What is a TikTok resume?
A TikTok resume is a kind of video resume. It’s perfect if you’re applying for a job in modern industries like graphic design, charity/political campaigning, and fashion because you can showcase your skills while also applying for work.
TikTok became the most popular social media app in the world in 2020, surpassing Facebook and Instagram. In the US and UK, people now spend more time watching videos on TikTok than they do on YouTube.
Because of TikTok’s newfound popularity, the company launched a new TikTok resumes feature so that you can use TikTok to apply for jobs.
While their pilot program where you’d apply to job openings on TikTok’s website has ended for now, you can still create a TikTok resume and send it directly to employers. You can also keep an eye on TikTok’s newsroom to hear when their new resume program will start up.
Here’s how to create an effective TikTok resume.
How do you create a TikTok resume?
Making a TikTok resume is easy. Just follow these steps:
1. Set up a professional TikTok profile
Given you had the idea to make a TikTok resume, you likely already have a TikTok profile.
If you don’t, it’s easy to create one. Simply download the app from either the Apple Store or the Android store and follow the instructions.
If you do have a TikTok, it’s worth creating a separate TikTok profile for job applications. You may have unprofessional content in older TikToks that hiring managers shouldn’t see.
On your job-hunting TikTok account, you need a professional profile photo and video to show hiring managers you’re serious about the job opportunity. For your profile photo, pick a professional headshot. Something similar to your LinkedIn profile photo would be perfect.
For your profile video, make a short (30–60 s) clip. This video should be your virtual elevator pitch, highlighting your biggest accomplishments without targeting a particular job. Think of it like a resume profile, a generic resume introduction that you’d put on resumes you’re uploading to job sites for hiring managers to browse.
2. Decide the length of your TikTok resume
Once you’ve set up a professional TikTok profile, you can start thinking about how long your TikTok resume should be. TikTok offers three video lengths:
- 15 s
- 60 s
- 3 m
You slide the selector at the bottom of the page to decide which length you need:
Forget about the 15-s option — it’s too short for you to even introduce yourself. That leaves you with a choice of 60 s or 3 m (you don’t have to fill the entire timespan).
Similar to a one-page vs a two-page resume, use a 60-s TikTok resume if you’re a:
- recent graduate
- someone with less than 10 years of professional experience
Use a 3-m TikTok resume if you’re a:
- specialist with many technical skills to talk about
3. Consider using a different app to record your TikTok resume
Although the TikTok app is the best place to broadcast your resume, it’s not always the best app to use to record your video. Third-party apps like Boosted can help you add professional slides and backgrounds to your TikTok resume.
You can also use advanced TikTok video editors like Magisto to add professional transitions and other effects to your TikTok resume to showcase your IT skills. Highlighting that you’re a digital native is one of the main reasons you’re using a TikTok resume after all.
4. Record your TikTok resume professionally
When recording your TikTok resume, record it in a professional setting. Examples include:
- behind a desk
- in front of a whiteboard (you can add chart and infographics digitally later)
- in a private study room at a library or in your college
Make sure you’re somewhere where people won’t wander in and ruin your video. You also need to make sure the setting has no other background noises that could distract the hiring manager when they watch your video resume.
When you’re deciding what to wear, opt for the same type of clothing you’d wear to an interview. If you identify as a man, you might wear a full suit or just a shirt (with or without a tie) and a slack. If you identify as a woman, consider a formal dress or blouse with a slack or a skirt. If you’re nonbinary, you could wear any of these formal items of clothing.
5. Introduce your biggest relevant achievements and qualifications first
Just like a conventional resume, a TikTok resume needs to start with your most notable professional accomplishments.
On a traditional resume, your resume introduction grabs the hiring manager’s attention to keep them reading. On a TikTok resume, you need to achieve the same effect in the first part of your video. For example, you might say—
“Hello, my name is Imelda Lenin. I believe I’d be a great fit for the Digital Marketing Manager position at Crowne Digital because in my current role, I increased our website’s CTR by 47% in just six months by introducing a new content strategy.”
Note how this introduction includes hard numbers. Hard numbers provide context to your resume skills and achievements, so use them often in your TikTok resume.
6. Go into more depth about your background
After you’ve summarized your biggest accomplishments at the beginning of your TikTok, provide insight into your background to show hiring managers you’re the perfect person for the role.
These details should also be tied to hard numbers if possible, but you can talk about your relevant skills or passion for such work instead if you don’t have much experience.
And to showcase this information, you can even create charts or infographics and add them to your TikTok resume.
If you need a particular license for the role you’re applying for, mention these licenses and certifications in your resume video. Similarly, if the job listing requires a certain academic qualification, talk about your degree, just as you would mention it in a standard resume’s education section.
7. End with a convincing call to action
Once you’ve finished outlining why you’re the right person for the job—
- reiterate your interest
- provide your availability for an interview
- give the hiring manager your contact details
For example, you might say—
“Like I said, I think I’d make a great social media coordinator at [Company Name]. I’m happy to talk with you at any time about the position. You can get in touch with me at jemimapuddleton@gmail.com or (183) 047-1701. I look forward to hearing back from you!”
It’s worth adding your email address and phone number as visual elements of the TikTok, especially if you have an unusual name.
8. Add your (traditional) resume and cover letter
Once you’ve recorded, edited, and finalized your video, it’s time to write your traditional resume.
Including standard application documents alongside your TikTok resume is vital if the hiring manager hasn’t specifically asked for a TikTok resume, because they’ll want to scan your application quickly before deciding whether to devote the time and effort to watching your video.
And when a hiring manager wants to show their colleagues your application, it’s also less time consuming for them to hand out a copy of your paper resume than it is to sit them down to watch a video.
You should also write a cover letter that connects your experience and skills with the open job. A good cover letter doesn’t have to be long: A short cover letter can be less than 150 words and be as effective (or even more effective) than a longer one.
How to send your TikTok resume
Once your application is all ready, you can send it off in an email cover letter. Simply greet the hiring manager, introduce yourself, and say that you’ve attached your TikTok resume, conventional resume, and cover letter (just remember to actually attach them). Good luck!
