The video has reignited interest in creative job applications, with one user’s modern-day take on Elle Woods’ iconic Harvard video essay from Legally Blonde racking up thousands of views. 

New research from student jobs board RateMyPlacement reveals Google searches for ‘creative CV template’ and ‘creative CV ideas’ have soared by over 5,000% in the past 30 days, coinciding with a now-viral video from TikToker @louweldy – a graduate who channels Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods in a video application for a social media executive role at McLaren.

The video features a New York-based Cornell graduate applying for the role at McLaren. The playful and polished video, which is just 1 minute and 37 seconds long, has garnered over 124,000 views and nearly 15,000 likes.

The trend reflects a bigger shift in how younger candidates are embracing storytelling, UGC (user-generated content) and personality-led content to stand out, especially in creative industries.

Oliver Sidwell, co-founder of RateMyPlacement, says: “Creative CVs that leverage online UGC, especially on platforms like TikTok, offer a fresh way for applicants to grab attention. It’s particularly exciting to see younger jobseekers who may not have extensive experience finding innovative ways to highlight their potential.”

So has the time come to encourage your candidates to follow this creative route or is there still room for the paper CV? Let us know, we’d love to hear what you think.

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