TikTok for Professional Development

TikTok is the current Social Media fad. It seems to have something for just about everyone. Some you might expect: funny memes, cute dog videos, political statements, viral dance crazes. However, it has also become a platform for many users to share fast how-to videos and insider industry hacks and tips. But I bring it to your attention today because many users on this platform are using it in a very interesting and helpful manner; they are using this app to share short videos of ways to get a leg up in the professional world and help others along the way.

While you may think of TikTok as a young person's social media app, it's audience is strikingly diverse. During the pandemic, tons of adults joined TikTok in droves mostly as a joke, but also as a way to virtually connect and escape the drudgery of the long lock-in.

As more and more Millenials and Xenials flocked to the platform and began to share their stories of hardship in the workforce they were facing in light of the pandemic, other users began sharing advice and offers of assistance to help those struggling with job tips, tech hacks, and various tricks of the trade to get one another back on their feet. This eventually launched an entire section of the app with certain content creators and users with a platform dedicated specifically to professional development.

Not only is this professional development 100% free, it is also incredibly accessible. These video-based micro-learnings are fast, entertaining, and perfect for learning a certain, specific and immediately useful skill at a time. From learning how to boost your LinkedIn profile to increase your chances of landing your dream job to learning excel shortcuts to increase productivity and impress your boss, and everything in-between. If you can think of a skill you want to learn, TikTok has someone on there willing to teach it!

Here's one almost everybody in the professional world could benefit from learning. Check out @exceltips101 on TikTok for tons of 30 second videos full of amazing excel shortcuts and tutorials like this one:

Pretty cool, right?

So, how do you find PD content on TikTok? Click here for a link to more videos by the account I just showed you, then scroll up to the top and use the search bar to find what you're looking for. For example, if you want to learn Canva so you can look like a Graphic Design guru, just type in #canva and toggle between the "Top", "Accounts", and "Videos" pages. You may need to actually create an account and log in to access the top videos.

Now, here's some amazing news for my teacher friends out there looking to transition out of the world of education and break into corporate positions... there are TONS of accounts dedicated to this specific topic alone. From sharing their resumes (and some users even offering to look over yours as you take the leap) to corporate jobs teachers are well-suited for to transparent and honest information about salary expectations, there is an absolute plethora of information out there to get you started on your journey.

So what are you waiting for? Get learning on TikTok!