TikTok, TikTok...time’s up! The future of hiring is here - and it’s coming from one of today’s most influential social media companies. Is your company ready for it?

Social media giant TikTok has recently launched “TikTok Resumes”. The new platform is a pilot program dedicated to helping TikTok users expand their careers via video resumes. The company is viewing TikTok Resumes as an extension of their “College Ambassador” program, where they hired thousands of young, on-campus brand representatives for companies like Tinder and Bumble. While many are celebrating the opportunity a platform like this will bring to job seekers, others are more skeptical. There is a fear that TikTok Resumes might open the door to bias and unethical hiring practices.

TikTok for Hiring? I Thought TikTok Was for Dancing?

Think again! While TikTok users have been known to create silly videos that involve dancing or comedy sketches, some pockets of TikTok are proving to be informative and educational. The app has many different subcultures of users that hang out in different spaces within the app, and #CareerTok has proven to be a thriving community. That hashtag alone has over 64 million views! Members of the #CareerTok community have used it as a space to share interviewing tips, job advice, and work opportunities. Those following TikTok carefully shouldn’t be surprised at the birth of TikTok Resumes. It seems like a natural progression for the social media giant.

Pros

The best argument for TikTok Resumes is that candidates can express who they are in a very creative way. This is great, as job seekers are typically discouraged from doing this with their paper resumes. Content creators thrive on creativity, and this skill set is important for them to display to potential employers. It’s a great way for creative candidates to showcase their best assets.

This also benefits employers as they get access to an ocean of candidates that identify as “digital natives”. These candidates were born into a generation that has grown up with the Internet and social media as part of their everyday lives. Nearly 60% of TikTok users belong to Generation Z. This means that the majority of TikTok users are true digital natives. If you are looking for tech-savvy employees who can leverage incredible results from technology, then TikTok Resumes might be a wonderful hiring tool.

Cons

The biggest concern surrounding TikTok’s new pilot program is that judging applicants based on their videos will ultimately lead to some degree of discrimination. There is already real fear surrounding TikTok Resumes as many are noticing the inherent bias that will come from this hiring practice. By assessing candidates based on visual media like video, hiring managers are allowing themselves to reject candidates based on things like age, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Ageism is one major concern surrounding TikTok Resumes, as people over the age of 45 only make up a mere 14% of TikTok’s user base.

Additionally, many influencers and content creators are extroverted and unafraid of putting themselves out there for the world to see. Many strong applicants with incredible talents may not feel comfortable creating a video resume if they are more introverted or private. By relying on a platform like TikTok Resumes, hiring managers are searching for talent in a smaller pool of candidates. Also, resumes of any kind are notoriously unreliable. There are much better ways to assess candidates.

Is TikTok Hiring Worth It?

Our take? Maybe! At least with the right supplementary tools. We think that the idea of job candidates being able to demonstrate their creativity is important. “TikTok Resumes” has the potential to allow employers to source some great quality candidates. However, this practice will ultimately lead to hiring bias. Additionally, there is no science behind video resumes. While creativity is an important cognitive process, it’s certainly not the only one that matters. It’s difficult for hiring managers to gauge other essential cognitive abilities like verbal skills and numerical skills based solely on a video resume.

How Can I Use Bryq to Help?

This is where Bryq comes in! Our talent assessment software is backed by I-O psychology. It is a multi-measure test of both personality traits and cognitive abilities together. Multi-measure tests have the highest correlation with predicted job performance versus any other measure. Not only will our talent assessments help you successfully assess job applicants, but it will also help to eliminate bias throughout the hiring process. You're free to scout potential talent from TikTok if that works for your company. Just be sure to use Bryq to help you decide which candidates would be the best hires to make. Video resumes will never be a bias-free hiring method, but at least you'd be able to know if the candidate is a good fit for your company based on scientific data.

So go ahead and continue uploading your version of that viral TikTok dance while you let the Bryq candidate assessment results roll in. Leave all of the heavy lifting to us! Book a demo with us and let us show you how we work our hiring magic. If you have any questions, we are on call to help you through your trial.