In this age, everything is going electronic. For example, digital currencies are becoming increasingly popular and paper money may become nonexistent in the distant future. Additionally, the pandemic has taught the world that working and conferencing through a computer is perfectly achievable. So, it shouldn’t be a shock that there is a possibility people may no longer need to submit a paper but rather video resumes when applying for jobs.
TikTok is currently one of the biggest video-sharing apps on the internet. This summer, it decided to try a pilot program to help users find jobs. The program started on July 7th where “employers advertise open roles on the video app and invite young job-seekers to create a video resume,”. TikTok partnered up with many companies such as “Chipotle, Target, WWE, Alo Yoga, Shopify, Contra, Movers+Shakers,” and more to help those with their job search. Users can apply for the positions by creating their own resume and posting it with #Tiktokresumes. The pilot program instantly became popular as in the first two days, “Users submitted 800 video resumes”.
This pilot program may not be as helpful for the older generations but will be an amazing stepping stone for the younger generation to get more out of TikTok besides its funny and relatable content. An abundance of young teens log into the app every day and are learning video editing skills for fun so, this provides a productive way to put their skills to the test. The pandemic has made it harder for younger people to find jobs thus this gives them the opportunity to find possibly their first career in a creative way.
Ryan, a social media expert from Tree Frog Social says, “The success of this program is great for all the users that got to participate in it, especially those that had their applications accepted, but it was also great for TikTok as a platform. Regular or potential users seeing that they can gain some kind of career status by spending time on TikTok is a genius way to increase traffic. It’s likely we’ll see other social media platforms try similar programs.”
This pilot program is not the only way the social media app is helping the younger members of society with their job search. For instance, if none of those partnerships caught someone’s attention there are other ways to take advantage of the site for careers. As TikTok’s Global Head of Marketing stated, “#CareerTok is already a thriving subculture on the platform,” with thousands of videos helping those with career-related questions”. #CareerTok has almost 75 million views of helpful topics in relation to the job industry, like answering interview questions, cover letter/resume prep, how to quit a job and so much more!
TikTok is not only for fun and recreation. It’s proving itself as a tool for the workforce that can be taken seriously. People can start or build careers on the site. While others can find other job prospects and have amazing foundations for the future. It will be remarkable to see what future video-sharing app has in store for the future of careers. The Global Head of Marketing can agree as they commented, “we can’t wait to see how the community embraces TikTok Resumes and helps to reimagine recruiting and job discovery”.