They cater our For You Pages without warning, overrunning our feeds with content we didn’t ask for (but secretly wanted), and continually feed us videos that tap into our slightest interest, making us scroll further and further. If you’re a social media connoisseur, then you’ll probably know what I’m hinting at— TikTok. However, there is another realm beyond just culture and entertainment that this app is entering— the job market. Yes, that is correct, TikTok is now enhancing their platform into becoming a channel for job recruitment with TikTok Resumes.

This past July, TikTok launched their pilot program TikTok Resumes. This built off of the trend in career and job-related creative content collectively known as #CareerTok. By posting a short video resume, users could directly apply for entry to senior level positions with major brands like Alo Yoga, Chipotle, and Target. Users are highly encouraged to creatively showcase their experience and skillset in explaining why they are fit for a certain role, alongside posting their videos with the hashtag #TikTokResumes.

Even before TikTok Resumes, employers have used the platform to recruit and interview junior talent. Creative communications agency Day One launched a social campaign called #CreativeSinceDayOne, where former Senior Creative Director Fritz Bacon asked candidates to show why they would be the best fit for a creative apprenticeship with the agency. From this call to action, Bacon’s video got more than 300,000 views across social channels and more than 700 entries were submitted through Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. The agency interviewed ten people and hired two apprentices last year. One even stayed on to become a full-time creative coordinator at Day One.

Day One isn’t the only agency using TikTok to find talent. Creative communications firm Small Girls PR held interviews in real-time with Miranda Belanger after she posted a TikTok explaining why working with them is her dream job. The video gained more than 176,000 views and even made an appearance on TikTok’s For You page. Eight videos were exchanged between Belanger and Small Girls, which received 264,000 views, 50,000 likes, 1,500 comments, and 6,000 shares. Even though the firm did not have an opening for Belanger’s level of experience, they do accept applications on a rolling basis and are flexible when opportunities arise.

TikTok Resumes only became live in July 2021, yet the tool has already influenced the future of hiring and how employers can reach the next generation of job applicants. For job seekers already on TikTok like me, it’s a great way to creatively and authentically stand apart from the crowd, especially considering how we are competing against many hundreds of others. For employers, this approach is an opportunity to give candidates an equitable experience in landing a job and gaining visibility with the young and rising workforce.

In that light, here are some ways employers can approach the platform for hiring future talent.

1. Make a TikTok talking about a job opportunity with your brand

Let’s start off simple. It’s the same idea as if you were to post a job opening on your website or LinkedIn. Job applications can be long, confusing, and even boring. So it’s nice to have someone who is excited about the opening to explain what they are looking for in the posted role. Typically, companies would have one of their employees introduce the position with questions such as, “Looking for a new job in 2021.” Then they would talk about the role on a high level and what skills, hard and soft, are needed from applicants.

2. Hold an interview over TikTok

Interviewing through TikTok can quickly tell employers how well a candidate can succinctly answer a question and their personality. However, it cannot show how well candidates can think on the spot, since the back-and-forth replies give them time to plan their response.

3. Partner with #Careertok influencers to create videos about your brand’s job opportunities

There is already a huge pool of creators making career-related content for job seekers! They have the audience that employers are looking for, so why not tap into what’s already there? It makes talent finding a lot less stressful.

4. Have employees talk about their job and the company culture from their perspective.

Gen Z grew up watching vlogs, especially “Day In My Life” videos. Now that this generation is entering the workforce, most of them are starting to watch these videos from the perspectives of Digital Marketers, Marketing Managers, and even Social Media Managers. So rather than asking them to come to you, why not go to them? Companies should meet where the talent is at and have one of their employees share their experience. People are more interested in hearing someone’s story, especially Gen Z who is all about brands forming genuine and authentic connections with them.

As someone who spent my entire last semester of senior year applying to jobs, I understand the stress and anxiety the intense experience brings out. Job openings were decreasing, and competition was increasing. Even though more remote opportunities became available, this also meant there was more competition, making standing out with a one-page resume and cover letter much much harder.

With TikTok Resumes, job-seekers like me are easily able to showcase their personality and enthusiasm for a role, traits often impossible to communicate with the traditional job submission process. Companies struggling to hire junior talent should take a stab at TikTok Resumes. It offers a comprehensive pool of job seekers ultimately helping brands discover creative, eager talent that otherwise may have gone unseen.