（Photo/Xinhua）

Migrant workers have recently been turning to the human resources market by making use of the growing popularity of short video platforms such as Kuaishou and Douyin (also known as Tik Tok). Unlike the traditional methods of waiting by roadsides or other guerrilla recruitment methods, short video recruitment is not limited by location, gives a better idea of the working environment, and allows online interaction, which has proven popular with the young generation. Because many companies offer rewards for hiring new staff, migrant workers on production lines have also found "business opportunities" and turned to short video recruitment to give migrant workers job opportunities.

Short video platform recruitment becomes “business opportunity”

Yuan Shaochun from Songyuan City, Jilin province, is in his 30s and has been recruiting on Kuaishou platform since the beginning of the year to support his family.

After his first live broadcast, more than 20 migrant workers called him to inquire about jobs in one day. Yuan was surprised to find that the results were better than putting up an advertisement for two months. At the same time, he also released videos on his Kuaishou account to introduce jobs for workers. After a year, Yuan has helped more than 100 migrant workers successfully find employment.

"Traffic flow" breaks down time and space barriers

One simple short video recruitment can be seen by thousands or even tens of thousands of people, far beyond the reach of traditional recruitment methods, which is the magic weapon that gives short video platforms its winning advantage.

"Through short videos, I can directly see all kinds of information we care about, which is easy to understand, and it is very convenient to ask any questions online," said Zhang Hao, a post-90s migrant worker. Previously, he was introduced to jobs by acquaintances, which gave him few opportunities to choose from. Short video platforms have now given him more options.

However, Yuan said that some people who use short video platforms to recruit workers know nothing about the industry, and irresponsibly exaggerate their claims to migrant workers.

Furthermore, there are also limitations on the ages of short video job applicants. The young blue-collar workers who like playing mobile phone games and students are the main targets, while middle-aged and elderly migrant workers are more inclined to use traditional forms of recruitment. According to a 2019 short video platform user survey report, 73 percent of the users in the short video market are young people aged 18 to 40, among whom young people in small towns account for 49 percent.

Short video platform gradually becoming main recruitment platform

That being said, the popularity of short video platforms is attracting more and more young people. In addition to ordinary workers seeking out "business opportunities", the heads of human resources department of some enterprises are using Kuaishou and Douyin to recruit employees. Many employment agencies have also started to "move" their recruitment business to short video platforms and have organized special teams for this work.

Although the limitations of short video recruitment have not yet been resolved, with the continuous development and maturity of related technologies, this may gradually become the main recruitment platform.

There are many articles online teaching recruitment skills through using short videos, and those who leave messages are generally HR staff from enterprises. In addition to using short video platforms for recruitment, many enterprises believe that short videos are also a very good way of showing the office environment and team culture, whose functions and benefits need to be further developed.

In fact, in addition to some traditional recruitment platforms, there are already players in the market exploring video recruitment and seeking ways to improve it.