Job postings on platforms like Indeed and Linked In are so last year. Want to know what it’s really like to work at a company, get hired, or even laid off from one? Head over to TikTok. Along with viral dance moves or videos of zen dogs doing down dog, you’ll find work related advice videos that range from what to ask in a job interview (“What would you like to see change at your company?”) to how companies are letting people go.
CEOs and other C-suite execs are being shamed by humiliating TikTok videos of employees being unceremoniously let go. Once upon a time, the shame of this moment was felt by the person being laid off. Now TikTok lets the soon-to-be unemployed person flip the switch and show shameful ways executives are wielding the axe – suddenly the sharp cuts hit their own leg. Ouch. Unaccustomed to this kind of unflattering transparency, the companies themselves are now using TikTok to show that it’s great to work at their place! It’s as if, when the flamethrowers start to land their barbs, it’s better not to run and hide, but to jump into the pool and start swimming.
Companies Are Using TikTok to Lure Candidates
Want the real scoop on what it’s like to work at some of the big Fortune 500 companies like Google and Deloitte? Head to TikTok, where career advice is flowing like nonalcoholic craft beer. TikTok has eclipsed traditional job platforms, with 2.6 million posts with the hashtag #WorkLife Forbes reports. Even more surprising? Many of these videos showing what it’s like to work at companies are being posted by the companies themselves, in the hopes of luring new talent from the current crop of college students sending their resumes into inboxed and Linking In like it’s a sport.
The latest company to make it all a bit easier to navigate is Handshake, the job platform favored by college students seeking to find a match. Handshake has now launched a social media feed that helps prospective employers show what it’s like to work at their company, to a generation that grew up on social media, videos and is not known to love to read long job descriptions. Garrett Lord, Handshake’s cofounder and CEO, hopes the platform, told Forbes he hopes the new feature will “level the information playing field.”
One wonders if the leveling is on the side of the companies or the candidates. (We are guessing the companies, since the candidates and their peers already own TikTok.) Up until now vast majority of those videos are posted by Gen-Z’ers offering advice to others. It’s no biggie that the production values are like a phone call between friends, sometimes from a bedroom, other times from behind the wheel, or getting ready for work. These are young people who have grown up living in short-form videos, snippets from their days (and nights) posted from their phones – so why should work be any different?
How to Ace the Interview
TikTok is rife with videos on how to ace your job interview, questions to ask, and ways to stand out. One such video coaches applicants, when the interviewer asks: “Do you have any questions?” never say no! Instead, the best way to answer with a stumper: “What is one thing that you would change about your company that you work for?”
“This question is going to take them back every time, because not many people ask them. But they will come up with an answer,” says @shesintimidating founder Jess. Only a robot would say “Nothing!” If you’re comfortable putting the interviewer back on her heels, this is a great question. She also advises that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Jess also recommends: “Is there anything missing on my resume that would prevent me from moving forward with this position? And they may let you know what it is. Now you get to plead your case.” She has great pointers on how to ace your job interview and land that coveted job!
How to get more PTO
One of the most popular types of work advice on TikTok is how to score more PTO by hacking the existing vacation day calendar that most companies adhere to, since these are national holidays like Memorial Day, Presidents’ Day and Fourth of July. @FarahSharghi uses a calendar and pointing to show how to use just 12 of vacation days to get 39 full days away from the office.
Send over your favorite #WorkLife TikTok videos and creators, and we will repost them. Made one? Share it with The Advice Pages and help us all get smarter, together.
Leave a Reply