Hey friend,
Remember when landing a job meant sending a perfectly formatted Word doc into the void and hoping someone would actually read past the first bullet point? Yeah, those days are officially over.
Here's the thing that nobody tells you after a layoff: traditional resumes are designed for people with linear careers. They favor the 10-year veteran who climbed one corporate ladder, not the hustler who pivoted three times during a pandemic, freelanced between gigs, or built a side business from nothing.
Enter the TikTok resume. And before you roll your eyes thinking this is just Gen Z nonsense, consider this: recruiters spend an average of just six seconds reviewing a traditional resume (The Interview Guys, July 2025) before deciding whether to proceed. You get exactly 60 seconds with a video resume—10x more attention than a PDF gets.
The numbers back this up. 20% of Gen Z job seekers have landed interviews through TikTok (The Interview Guys, July 2025). Not just views or likes—actual job interviews. And it's not just for social media managers anymore. Companies like Target, Chipotle, and Shopify have hired through video applications, from warehouse workers to engineers.
💔 Real Talk: When Your Resume Couldn't Tell Your Story
Meet Makena Yee, a college student from Seattle who'd been sending traditional applications for months with minimal response. Then she tried something different. She created a 60-second TikTok resume that racked up over 182,000 views (The Interview Guys, July 2025).
Here's what Makena tried first:
✔️ Perfected her one-page resume format
✔️ Tailored her cover letter to each application
✔️ Applied through company portals and LinkedIn
✔️ Followed up with HR departments
The result? Crickets. Or generic rejection emails weeks later.
Then she filmed herself on a green screen, outlining her qualifications while images of companies she'd worked for appeared behind her. She kept it simple and confident: "I'm driven with confidence, I love keeping organized, I'm adaptive and I'm a team player. Don't be shy, let's get in touch."
The video landed her more than 15 job leads (The Interview Guys, July 2025). Same qualifications. Same experience. Different format.
Similarly, Jade Walters struggled for months after graduating from Howard University, trying LinkedIn and Indeed to no avail (CNBC, July 2021). Her TikTok resume video garnered over 13,000 views and began generating actual interviews with recruiters.
🧠 Data-Driven Reality: The Shifting Job Application Landscape
The job search is fundamentally broken for anyone without a traditional career path. Here's what the data reveals:
The Traditional Application Crisis:
Only 25% of resumes make it past Applicant Tracking Systems (Novoresume, September 2025)
Less than 3% of sent resumes result in a job interview (Novoresume, September 2025)
40% of hiring managers allocate less than a minute per traditional resume (Zety, August 2025)
The Video Resume Advantage:
79% of hiring managers value video for vetting candidates (BBC via Enhancv, May 2025)
61% of job seekers view video as the future of cover letters (LinkedIn via Enhancv, May 2025)
59% of job candidates believe video resumes will soon become the new norm (Gallup via BambooHR, 2025)
Why Video Works: Video resumes bypass ATS systems that filter out perfectly qualified candidates based on keyword algorithms. They showcase personality, communication style, and cultural fit—the intangibles that actually matter in hiring decisions but are impossible to convey in bullet points.
Chipotle's recruitment video using TikTok increased job applicants by 7% (CVFormatter, February 2025), demonstrating that companies actively seeking video applications see measurable results.
The Brutal Truth: Your PDF resume is competing with 250 other identical-looking documents for every corporate job opening. Your video resume is competing with maybe 10-20 others—and most of those will be poorly executed.
📋 Practical Strategy: Creating Your 60-Second Career Pitch
Here's how to create a video resume that actually works, even if you've never been on camera:
1. Plan Your Content (10 minutes) Write a script covering:
Opening hook: Your name + the role you're targeting (5 seconds)
2-3 key qualifications relevant to your target roles (25 seconds)
One specific achievement with numbers (15 seconds)
Your unique value proposition (10 seconds)
Clear call to action with contact method (5 seconds)
2. Choose Your Style
Professional talking head: Clean background, business casual, direct address to camera (best for corporate roles)
Green screen showcase: Overlay images of your work, companies, or portfolio pieces while you narrate
Creative edit: Mix of b-roll, text overlays, and short speaking segments (best for creative industries)
Legally Blonde inspired: Inject personality with a creative concept (like Kalli Roberts did to land an internship at TikTok itself)
3. Set Up Your Recording Space
Find a quiet location with good natural light (face a window)
Use a neutral, uncluttered background
Position your phone at eye level (stack books if needed)
Test audio—clear sound beats perfect visuals
4. Film Multiple Takes Record 5-10 versions, experimenting with:
Different energy levels (aim for enthusiastic but authentic)
Varied pacing (not too rushed, not too slow)
Multiple first lines (the hook is everything)
5. Edit Strategically Free tools that work:
Canva Video Editor: Templates designed specifically for resumes, drag-and-drop interface
Clipchamp: Basic editing free, includes text overlays and transitions
CapCut: Popular with TikTok creators, intuitive mobile editing
Add:
Text overlays for key statistics or achievements
Captions for accessibility (critical—many recruiters watch without sound)
Subtle background music (keep it professional, not distracting)
Your LinkedIn URL and email address
6. Create Two Versions
Public version: No personal contact details, post with hashtags like #TikTokResumes, #OpenToWork, and industry-specific tags
Private version: Include direct contact information to send directly to recruiters and hiring managers
7. Distribution Strategy
Post on TikTok with relevant hashtags
Share on LinkedIn with context about your job search
Include the link in traditional applications ("Video resume available here")
Send directly to recruiters when you have a warm connection
Pro Tip: The first 3 seconds determine if anyone watches the full video. Start with your most impressive credential or achievement, not "Hi, my name is..."
🎯 Weekly Challenge: Your 60-Second Elevator Pitch (45 minutes)
This week, you're going to create the foundation for your video resume—even if you never film it, this exercise clarifies your value proposition.
Set a timer for 45 minutes and complete these steps:
Script your opening hook (5 min): Write 3 different first lines that lead with your biggest win or most relevant credential. Example: "I increased sales by 40% at my last company before getting laid off. Here's what else I can do for you."
List your 3 strongest qualifications (10 min): Not everything you've ever done—the three things most relevant to your target job. Include specific numbers where possible.
Craft your unique value story (10 min): In 2-3 sentences, what makes you different from every other candidate with similar experience? (Hint: This often comes from your "non-traditional" path)
Write your call-to-action (5 min): Exactly what you want the viewer to do and how they can contact you.
Read it aloud and time yourself (5 min): Aim for 45-55 seconds (you'll speak faster on camera). Cut anything that doesn't directly support why you're the right hire.
Practice on camera without recording (10 min): Use your phone's selfie mode. Watch your facial expressions, body language, and energy. Do you look confident? Approachable? Passionate about the work?
Bonus: If you're feeling brave, film one take this week. You don't have to post it or show anyone—but seeing yourself on camera is the only way to improve.
🧰 Resources
Video Resume Creation Tools:
Canva Video Resume Templates - Free drag-and-drop templates specifically designed for video resumes with professional formatting
VEED.io Free Video Editor - Create basic video resumes online, no software required; Pro package $25/month includes advanced features
Learning and Examples:
TikTok #TikTokResumes - Browse hundreds of real video resume examples across industries to find inspiration
LinkedIn Learning Job Search Hub - Free career guidance including video resume tips and interview preparation
🔥 Fuel for the Week
— Nick Tran, Global Head of Marketing at TikTok, July 2021
🌟 Here's what nobody mentions about getting laid off: you get to rebuild your career story from scratch.
That's terrifying, sure. But it's also permission to try something new.
Your traditional resume tells one version of your story—the sanitized, bullets-and-dates version. But you're more than a chronological list of job titles. You're the person who pivoted when the industry shifted. Who learned three new skills in six months. Who kept showing up even when the market said there were no opportunities.
That energy, that resilience, that specific way you solve problems? A 60-second video can show all of it.
The worst case? You film it, hate it, never post it, and you've lost 45 minutes. The best case? You bypass the ATS, land in front of a human who actually gets what you bring to the table, and get a callback within 48 hours.
Film scared. Post anyway. The traditional approach already isn't working.
You've got this,
Win
Fellow layoff survivor, creator of Let Go Weekly
P.S. - If you create a video resume this week, I want to see it. Reply to this email or tag @letgoweekly—I'm featuring the best ones in upcoming issues.
Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional
AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.
Yours doesn't have to be one of them.
Here's how to future-proof your career:
Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals
Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day
Become the AI expert on your team
