CareerTok: Why are young people turning to TikTok for career tips?

With the exponential rise of social media platforms such as TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube, GenZers are increasingly turning to them for career advice. 

Among these, TikTok has emerged as a popular platform for career tips, giving rise to the niche #CareerTok. According to a 2023 EduBirdie study, 70% of GenZers surveyed turned to TikTok for career advice, with 19% revealing that it was their primary source of career advice. 

Hashtags such as #Careers, #careertips, #jobsearchtips and #careersadvice were some of the most popular, with others such as #worklife, #dreamjob, #Jobinterview and #Internship also having a high number of creations. 

A significant number of GenZers turn to TikTok as the platform is both fast and free. It allows them hopefully to gain access to expert tips in what they see as an increasingly competitive job market throughout the world.  

TikTok the greatest influencer

Some 46% of GenZers from the EduBirdie survey revealed that TikTok influenced their choice of profession, while 48% said it had helped their careers in some way. 

This has also prompted TikTok to capitalise on this trend, by launching its first-ever TikTok LIVE Careers Week in August, in partnership with UCAS, Indeed and The Prince’s Trust. The event’s livestreams had over 369,000 viewers, and was mostly aimed towards helping young people get more excited about job opportunities and their future careers. 

Darragh McGinley, head of social media (EMEA) at global hiring platform Indeed, said in an email note: “Everyone deserves top-tier career insights and practical tips to reach their professional goals.

“We are excited to see TikTok prioritising careers with TikTok LIVE Careers Week, offering valuable advice to those starting out in their careers, to help find work that matches their skills and passions.” 

Laurent Darwent, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Prince’s Trust, said: “We believe every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their background or the challenges they are facing.” 

Some of most popular topics on #CareerTok also include potentially tricky-to-navigate issues such as how to negotiate a higher salary, how to handle conflict in the workplace, switch to a different field or get your dream job. 

How to negotiate a higher salary

One of the most important and common pieces of advice GenZers look for on #CareerTok is how to negotiate a higher salary. Several TikTokers have their own takes on this particular question, however, one widely shared tip is that managers can’t read your mind. As such, employees are often encouraged to raise the topic of their raises themselves with the powers that be. 

Aydan Al-Saad (@aydanalsaad) told Euronews: “First and foremost, your manager and leadership should know that you want or are expecting a raise. This should be on your agenda in your regular one on ones, so it’s on their agenda when the pay cycle review occurs. 

“Be proactive by bringing data and insights to justify the raise. Use tools like Indeed to find out what salary data is in your region and your role.”

Henry Nelson-Case (@thatcorporatelawyer) echoed this sentiment and said: “You should do your research first and understand the market rate for your role. Knowing what others earn for the same role at other organisations is crucial. 

“Alongside this, you need to be collating a record of your achievements, contributions and any extra responsibilities you’ve taken on.

“Show how you’ve added value to the company and use this as evidence to justify your request.”

How to get your dream job

The hashtag #dreamjob has approximately 428,800 creations on TikTok, with the description of a dream job varying significantly amongst creators.

However, some attributes of a dream job for GenZers seem to be a job with flexibility and meaningful work, which makes them happy and also provides a healthy work-life balance and good financial security. 

Nelson-Case said: “Be honest and clear with yourself about what your dream job looks like. Understand the industry and role, then invest in training and education to develop the necessary skills.

“But remember, your first job is unlikely to be your forever job, so be persistent and use opportunities as ways to learn and move closer to that dream job.”

Al-Saad said: “Treat finding a new job like a sales process. Be very purposeful about your search. I would recommend starting by asking yourself what you want from your dream job and what skills you need. Write this down, I used to create a dream job description for myself. 

“Once you know what you want, then start researching companies that would match what working environment you want – a startup, large corporation etc. Use a spreadsheet or Trello board to manage the process.”

How to switch to a different field

With several GenZers becoming more disillusioned with the idea of university or the field that they picked to study and work in, there is a rising trend of switching to a different field. Although this change is sometimes in order to make more money, often, it seems to be driven by a desire for increased flexibility. More meaningful and interesting work is also a key factor for this jump, as is the opportunity to learn and develop new skills and better growth prospects. 

This has prompted several GenZers to turn to #CareerTok for tips and advice on how to make a major career shift and change fields. 

Nelson-Case shared: “You will have developed so many transferable skills from the role or field that you are currently in, that you will be able to successfully employ in a new role, so it’s important to highlight these to a potential employer. 

“When switching fields, it’s likely you won’t be going in at the same level, so be open to starting in a junior position to gain experience in the new industry. Reach out and network with professionals in the new field to learn more about it, make connections, identify skill gaps and find job opportunities.”

Al-Saad noted: “Start building new skills in that new field. There are lots of ways to learn new skills online; platforms like Skillstore can level up your skills in minutes. Once you’ve acquired new skills, then start putting them into practice, ask to help someone with your new skill set for free in return for experience and a reference at the end of this. 

“After doing this a few times, you’ve built up your knowledge, you’ve got a client base you are working with and you’ve got something you could turn into a side hustle or you could even transition into a freelancer for your new field.”

How to handle conflicts in the workplace

There may be a number of conflicts arising in a workplace in the usual course of business, both between co-workers, as well as between employees and their superiors, or managers. Left unchecked, these conflicts can sometimes escalate fairly quickly and lead to a toxic workplace. 

This may include abusive or unethical behaviours, poor communication and leadership, dysfunctional operations and a lack of inclusivity. In turn, this could lead to increasing absenteeism, as well as falling productivity and collaboration. 

As such, several #CareerTok creators suggest dealing with workplace conflict as swiftly and calmly as possible. 

Lauren Spearman (@spearmanlauren) told Euronews: “I don’t think we can ever expect to avoid conflict throughout our careers. Most commonly, we see personality clashes, differing working styles, poor communication and competition amongst colleagues. Or, in my personal experience, the micromanager boss and the colleague who loved to take credit for other people’s work. 

“But not all conflict is bad in the long-term; working through this can often lead to better working relationships, expanded views and more collaborative efforts.”

Spearman goes on to explain that, in her opinion, conflict is usually not resolved over emails and messaging platforms. With clear communication being the key factor needed for a satisfactory resolution, face-to-face conversations can often be the best solution. 

She explained: “Set up the parameters of the conversation in advance: what you’d like to discuss and the solution you’d like to get to. Giving them time to prepare, as opposed to blindsiding them for a ‘quick chat’ may be a lot more productive. 

“Come with clear examples where possible: vague ‘they said’ or ‘this has happened loads’ type statements often feel emotional and attacking to the person on the receiving end, rather than evidence-based. Take emotion out of it and focus on the facts. It can be hard, but it’ll make for a more productive conversation.”

Spearman also reiterates that having a clear end goal in mind, such as a decision made, resolution, clarification or similar can go a long way in bringing back the conversation to the topic at hand in case it veers off-track. 

After the conversation, following up with an email summary is also recommended, in order to have what was talked about in writing. This summary should also ideally contain what actions were agreed upon, as well as if a future check-in date has been decided. 

Spearman concludes: “Remember: there may be good reasons for someone’s behaviour, we don’t always know what’s happening behind the scenes, so always try to lead the conversation with kindness.”

Nelson-Case highlighted: “Conflict is inevitable in the workplace with so many people sharing ideas in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Conflict should, however, be dealt with respectfully, with maturity and in a professional manner, through listening to the concerns raised and focusing on finalising a mutually acceptable solution to positively move forward. 

“For serious or ongoing issues, it is important to keep a written record of such interactions and escalate this to HR or your relevant line managers to take appropriate actions.”

Communication remains the key to successful conflict management, according to Al-Saad. 

He said: “Most conflicts in the workplace are due to poor communication. So take time to sit down with your co-worker or manager, maybe get a coffee outside to be in a non-work environment, and try to have open communication.”

How to climb the corporate ladder

How to get ahead in your career, as well as create new opportunities for yourself where there may be few is also another key topic on #CareerTok. In several cases, GenZers may struggle with finding the right way to ask for more opportunities, tasks or responsibilities without being taken advantage of with little to no reward. This is also exacerbated with the desire to maintain a good work-life balance and healthy boundaries.

Nelson-Case pointed out: “It’s very much a case of ‘closed mouths don’t get fed’. So don’t wait for other people to always bring opportunities to you, you need to be proactive. Seek and act on feedback from your manager and colleagues to improve your performance and skill set.

“However, it’s important to remember to be patient and persistent, as career progression takes time – stay focused on your long-term goals and keep working hard.”

Al-Saad said: “Chase skills and not titles. The best way to climb up the corporate ladder and create more opportunities for yourself is by learning additional skills, getting more experience and networking. Understand what you need to get to the next level.”

He recommends using online platforms such as TikTok and Skillstore to learn these skills, as well as boosting your experience by doing tasks outside of the scope of your job. This in turn, will help apply the new knowledge learnt. 

He also advises keeping a curious attitude and networking with management, to learn better from them. 

How reliable is #CareerTok?

Although #CareerTok has seen an increasing amount of popularity in the last few years, there have also been ongoing concerns about how reliable the advice shared by creators is. This is mainly because of how hard it can be to verify whether a creator is actually qualified to be offering career advice. 

According to EduBirdie’s survey, only 42% of GenZers verify what they learn through TikTok with other sources, whereas 47% of GenZers judge a person’s expertise based on how many followers they have. 

In some cases, the advice gained on #CareerTok may land an employee in trouble, whereas, in other cases, it may simply not be as nuanced as needed for some scenarios. 55% of GenZ EduBirdie survey respondents admitted that they had been to trouble because of TikTok misinformation.

Another drawback is that #CareerTok creators may sometimes not provide the full picture regarding an issue, instead sharing an overly optimistic view. This might discount the drawbacks of major career moves such as switching fields, and could even lead to serious consequences for people who choose to follow this kind of advice without other thorough research. 

Other #CareerTok drawbacks lie with some of its features, such as TikTok Resumes where images and videos are displayed. That, some might argue, could increase the potential for recruiters to discriminate against applicants if they don’t like how they look.