“No!”, you are saying.
I can practically hear the collective shout.
Most of us with any HR or recruiting experience feel the same way at first when it comes to any change. We like our processes, our tech stack, and our routines—they are comfortable. We do not want another platform to follow, strategically engage with, or—let’s be honest—learn how to navigate. Especially TikTok.
But at some point, recruiters, HR departments, and businesses need to understand that they are not really in control anymore.
Sure, you are in control of who gets the job, but that only comes from those who actually applied. So, whatever the market, the candidate holds the cards. If you only have 4–5 candidates willing to go through your process, then you only get to choose the best of the 4–5—or forgo filling the role for who knows how long. But, if you open yourself up to changing your post-and-pray processes, you can double, triple, and beyond your candidate pool. And—statistically speaking—if you have more candidates to choose from, you are going to increase the likelihood of finding the right candidate. Not just the best of the few.
So if the process (post and pray, referrals, third-party agency recruiting) you are adhering to because it is easy for you or it is what you have always done is not producing the results you want, you need to reflect on what needs to and can actually change. Maybe TikTok resumes aren’t in your immediate future but this isn’t really about TikTok.
This is about being open to radical change so you can meet your prospective candidates where they are at.
No longer are the masses willing to follow your antiquated processes just for the sake of a job. There are lots of opportunities out there, from traditional work to freelancing, entrepreneurship, influencing, etc. Stop treating your company, career opportunities, and application process like you have the upper hand. You don’t.