While production lines operate 24/7 and the demand for personnel continues to grow, you're stuck in a system that no longer aligns with today's reality. Does this resonate with you? Here’s what you need to know.

Talking with Gen Alpha

I was at this event last week, organized by Sylvia Bakker. She asked me to be a jury member for the Match2Work project. Although Red Rocket is now based in Amsterdam, I am, of course, always willing to support such projects in my former hometown of Hoorn. Anyway, the Match2Work project connects young people (14 - 17 years old) with companies where they can work on a project basis on an issue presented by their client.

During this event, I spoke a lot with these young boys and girls. Forget Gen Z, this is Gen Alpha. They are 100% focused on TikTok, speak a completely different language when it comes to emojis, and officially don't know what a guilder was anymore. A quick challenge for you: Provide me the meanings of these three words, without Googling: Rizz, Skibidi, and Sigma.

Perhaps currently elusive, but a portion of these individuals will enter the job market within 5 years, particularly within Red Rocket's focus group.

If organizations want to exude more rizz to Gen Z and Alpha, they have to stop ignoring the sigma mentality of these generations and embrace the skibidi chaos where their desires and demands are expressed, so that a strong compromise can be reached together.

And here's the technical impact of developments within Gen Z and Gen A, in terms understandable to older generations:

The Meta Reality

Meta’s strength in regional targeting is undeniable. For technical and logistical roles, the platform remains valuable, especially if you want to reach people who are not actively searching (The latent job seekers). The targeting options allow for very precise recruiting in your region. (But be careful, only geographically)

There is a downside: users are getting older. Plus, the cost per impression continues to rise. For certain target groups, you're simply wasting money. A real shame in my eyes.

The TikTok Impact

TikTok has changed the game. Its algorithm is superior to Meta’s—it learns incredibly fast which type of candidates respond to your vacancies and constantly optimizes. Whereas with Meta you have to keep steering manually, TikTok does the heavy lifting for you.

In sectors like hospitality, retail, and events, you notice the difference immediately. A good job video can reach thousands of candidates within hours, at a fraction of your usual costs. The platform excels in:

• High user engagement

• Rapid, viral dissemination

• Showcasing authentic work environments

• Low cost per reached talent

What this means for your organization’s strategy

It’s time for a fresh perspective on your recruitment approach. Meta remains important for specific roles, but the platform is no longer the holy grail. TikTok's self-learning algorithm often delivers better results for less money. Now, Meta’s version also learns, but based on a user group with much lower platform interaction.

For technical and specialist candidates with extensive experience, Meta is still a logical choice. But for almost all other roles, TikTok shows there’s a more effective way. The problem is, this is still new territory for many companies, and therefore they have some hesitation.

Concrete Steps

Start. Entering TikTok recruitment requires expertise—not just in the platform itself, but also in video creation and content optimization. Collaborate with specialists who know the platform inside out. They can help you hit the right notes and make the algorithm work optimally for you.

---

Ready to harness the power of TikTok's algorithm? We help you with a targeted approach that fits your recruitment goals.

My sources:

https://www.robotics247.com/article/automation_the_key_to_solving_labor_shortages

https://www.thehrdigest.com/attracting-hiring-and-retaining-gen-z-modern-recruiting-strategies

https://glider.ai/blog/recruitment-strategies-to-hire-gen-z-an-ultimate-guide-to-attract-young-talent