Making a TikTok layoff video 'is insanely risky for future job prospects' says ex-Google recruiter

On Jan. 9, TikToker Brittany Pietsch posted a video of her layoff from tech company Cloudflare. The video went viral, with various outlets weighing in both on how the company handled the layoff and Pietsch's choice to post it at all. To-date, the video's been played 1.1 million times, and Pietsch's repost of the video has been played 2.4 million times.

She's not the first TikToker to share this moment on the platform. In April 2023, Joni Bonnemort, now 39 and based in Utah, posted a similar video. "I documented my layoff because at that point I was already very active on TikTok," she tells Make It. She adds that, "it didn't feel like that much of a stretch to share my layoff despite the vulnerability I displayed. I posted it because it was my experience."

Viewers' responses were "95% positive," Bonnemort says. People were supportive and shared similar stories, and employers started asking to see her resume. In fact, "my current employer saw my TikTok video and reached out for an interview," she says. It's garnered 1.4 million plays to-date.

Bonnemort and even Pietsch's stories are encouraging. They illustrate the positive side of posting these kinds of videos, like garnering support from your viewers. And career experts can understand their appeal — for some, they can be a way of holding their employers accountable for unfair work practices. Bonnemort's former employer, for example, didn't offer any severance. They can also help people feel a little less alone at a difficult time.

Still, when it comes to recording and sharing your own layoff or firing, career experts would advise you to exert some caution. "I think that this is insanely risky for future job prospects," says Nolan Church, former Google recruiter and current