When people think of TikTok, they often think about short dance videos or pranks created by Gen Zers. However, over the past two years, the use of the platform has skyrocketed greatly, partly due to the pandemic. In fact, the platform has over 1 billion users on a daily basis as of July 2022.

Slowly and steadily, TikTok has become an important part of our daily lives. Moreover, many businesses have started using this platform to spread brand awareness after the launch of TikTok for Business, which provides excellent marketing solutions for brands.

As recruiters are looking for more creative ways to find candidates, the use of TikTok has extended greatly. However, it's easy to be skeptical about the usefulness of the platform in recruitment.

Hence, a recent debate that has been doing the rounds in the recruitment world is; should TikTok be used as a recruitment tool?

How Companies Can Use TikTok For Recruitment

Besides the phenomenal growth of the platform, TikTok is surely a very unique platform for recruitment. Amongst the funny videos and pranks and dance challenges, how should businesses look for potential candidates? Moreover, what types of videos should businesses create that are engaging, yet professional?

1. Hashtags Can Take You A Long Way

TikTok is powered by hashtags, which encourage users to make videos around specific themes and discover new ones to explore. Videos of people taking part in a task and posting them with a hashtag that represents a value or notion are particularly popular. Moreover, some brands take hashtags a step forward by creating new ones that cater to their job openings. For example, HBO has seen great success after they created and started using a special intern hashtag; #HBOMAXSUMMER.

So, by using hashtags, you may more precisely direct your TikTok videos to your intended audience. Use popular tags that are already in use to bring visibility to your postings until you are ready to launch a hashtag campaign specifically for your brand. You can attract candidates by using the hashtags #jobsearch and #careeropportunities.

2. TikTok Influencers Are All The Rage

Find an influencer whose writing style and core principles mesh well with those of your business. They can spread the word about your company, entice potential candidates to apply for open positions, and highlight the benefits of working for your company.

You may reach millions of TikTok content creators and put them to work for your brand by working with a micro-influencer agency.

Pay close attention to the engagement rates of potential TikTok influencers for your social recruitment drive, since this is a major component in deciding the number of people who will see your video and learn about your business.

3. Make The Most of TikTok Resumes

One of the newest additions to TikTok is a function called "Resumes." With the help of Resumes, TikTok is transformed into a recruitment platform where job-seekers and businesses can engage in a simple, direct manner using the network's most popular content type: short videos. This resume format is a novel approach to showing relevant experience and passion, and it's a terrific way for job-seekers to catch your eye. Hence, it comes as no surprise that within days of its release, TikTok Resumes had signed up dozens of companies.

In addition, this is a fantastic method of conducting video interviews with potential applicants in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made in-person meetings extremely challenging. Using TikTok Resumes is not only a secure social-distance solution but also a time-saver; a candidate's experience and self-presentation skills may be showcased in a single, brief video introduction.

Why TikTok Might Not Always Work

Before incorporating TikTok into your recruitment strategy, there are some things to consider that might impact the efficiency of the platform.

Candidates Might Not See Your Videos

TikTok selects "For You" videos based on the videos a user has liked, shared, rewatched, or commented on. It also displays videos to users depending on their location, so employing location-based hashtags can help you get your videos in front of users in the places you wish to target. This is advantageous in that you do not require TikTok users to follow your organization in order to be viewed. However, because the content is so specific and targeted, it may not be seen by applicants at all.

TikTok Users Aren’t Always Looking For A Job

While some job searchers may utilize TikTok for career advice, the majority of TikTok users are not seeking employment possibilities. On the contrary, some users may find it awkward to receive job-related messages on TikTok.

However, consumers have expressed interest in job advice-focused material. In addition to publishing job openings, this might be an area where organizations can focus a portion of their content strategy for brand recognition.

Applicable Only For A Younger Audience

TikTok has the potential to assist in attracting talent, but it's important to keep in mind that the platform has a higher concentration of younger users. TikTok may not be the best choice if you're in search of senior management talent. It's possible that older workers are a better fit for some industries. If you're going to spend time advertising positions on TikTok, you should first ask yourself if the position is a suitable fit for a younger audience.

Conclusion

There's no doubt that there are advantages and disadvantages to using TikTok as part of your recruitment strategy. That being said, there is little to lose by giving it a try; the worst-case scenario is losing some time. Think about who you are trying to recruit before you use it, and make sure to consider all relevant factors. It's not the best platform to test out if the majority of your recruits are over the age of 40, but it's worth experimenting. if you also recruit young, dynamic, and talented individuals.

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