TikTok Collaborates with the National Cyber Security Alliance

Through a new partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), TikTok hopes to encourage the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by supporting the launch of a new Cybersecurity Education and Career Resource Library, which will provide direct guidance and resources in this rapidly expanding field of interest.

According to TikTok:

"As the new school year and course selections commence, the global workforce is also seeing a record level of professionals looking to make a career change. We believe TikTok provides a platform to spark curiosity in fast-growing sectors like security, privacy, and safety. We're excited to build the cyber-learning community on TikTok, working to create a larger, more diverse and inclusive field."

The new program will be part of TikTok's larger drive to encourage cybersecurity education, as well as providing more direct avenues into professional development through the app.

While TikTok may not be the first platform that comes to mind when it comes to professional education, the app has seen an increase in interest in career advising and guidance content, with job-related clips spawning up an entire new use case for the service.

TikTok debuted a new 'Resumes' option in the US last month, allowing users to upload personal job presentations via TikTok video.

The new option was introduced in response to the growing demand for career-related TikTok content, with the hashtag #careeradvice garnering more than 80 million video views each day on the app.

The Washington Post reported earlier this year:

"TikTok, widely known for 15-second videos of cranberry juice-drinking skateboarders and group dance challenges, is fast emerging as a force in the job search ecosystem at a time when unemployment remains high, a new generation looks for their first jobs and pandemic isolation leads to hours of mindless scrolling."

TikTok may be in a unique position to help guide the future generation of cybersecurity experts as a result of this. Earlier this year, TikTok sponsored the inaugural US Cyber Games, an event aimed at identifying prospective cybersecurity talent.

TikTok will organize a Career Fair next month to coach and recruit security and privacy leaders, in addition to supporting the new education platform. The event will be live-streamed on both TikTok and LinkedIn, which is a unique combination of the two platforms.

Will this become the new normal, with job seekers and recruiters increasingly rely on TikTok to identify the best candidates?

TikTok is certainly the language that young people are becoming more familiar with, and as it alters consumption habits and reforms how people connect with media, it's possible that it may become a practical professional alternative in many ways.

This will also increase the app's functionality and usage, perhaps making it a more formidable competitor to Facebook and other social networking platforms.