Why TikTok Is Better Than LinkedIn

It's a bold statement, but it's true.

Going off numbers alone, TikTok boasts a volume of 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, compared to LinkedIn's 800 million. You might point out that these two platforms have fundamentally different purposes, but when has that stopped businesses from using social media as a tool for recruitment? It's happened before on a large scale, and this is only the beginning.

As with most social media platforms, TikTok's intentions were simple enough: to shoot very short clips of people singing, dancing, and telling stories. The idea of a platform where people, especially young people, can create entertaining "micro-content" that's easy to produce harkens back to the popularity of Vine, which shut down in 2017. The platform let you upload 6-second videos and immediately became a favorite for many content creators, eventually reaching 200 million active users worldwide. Now, TikTok is its successor, transcending what Vine did in amassing a large audience for quick-hit content, with the app hitting the 1 billion mark this year.

Why are these apps popular? It's simple: these apps, especially TikTok, value and showcase creativity and authenticity, which younger generations flock to. You can use your favorite songs, hop on a joke, and remix other people's content to make something even funnier and relatable. The way young adults have co-opted the app and turned it into an online diary that they all share with a billion people worldwide has made it the premier destination for engaging content.

So, while you're out job hunting online, keep in mind how TikTok is the best place to find your ideal workplace for two reasons. First, if a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the story one can tell with a 30-second video. Think of it this way: when businesses use TikTok for social recruitment, they know how to introduce themselves to prospective employees in a personal way, as TikTok itself is an app often used for storytelling. What better way to acquaint yourself with a company than its unique, casual side where you can watch a short video of an employee sharing their work experience?

Because, yes, people do that. Among these 1 billion monthly active users are employees who already use TikTok as an avenue to share the ins and outs of their daily lives, including their workplace. You'll see people walking their audience through a day in their lives, talking about their personal experiences and answering questions about their jobs. Hell, the biggest brands you know have adopted a "humanized" approach to their branding and are already on TikTok interacting with their audience on a casual level—that's how you know they've mastered the art of remaining authentic yet knowing how to communicate.

This brings me to reason number two. The rise of this kind of content stems from the younger generation's need for authenticity. Millennials and Gen Zers (like you) know when they're being advertised to, and they don't like it. In fact, they're more than happy to call you out on it if it doesn't align with their sensibilities. These generations crave the "real," and TikTok has proven itself to be the digital homestead of realism among the youth. Combine the inescapable popularity of micro-content with the unflinching authenticity of people sharing their stories, jokes, troubles—it's a lightning in a bottle environment for matchmade employment prospects. It has paved the way for a new communication style from the employer to the prospective employee. These generations respond to creative and humorous retellings of experiences, none of that stiff, polished advertising style that's considered tired and dated—and that's supplemented with TikTok's unique algorithm that functions on the axiom that authentic content is what gets the most traction.

It's a no-brainer that social recruitment is a powerhouse method of finding the perfect people for businesses, especially now that we live in a near-fully digital world. As TikTok keeps on growing, it'll become a litmus test for authentic companies who know how to communicate to people in a way that genuinely speaks to them because TikTok is a whole new ballgame that's turned recruitment on its head.

We all want to be part of a team that has a purpose, right?