You can kiss cover letters and paper resumés goodbye because the future of job applications is 30-second TikTok video.
The video-sharing app has just launched its new TikTok Resumes program, where users can create video applications promoting themselves, their past work experience and their lengthy list of skills to U.S. employers. Job seekers can browse job listings on TikTok’s website, where they’ll find over thirty brands, including big names like Chipotle, Target and the Detroit Pistons, all accepting the video CVs. All you have to do is create a video resume and post it with the hashtag #TikTokResumes, then when applying for a particular job opening via TikTok’s website, users will be asked to drop the link to their TikTok video.
“We’re humbled to be able to partner with some of the world’s most admired and emerging brands as we pilot a new way for job seekers to showcase their experiences and skillsets in creative and authentic ways,” Nick Tran, TikTok’s global head of marketing, said in a statement. #CareerTok is already a thriving subculture on the platform, and we can’t wait to see how the community embraces TikTok Resumes and helps to reimagine recruiting and job discovery.”
TikTok is overflowing with life hacks and advice (some helpful and some a bit misguided), from how to achieve the perfect bikini wax at home to stock and financial advice to, as Tran mentions above, how to land a job. The hashtag #CareerTok has 64 million views with a slew of videos featuring users offering tips on how to craft a standout cover letter, what font you should use on your resume and questions to ask during a job interview.
Additionally, the impact TikTok has had on digital marketing really cannot be understated. As we’ve written in the past, brands and organizations like the NBA, Chipotle and Target are creating appealing, on-trend content while partnering with popular influencers on the video-sharing app that’s driving sales and brand awareness. The current arbiter of trends, TikTok has sold out entire skincare lines, makeup products and pairs of leggings. There are popular TikTok accounts solely devoted to reviewing and recommending Amazon products. Some brands are even now noting a product’s TikTok virality in its item description. To not be on TikTok is simply a bad marketing strategy.
So while news of #TikTokResumes might sound like a silly concept, it’s a natural progression for the app, arguably the most influential platform at the moment for businesses and users looking to make brand partnerships or connections that might lead to job prospects. And for Gen-Z, advertising themselves to potential employers via video might be much more beneficial for them, as they have the best understanding of how digital media works. Plus if it eliminates the excruciating burden of having to write a cover letter, I’m game.
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