Why the TikTok Generation Demands a Shift in Employer Branding and Recruiting
There’s a generational divide playing out right now in HR and people ops departments around the world, and the implications are serious.
Companies are competing fiercely for top talent. Recent data from Jobvite found that 48% of large enterprises and 63% of SMBs can’t find enough quality candidates for their open positions, while 57% of recruiters believed hiring new employees would be challenging in 2024. Both small startups and large enterprises are fighting to get talented employees in the door, win them over during the recruiting process, and retain them for the long term.
But are recruiting teams up to the task?
Today’s HR and employer branding leaders entered the workforce 15–20 years ago. This inevitably means that they grew up in a world with different technologies and media habits. When Gen Xers and baby boomers began their careers, they were responding to lengthy written job descriptions. They were introduced to companies with slick, generic branding videos. For the most part, they had a hard time getting a sense of what it would actually be like to work at a given company.
Try relying on that Gen X and baby boomer strategy with the generation that’s just now graduating and entering the workforce — at best, you’re going to miss out on opportunities to recruit top talent. At worst, you’re going to become a meme.
Today’s businesses need to meet the next generation of jobseekers where they are and take a new approach to employer branding.
Embracing a changing media environment
When we look at the generational shift from boomers and Gen X to millennials and Gen Z, the most significant aspect for recruiting and EB is the changing media environment. Gen X grew up in an era of primetime television, global celebrities, and the earliest days of social media networks. Gen Z spent their high school and university years in a completely different media environment — one dominated by platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
The differences between those two media diets are vast, and it’s worth diving into the details.
What makes the Gen Z media environment different:
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These differences add up to a crisis for employer brand leaders. Recruitment videos of the past have been long, highly produced, and one-size-fits-all — the exact opposite of what Gen Z jobseekers now expect.
How should companies adjust? By accepting the new rules of engagement and developing EB content that matches the standard set by TikTok and Instagram.
Work within the system
Today’s companies should view TikTok as a standard worth working towards. Short-form, user-generated video offers companies the opportunity to talk to potential employees in the language and medium that they clearly prefer.
Tools like Vouch make it easy for employees to create their own short-form video that can then be used in employer branding, recruitment, and other moments in the employee lifecycle. By following the example set by TikTok and Instagram, businesses don’t just make their EB content shorter — they make it more compelling and more specific.
There’s a direct comparison to be made here with how social media caused a shift from global stars to micro-celebrities. A decade ago, a company would put its CEO front and center in recruitment campaigns and use those videos to attract everyone from entry-level employees to directors and vice presidents. But a college graduate looking for their first job probably doesn’t care as much about who their CEO is and what their soaring vision is for the future; they want to know who they’re going to be working with on a day-to-day basis and what it’s actually like to work at the company.
A user-friendly employer branding tool means you can scale your content horizontally. Instead of spending thousands on one video, you can create content for each team that’s hiring or each role you’re filling. It’s more specific and more compelling, just like a good TikTok or Instagram Reel.
Which companies need to move quickly?
No company is immune to having to compete for talent, but some brands undoubtedly have it easier than others. Fast-paced startups or tech leaders like Google and Apple will always carry a certain amount of excitement with job seekers, and they might not feel the need to go all-in on employee-generated content.
The situation is much more pressing for older, larger brands that are less associated with innovation. What impression does a Gen Z job seeker have when they get recruited by JPMorgan or Macy’s? What about firms that are known to be tougher on young employees, like EY or Goldman Sachs?
These are the companies that could see a serious benefit from democratizing their EB content. By following the example of a good TikTok micro celebrity, and by making employer brand videos authentic and accessible, these companies can start to win over young talent and reestablish themselves with the next generation of employees.