How the TikTok Generation is Redefining Hiring

Walk onto any college campus, or browse your favorite Gen Z social media platform, and it's easy to see that the way we hire has dramatically shifted. The "TikTok Generation" (created by short-form content, authenticity, and social awareness) is entering the workforce with values and expectations that differ significantly from those of Millennials and Gen X.

For businesses, understanding this shift is much more than simply recognizing youth culture; it is creating a new vision for hiring.

This Generation of Young People Are Redefining the Career Rules
Young people today are growing up in a world of algorithms that reward creativity, relatability, and transparency. They have watched how regular people have become influencers, entrepreneurs, or activists literally overnight by telling their story and being innovative. Thus, young people in the workforce tend to think about jobs less as a series of rungs on a career ladder and more as a platform to express themselves, learn, and find purpose.

Young people tend to believe in a flat organizational structure. They prefer to grow laterally as opposed to vertically, and they want to work for organizations that promote diversity, provide for ongoing education, and allow employees to work in a variety of styles.

While salary is still very important to the TikTok Generation when deciding which organization to apply to, these young people place equal importance on authenticity and whether there are shared values between the young person and the organization.

Reimagining Job Descriptions and How Businesses Communicate During Applications
Job postings written in traditional business jargon with lengthy lists of required skills do little to attract this younger generation. The TikTok crowd wants clearly communicated, conversational messages that describe job opportunities as if they were invitations rather than assessments. Organizations will benefit from:

• Writing job postings using simple, friendly language that describes a company's culture rather than its corporate image.
• Writing job postings that focus on "what does success look like?" as opposed to strict qualifications.
• Creating short videos or day-in-the-life videos to be displayed along with job postings in order to connect with candidates on a human level prior to the initial interview.

The Rise of Alternative Recruitment Channels in a Video-Based World
The traditional hiring pipeline is becoming much wider than LinkedIn, career boards, etc. Social media and YouTube platforms such as TikTok are becoming de facto job marketplaces where companies tell their stories through short, creative formats. Brands such as Duolingo, Ryanair, and Shopify have made their workplace cultures go viral by demonstrating how recruitment marketing can exist natively within these channels.

Therefore, for companies seeking to recruit talent from the TikTok Generation, this means testing out areas where these young adults currently spend time and using short video storytelling to describe what it is like to be part of a company.

Organizations that develop content that is entertaining and educational (as opposed to selling) create credibility and interest with the TikTok Generation naturally.

Employer Branding as Community Building
The TikTok Generation views a brand as a personality and expects workplaces to model the same type of openness and dialogue that exists online. Therefore, building an authentic employer brand is not accomplished through scripted campaign communications, but through consistently visible values.

Employees become micro-ambassadors through behind-the-scenes videos, Q&A sessions, and open dialogues about successes, failures, and everything in between.

While there is a risk involved in this type of open communication, the TikTok Generation responds to it positively. Companies that foster a culture of co-creation (engaging employees in providing feedback, promoting diverse voices, and engaging employees in dialogue) build community and not simply candidate pipelines.

Adapting to the New Hiring Rhythm
Organizations that are successful in this new landscape of recruiting treat hiring less like a transaction, and more like a dialogue. Organizations are merging marketing with Human Resources—thus recruitment marketing, embracing storytelling, and moving quickly to respond to changing trends while continuing to communicate a meaningful message.

While the TikTok Generation may want shorter videos and faster response times, at the heart of this desire is a deep need for substance. They want to work for organizations that educate, empower, and engage. The challenge - and the opportunity - for organizations is to meet them with the same level of creativity and authenticity that defines the platforms upon which they grew.