The results of a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. employees aged between 21 and 40, conducted by CareerBuilder in October, show that many Gen Z users and millennials use TikTok to seek out career advice. ResumeBuilder.com.
These findings highlight the role of social media in influencing decisions made by professionals, particularly among younger generations.
TikTok fans include more than 77% of Gen Z, 59% young millennials between the ages of 27-33 and 54% older (34-40) millennials. Of the Gen Z users, 23% said that they get their career advice frequently from TikTok.
More than one-third of TikTok’s users reported that they got career information on the platform and then made career decisions using the info. This number was even higher for Gen Z users (41%)
The survey found that almost nine out of ten users (88%) said TikTok had a positive impact on their lives.
“TikTok is a popular social media platform, especially with Gen Zers — many of whom grew up looking to social media for everything from personal connection to news insights,” observed Paige Breedlove, an employment trends expert and branch director in Nashville, Tenn., for Robert HalfA global recruitment company.
TechNewsWorld reported that Gen Zers could feel that career advice found on TikTok was both credible and valuable.
Seeking Creator Advice
Joe Karasin is a social media specialist at Xerox. He said that Gen Zers using TikTok to get career advice was not surprising. Karasin PPC Lapeer, Mich.
“TikTok essentially has become a new search engine for young users that find Google or other search engines as being less than optimal, or biased against the younger generation,” he said to TechNewsWorld.
He added, “Social Media has changed how we seek advice about every topic – careers included.” “Social Media often offers alternative solutions to issues that are not available anywhere else.”
Two-thirds (63%) of respondents said they were either very or somewhat confident in the advice that they received from TikTok creators. The survey also found that Gen Z users are more likely than millennials to trust information.
Lina DaSilva of the founder of Toronto Shine CleaningThe company provides residential cleaning services in Toronto, Ontario. She consulted one of the older forms of social media — YouTube — when she decided to start her cleaning business.
“Millennials may be more sceptical about social media because they’ve seen its pitfalls,” she said to TechNewsWorld. “Gen Zers on the other hand find comfort in their peers’ collective wisdom.”
She added, “Gen Zers have grown up with digital platforms.” “They have grown up with digital platforms. TikTok, with its visuals and instantaneous nature, can make the advice appear more relatable. Remember that not everything that shines is gold. There’s a misinformation for every piece of gold advice.
“Years back, I turned YouTube for cleaning hacks. This eventually inspired the idea for my company,” she remembered. “I can understand the attraction of snappy, quick advice. Here’s the real kicker: Social media can be a double-edged blade.
Watch out for fake coaches
While most consumers trust the information that they receive from TikTok creators, a majority of them said that they encounter inaccurate career-related information. Twenty-five per cent said that they are exposed to misleading information often, while 53% say they do so occasionally.
The survey revealed that ResumeBuilder’s Resume and Career Strategy Julia Toothacre, who is a Resume and Career Strategist at ResumeBuilder, said: “Most creators share personal career experiences but call it coaching. It’s not coaching.”
She noted that “TikTok can provide great advice if you know who is giving it.” “I’d advise people to look into the backgrounds of creators. It’s not enough that they are good at marketing and repackaging the advice of experienced professionals.
Amrit Ohluwalia added that social media is a great way to gain authentic insights from those outside of an individual’s immediate circles. Modern CampusThe company has offices in Camarillo (California) and Toronto (Ontario), Canada.
These channels provide recruiters’, senior executives’, and other influential people with unfiltered perspectives about career growth. The average entry-level or college student might not have the opportunity to speak openly with them,” he said.
“This is great news,” he said, “but, as with any piece of advice, take it with caution.” Social media users must always consider the reasons why people share their information, and whether it is in their best interest for others to listen.
He warned that they may want to build up a client base, stand out from the crowd as an employer of high value, or challenge a trend. “On the other side, they could be just looking to offer advice and support to their next generation.”
Generalization can lead to pitfalls
Breedlove said that social media is a good way to find career advice. She suggested that LinkedIn is a good place to get the latest information on employment trends, etiquette and more.
She explained that “many employment professionals from fields such as staffing or human resources are active on social media and use these platforms to share useful information and generate sales.” There’s plenty of career advice available thanks to this knowledge sharing.
Karen Kovacs North of the Center for Research on Women and Gender in America (CRW) cautioned that while surveys can be provocative, they should also be viewed with a critical eye. Annenberg Program on Online Communities, University of Southern California
“To generalize these data to characterize an entire generation is a little overblown, because not everyone in that generation uses TikTok. She told TechNewsWorld that the data was being abused.
She also stated that in a survey such as ResumeBuilder, “there’s always a risk of self selection because people choose to participate because TikTok has become an important part of their life.”
She added, “TikTok has a huge impact on people.” “It’s a game changer for people.” It is incredibly influential. “We see it across the board.
There’s no doubt. Kovacs continued, “It is shockingly viral and astonishingly persuasive.” You have to be careful when you say that TikTok is the way a large percentage of a young generation makes their decisions.
