Succeed Where Other Social Giants Have Failed?

Martin Burns

May 12, 2021

Photo by Solen Feyissa

TikTok reportedly wants to help its users find jobs. In a reaction Axios describes as "a top TikTok executive posted on LinkedIn that a Washington Post article about Gen Zers using TikTok to share career advice inspired TikTok executives to try to bolster their platform for job seekers", the company plans to develop what sounds like a job board.

Axios goes on to add that:

  • The company is currently testing the service with a beta group of companies. Several big brands have been asked about participating, including sports leagues.
  • The platform isn't a product that's integrated within TikTok itself, but rather a separate web page accessible via the TikTok app where brands can post jobs, primarily entry-level listings.
  • Users can post a TikTok video resume to the site rather than a traditional resume. The idea is for users to give an elevator pitch or work experience summary via the video in a unique way.
  • TikTok will ask candidates to post their resume videos to their TikTok profiles, if they wish, to help publicize the new service.

This isn't entirely shocking. Job services and job boards have been eyed by major online players for some time. Hire was Googles's ill-fated attempt to launch an ATS for SMBs. Google Jobs is essentially an attempt by the company to compete with Indeed. Microsoft has LinkedIn's Talent Hub - sort of. Facebook keeps trying to figure out what should be a layup for them. eHarmony made an attempt in 2016. This image sums up what seems to happen in many of these situations:

TikTok faces a complex competitive landscape, with an estimated 20,000 job boards in the US alone, and over 50,000 globally. They'll need to leverage scale, stickiness, and keep a focus on their demographic (primarily youth) to make this work.

Related: Job Boards and the Evolution of an Industry: A Conversation with Steven Rothberg

To be fair, there is a great deal of career-focused content emerging from the TikTok community. From career advice, resume, and job search services - users have been exploiting the power of the site as well as extra free-time during the pandemic to build brands as career counselors and job search experts. Shadé Zahrai, a Melbourne-based career counselor has amassed 843,000 followers and posts regularly on the site - she created the account in mid-April of 2020, and had hit 225,000 followers by May. This video, about how to answer a very standard interview question, received 2 million views the week it was published, with 47,000 likes.

@shadezahrai

Interview tip! This one always stumps people... ##interview ##interviews ##jobseeker ##careercoach ##careers ##interviewtips ##confidence ##careertiktok ##work

♬ original sound - Shadé Z. - Career Strategist

Speaking with Yahoo Finance, Zahrai said “The majority of people who use TikTok are of the younger demographic [and] their entire future is different now too. Typically in the past, you graduate and it’s relatively easy to find a job. Now the whole situation and the whole environment has changed."

The real question is, can the company turn this type of traffic and interest into a robust job service, or will they go the way of many other attempts. In the meantime, as Gerry Crispin noted in a comment on Talent Product Plays: "As long as the job board caters to employers (who pay) but allow abuse of 80% of the prospects that express an interest, the model will just be 'one more' place to look that is competing for my attention."

[RNN has reached out to TikTok for comment, and will update accordingly]

‍

‍

The app is evolving its offerings

What we're reading

‘We’re all fighting the giant’: Gig workers around the world are finally organizing

by
Peter Guest
-
rest of world

Gig workers are connecting across borders to challenge platforms’ power and policies

Got Zoom fatigue? Out-of-sync brainwaves could be another reason videoconferencing is such a drag

by
Dr. Julie Boland
-
The Conversation

I was curious about why conversation felt more laborious and awkward over Zoom and other video-conferencing software.

How to Purchase an Applicant Tracking System

by
Dave Zielinski
-
SHRM

Experts say the first step in seeking a new ATS should be to evaluate your existing recruiting processes.

View All Articles

Events

Hire Virtue's Hiring Blitz & Job Fair

Houston, TX
-
to
August 6, 2025
View All Events
Related Articles

3 Ways Technology Can Transform Talent Strategy

Britton Bloch

June 12, 2025

How Federal HR Leaders Can Use AI to Build a Modern Workforce

Michelle Clark

June 6, 2025

© 2024 recruiting news network.
all rights reserved.



Categories
Technology
Money
People
TA Ops
Events
Editorial
World
Career Advice
Resources
Diversity & Inclusion
TA Tech Marketplace
Information
AboutContactMedia KitPrivacy Policy
Subscribe to newsletter
