TikTok: Formats, Strategies and Why it Matters

TikTok Recruiting? Really?

Yes, really. Recruiting on TikTok is becoming a powerful way to engage Gen Z and early-career professionals. With its huge global reach, the platform holds significant untapped potential for talent acquisition.

As traditional platforms lose appeal with younger audiences, TikTok’s influence continues to grow. What started as a consumer entertainment app has become a place where people explore careers, learn about employers and discover opportunities in ways that feel natural, visual and human.

For talent acquisition teams, the challenge is no longer whether TikTok belongs in the recruitment mix, but how to use it with intention. Content formats, creative choices and governance all play a role, especially when campaigns need to scale. This is where structure and technology, including platforms like Adway, start to make a real difference.

Why TikTok Recruiting Matters

TikTok stands out for its ability to connect with younger audiences around the world. Nearly 92% of Gen Z use TikTok for career advice, and 46% say they’ve landed jobs through the platform. TikTok is also the fastest-growing social recruiting platform, with activity up 210% year-on-year.

Ignoring TikTok means missing out on audiences who value authenticity and creative expression. Unlike LinkedIn, where content tends to be formal, TikTok content is driven by real, relatable stories. Brands like Chipotle have found success by sharing behind-the-scenes employee videos, which improve engagement and boost employer brand credibility.

To make the most of TikTok’s algorithms, recruiters should focus on short, visually engaging videos. Posting regularly is key to staying discoverable. Adway supports these efforts by helping TA teams design structured campaigns that optimise over time.

Creative Formats and Strategy

TikTok offers native formats suited for recruiting, including in-feed videos, duets, stitches, and hashtag challenges. These features make it easy to reach users in ways that feel natural and platform-specific.

Using trending audio, strong opening hooks, and user-generated content or employee videos can help boost engagement. Viral challenges such as NowHiring add a fun and shareable layer, increasing exposure and visibility.

One common pitfall is forgetting to follow current TikTok trends or missing simple steps like adding captions. Since many users browse in silent mode, captions can make or break your video. Regularly checking tools like the TikTok Creative Centre can help keep ideas fresh and on trend.

Adway enables a focused and data-informed approach to this creative work. With built-in analytics for testing and improving different content styles, TA teams can adapt campaigns quickly to what works best.

Paid TikTok Recruiting Campaigns

TikTok's ad platform gives recruiters access to more than 1.59 billion users globally. The average conversion rate for TikTok ads ranges between 1.1% and 2.4%, offering a practical route to reach and attract candidates.

Successful TikTok recruitment ads act as creative campaigns rather than straightforward job posts. Tools like audience targeting, lookalikes, and lead-form integration help teams connect with the most relevant candidates and improve results.

Over-targeting or running static, unchanging campaigns can limit reach and performance. Starting with broad interests and refining through lookalike modelling tends to deliver better outcomes. Key metrics like view-through rate and CTR allow recruiters to adjust campaigns quickly.

Adway gives TA teams the tools they need to manage and enhance these moving parts. This keeps campaigns responsive, creative, and aligned with recruitment goals.

Risks and Compliance

Like any platform, TikTok presents challenges. Content can come across as inauthentic or off-brand if not handled carefully, impacting how candidates see your company. There are also ongoing concerns around privacy and data security.

Recruitment messaging must always reflect non-discrimination standards and align with your employer brand. Making sure content stays within legal and compliance frameworks is essential for protecting both reputation and reach.

Set clear content guidelines and review processes. This is key to staying aligned with advertising laws and regional data privacy rules. Adway helps manage these risks by giving teams tools to support compliant targeting and messaging at every step.

Scaling TikTok Recruiting with Adway

Adway provides the core infrastructure needed to scale TikTok recruiting across multiple markets and campaigns. From managing creative versions to campaign rollout and optimisation, Adway helps TA teams unlock the full potential of the platform.

With seamless integrations into existing job distribution systems, Adway automates everything from lead form capture to ATS handover. This removes manual steps and supports continuous testing with real-time analytics to adjust fast in changing talent markets.

For recruiters who want to build high-impact campaigns at speed, Adway’s social recruiting technology is the key. It keeps campaigns fresh, compliant, and scalable, without adding complexity.

FAQs

Is TikTok recruiting only suitable for entry-level roles?

No. While TikTok is highly effective for early-career and graduate hiring, it is not limited to entry-level roles. With the right targeting and creative approach, TikTok can support hiring across functions such as technology, retail management, customer operations and even specialist roles. The key is aligning content style and messaging with the audience you want to reach, rather than assuming one format fits all roles.

Do recruitment videos need to be polished or professionally produced?

No. In fact, overly polished videos often underperform on TikTok. The platform favours content that feels natural, authentic and engaging. Employee-recorded videos, informal storytelling and honest glimpses into day-to-day work tend to resonate far more than scripted corporate content. TikTok rewards content that holds attention and sparks interaction, not production quality for its own sake.

How quickly can TikTok recruiting campaigns be scaled?

TikTok campaigns can scale quickly when performance data is used correctly. Initial results often appear within days, allowing teams to identify which creatives and audiences are working. With Adway’s automation and real-time performance insights, recruiters can increase spend on high-performing campaigns, adjust targeting and refresh content without rebuilding workflows. This makes it possible to move from testing to scale within a short timeframe.

How do recruiters measure success beyond views and likes?

Views and engagement are only starting points. Meaningful TikTok recruiting success is measured through actions such as click-through rates, completed applications, cost per applicant and progression quality within the ATS. Adway connects TikTok activity directly to downstream hiring data, helping teams understand which campaigns contribute to real hiring outcomes rather than surface-level engagement.

What are the biggest mistakes recruiters make on TikTok?

Common mistakes include reposting content designed for other platforms, ignoring current trends, over-targeting too early and treating TikTok ads like traditional job postings. Another frequent issue is lack of structure: running campaigns without clear goals, testing frameworks or performance tracking. TikTok recruiting works best when creativity is paired with data and consistent optimisation.

How does Adway support TikTok recruiting specifically?

Adway provides the structure behind TikTok recruiting. It supports campaign setup, creative testing, targeting optimisation and performance measurement, while integrating directly with ATS and job distribution systems. This allows recruiters to run TikTok as part of a broader social recruiting strategy, without adding manual workload or losing visibility into results.