Employer Branding at TikTok: Why glossy Images are losing Ground and Authenticity is gaining Traction

Between a shortage of skilled workers and desperate applicants, companies today are desperately searching for new ways to make themselves visible as attractive employers. Traditional job advertisements are increasingly falling on deaf ears, especially among younger target groups. Instead, social media platforms regularly provide surprises, especially TikTok.

What used to be dismissed as a mere dance and trend platform has now become a serious channel for employer branding and recruiting. More and more companies are going viral there. Not with perfect image films, but with humor, attitude, and genuine insights.

But why does it work? And what do successful examples do differently?

Successful Employer Branding on TikTok

TikTok rewards relevance rather than glossy aesthetics. If you want to attract attention, you have to fit into the platform’s logic: understand trends, adapt formats, and above all, let people speak instead of brands. A key mistake many companies make is viewing TikTok as a job board.

“Here’s the job, here are the benefits, apply now.”

This doesn’t work on TikTok because the platform is discovery-driven rather than search-driven. Users don’t come with the intention of finding a job, but rather to be entertained or inspired. Successful employer branding on TikTok therefore follows a different logic:

• TikTok videos must first entertain or connect emotionally
• The employer brand often has an indirect effect
• The job isn’t the star—the people and the culture are

This is a game changer, especially in employer branding. Potential applicants don’t want to read about interchangeable benefits; they want to know:

• What are the people there really like?
• What is everyday work like?
• Is this right for me?

“Companies need to be approachable and keep up with the latest trends to get noticed. Flashy videos with no added value just don’t work.”

– Linus Burkel, PR & Storytelling Trainee at Mashup Communications

What works for employer branding on TikTok

1. Use trends wisely — don’t just copy them

Viral employer branding videos pick up on existing trends and translate them into the work context. A powerful example from the skilled trades sector shows how well this can work:

The electrical company Benning Bröckelmann from Ahlen is utilizing a TikTok trend, combining it with self-deprecating humor and authentic insights into everyday work life. The result: over 4 million views, extremely positive feedback, and massive reach for a topic that is otherwise often considered “unsexy.”

@benningbroeckelmann Meld dich tyler, und ihr auch!#elektro #fyp #trending ♬ Originalton – benningbroeckelmann Ahlen

Why this works:

• Understanding trends beats advertising budget
• Humor lowers inhibitions
• Craftsmanship can go viral when it is told honestly

2. Humor and self-irony – even with “supposedly” serious employers

A viral example from the Saxony-Anhalt police shows that TikTok isn’t just for startups or creative industries. In the video, a police officer speaks directly into the camera and announces that he will reveal the “secret police doughnut stash” today. Before he can keep his promise, he is quickly pulled out of the picture with a plastic bag over his head.

Shortly thereafter, a colleague enters the picture and dryly explains that “a position has recently become available,” accompanied by a humorous reference to an opening with the police.

@polizeisachsenanhalt Es bleibt GEHEIM! 🍩 #polizei #sachsenanhalt #fyp ♬ Originalton – Polizei Sachsen-Anhalt

Why this works:

• Expectations are deliberately built up and then shattered
• Humor replaces bureaucratic routine
• The job message is indirect, but unmistakable.

This sends a strong signal, especially for organizations with a more formal image: employer branding on TikTok can and should be self-deprecating. The video not only shows openness and team humor, but also subtly conveys that there are real people behind the uniform. The police in Rhineland-Palatinate have also recognized this potential and recently announced that they are now employing their first TikTok influencer to attract new recruits, among other things.

3. Employees as key players

One recipe for success that all videos have in common is featuring real employees in front of the camera. In another viral video, an employee from Bauzentrum Wessmann introduces his workplace. Visibly unmotivated and completely monotonous, he presents the “benefits” of the company—including water, parking spaces, doors, a truck, and even his colleague Phil, who is supposed to be very nice.

What at first glance appears to be disinterest quickly turns out to be deliberate irony. It is precisely this exaggerated boredom that creates an honest impression of the workplace without exaggeration or advertising jargon.

@wessmannbauzentrum 🚀 MOTIVIERTE Azubis und Mitarbeiter gesucht! 😴 Wir suchen Leute, die mit voller Leidenschaft und Elan die Baustoffwelt rocken! 🤯 Du kannst Kartons zählen? Perfekt! 😅 📦 Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik (m/w/d): Kollegen + Azubis gesucht! Du weißt wie ein Computer aussieht? Super! 💻 📚 Kaufmann/-frau für Groß- und Außenhandelsmanagement (m/w/d): Kollegen + Azubis gesucht! Du weißt, was eine Büroklammer ist? Ausgezeichnet! 😁 👩‍💻 Kaufmann/-frau für Büromanagement (m/w/d): Kollegen + Azubis gesucht! 🛠️ Bewirb dich jetzt und werde Teil eines Teams, das mit maximaler Motivation den Tag angeht. Wir freuen uns. Schauen wir mal, was wird! Irgendwie. 🤷‍♂️ 🌐 Mehr Infos unter: https://www.wessmann.com/jobs/ | Link in Bio! 💬 Oder schreib uns: https://wa.me/+491778375099 | Link in Bio! #mitarbeitergesucht #bauzentrumwessmann #handwerkmitpower #jobmitzukunft #baustoffhandel #stellenanzeige ♬ Originalton – Wessmann Bauzentrum

Why this works:

• Traditional benefit communication is broken up with humor
• Expectations of recruiting videos are deliberately undermined
• The workplace is still shown transparently

The contrast between the job advertisement seeking “motivated” employees on the one hand and the extremely unmotivated colleague in the video on the other makes the video a successful recruiting measure.

4. Creative storytelling ideas instead of traditional job posts

The Therapeutikum Heilbronn takes acting to a whole new level: in a video, a group of people in front of the store appear to be sprayed with water and then want to complain. The door is closed, creating the impression that suddenly many people desperately want to get into the store, until it is revealed that it is actually about job vacancies. The amateur actors generate more than 1.3 million views and an extremely positive response.

@therapeutikumheilbronn Schaut gerne bei uns auf der Homepage unter “Jobs” vorbei. Hier findet ihr unsere offenen Stellen!🤗 #karriere #jobsearch #stellenanzeige #heilbronn ♬ Originalton – THERAPEUTIKUM Heilbronn

Simple but powerful storytelling that:

• Curiosity generates
• Breaks expectations
• Job offers emotionally charged

Employer Branding on TikTok requires Courage, but not Perfectionism

TikTok is not a channel for polished employer promises. If you want to be successful here, you have to be prepared to:

• relinquish control
• Taking trends seriously
• to provide genuine insights

Companies that dare to communicate in a human, humorous, and contemporary way are rewarded with reach, sympathy, and suitable applications.

TL;DR – Employer Branding on TikTok in a Nutshell

• TikTok is not a job portal, but rather a channel for attracting attention and building relationships.
• Successful employer branding follows this path: Attention → Sympathy → Trust → Interest → Application
• Trends, humor, and irony work better than traditional job communication.
• Employees are not testimonials, but credible figureheads.
• Losing glossy videos – gaining genuine insights, self-irony, and attitude

Similar articles on storytelling in employer branding:

• Employer Branding with Storytelling
• 10 ways to integrate storytelling into employer branding
• Storytelling in internal Communications