As companies continue to expand their recruitment marketing efforts in new and novel ways, one direction many hiring professionals are curious about is TikTok for recruitment.
TikTok is an entertainment platform fueled by community and culture. Many creators on TikTok are there to create content about entertainment, sports, fashion, music, lifestyle – and even the workplace and recruitment.
With TikTok’s easy to use and built-in creation tools, creators can organically create content for their audiences to engage with. In the recruitment marketing space, this can be a new way to engage and discover candidates, as well as an avenue for job seekers who are looking to explore new career opportunities and employer culture.
TikTokers are looking to connect by creating shared experiences, which means that content is not heavily branded or exceptionally professional. However, with this social media platform being the most downloaded app globally in 2020 and 2021 (with 3 billion downloads), it’s definitely an app for recruitment professionals to consider.
If hiring professionals are wondering how they can benefit from TikTok and if the platform is right for them, read on to “Talk the Tok.”
TikTok: The Basics
TikTokers create content that’s vertical in format and stick to short-form content. For users, they scroll up and down to view content on their “For You” page, which is created by TikTok’s algorithm – which delivers content based on searches, views, likes, and engagement of previous content. This allows the “For You” page to be tailored to the user's interests.
Creating content for TikTok is slightly different from other social platforms, since shorter videos (between three and sixty seconds) typically do best. TikTokers can use the editing tools to pick from a library of filters, sound effects, and music to create fresh and engaging content. Also, users add hashtags to help other viewers navigate viral challenges, jokes, or trends – which can help with exposure.
There are three types of users to consider on TikTok: creators, audiences, and advertisers. Creators produce the content, audiences view the content, and advertisers use targeting to reach specific audiences based on likes, interests, locations, and more.
Reminder: A user does not need to be a creator to view this content – so if hiring professionals are interested in learning more, they can dive in and consume content right away.
The Benefits Of Using TikTok
There are many benefits for recruitment marketers, one of the biggest being that TikTok is a great way to humanize an organization – which can help make the brand easier to engage with.
When looking for ways to do brand storytelling, TikTok is helpful to build a brand’s digital presence and helps with awareness. With more and more people joining the growing platform, it’s a great way to engage with digital savvy audiences who a company might not have connected with otherwise.
Also, the platform is FREE to use!
The Impact Of TikTok On Recruitment Marketing
Many recruitment professionals wonder how this platform can affect the industry. However, it’s already made big waves in the space, with content being shared about:
- Employer review sharing
- Salary transparency has gone viral
- Employee experience content
- Employer branding videos
- Recruitment advertising opportunities
- Job seeker & recruiter engagement
These are all ways creators are talking about recruitment marketing NOW, not a trend to look out for in the future.
Creators And Employer Branding
With so many creators actively posting on the platform, three major areas of content recruiting professionals should know about are employer reviews, salary transparency, and employee content. Creators are going to create, and there’s nothing organizations can do to stop the content from being created. However, companies should be aware and monitor what is being said about them online – or understand what’s going on, what people are saying on the platform, and the impression shared to learn how this impacts companies.
Reminder: It’s not just negative content companies should be aware of; companies should focus on all the positive content created.
Source: @jessicadlam
How To Implement TikTok Into Recruitment Strategy
When adding TikTok into recruitment plans, there are a few avenues to do so: employer branding, recruitment advertising, and audience engagement. These videos aren’t meant to be formal, so no one in suits please! TikTok content is more casual, which allows companies to have a more humanized approach – so ensure participants in the videos are being themselves and creating content they are excited about.
Source: chili.piper
Tip: Hiring professionals don’t need to be content creators to accomplish this content. Companies can reach out to a marketplace and hire creators to help create the content to promote – but first, ask employees internally if there are any brand ambassadors that would be interested.
If hiring professionals are interested in adding TikTok into their recruitment strategies, a great way to start is with advertising – so companies can target and pilot on a smaller scale. Look at the hiring needs, the market, the competitors, past hiring analytics, and build a strategy from there. Hiring professionals then can test the response on videos, which can help companies strategize before they fully launch – or they can decide if it’s worth the investment.
Check out how Recruitics helped CVS Health launch successful Lead Generation campaigns on TikTok!
Tips For Recruitment Marketers
When building a campaign plan for TikTok, hiring professionals should include hashtags (which can help reach relevant audiences), post relevant content regularly, and share what makes the organization unique. Other things to keep in mind include:
- Sharing the company’s brand story, purpose, and mission to engage with the audience and showcase what makes it special.
- Hiring professionals MUST keep in mind that this is not a job platform. Users are looking to be entertained, not to apply for a job. No one wants to go from watching a video to filling out an application that’s 45 minutes long.
- Companies cannot control the “For You” page, so understand that the content a company puts out may not always reach the exact audience they’re seeking. However, this can help amplify the brand.
- Candidates are influenced by people they know/trust – so create engaging content to help build and foster that trust.
- Job seekers might not initially think of a company, but this can help introduce the company to a pool of passive candidates.
- This platform might not be the right fit for every company, so ensure hiring professionals evaluate the hiring needs to see if it fits.
- If companies do not use video in recruitment already, they might not be ready to jump into TikTok yet – but companies can begin to strategize immediately!
Moving Forward
With a massive global audience actively consuming content on TikTok, it’s a no-brainer to see if it can be beneficial to add to recruitment strategies. If organizations are not widening their horizons in social space, they’ll miss out on many candidates who are on attractive channels. TikTok is a hot topic right now, and it’s best to be educated on all aspects so hiring professionals can make the right decision for their company and hiring needs.
If recruitment professionals are still contemplating if this platform is worth it, consider this: is it worth it to miss out on a channel with over one billion active users worldwide?
If your company is looking to add TikTok to its recruitment marketing strategy, feel free to reach out to Recruitics for help!
