While TikTok may be famous for its subcultures and meme-creating power, it’s also a space young tech users go to for practical life advice and support. TikTok is planning to leverage this behaviour by testing out how it can be a more formal careers hub, allowing its audience to connect with businesses for career opportunities, and for businesses to post job listings. According to TikTok data, videos tagged #careersadvice recorded 80 million daily views between the start of 2021 and mid-February, indicating how its audience is using the platform. Part of the pilot programme involves TikTokkers responding to job listings with short video CVs, doing away with traditional resume practices and making the most of a format and media Gen Zers are native to. 

This comes at a time when Gen Zers are looking to re-write the rulebook on their employment prospects. The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds Americans with a job plummeted by 9.5 points because of the pandemic. Fed up with traditional roles and routes into the job market, the aspiration amongst this cohort is to find jobs that provide autonomy and meaning, tapping into their passions. As the creator economy and side hustling grows and diversifies, user-generated content is a normalised skillset for Gen Zers, with short, sharp, and tightly edited videos the go-to form of self-expression. Platforms like College Cash recognise the value of this new form of labour, offering students a way out of debt in exchange for their content. 

Jared Tanna is a Senior Cultural Analyst who works in the Cultural Intelligence team. He has a background in qualitative research, specialising in creative development and brand strategy. When he’s not badgering people for their opinions, you can find him reading, analysing, and (sometimes) writing screenplays.