How social media can help and hurt your career

Gen Z employees share how social media helps — and hurts — their careers

March 8, 2022 9:00 AM

For a generation that grew up with devices and technology as a second skin, Gen Z is bringing their digital savvy along with them into the next phase of their lives: the workforce.

Gen Z is now the 4th generation of employees joining today's workplaces, and they’re redefining the role social media plays. It’s not just a hobby or a lunchtime distraction; rather, young employees are building networks and using the internet to find work, interact with colleagues and clients and visualize a future they want to see themselves in.

Of course, social media can also get in the way for younger employees, who on average spend 4.5 hours per day engaging on platforms, according to the National Retail Federation. How are they balancing these distractions while using this tool to their advantage? We asked them, and here’s what five young employees had to say:

A new way to job search

“Ironically, I work as a social media copywriter. Thanks to my knowledge of social media, having a blog, and being up to date with cultural trends, I got my first job. I found my job on LinkedIn and reached out to my recruiter. I always recommend to my friends who are still job hunting, to find a way to work their social media profiles into their resumes. Social media is always changing and usually it's us, Gen-Zers, who are the first to know about the trend or even start it ourselves.”

– Ariel Bianca Baise, junior social copywriter at Golin

A place for inspiration

“Social media has had an enormous impact for me and played a huge role in getting me my job in the first place. For example, when I was asked to write up a text about graphic design for my job interview, social media helped me develop a style that was suitable. I could see how previous social media posts were written [for my company] and which tone I needed to use to be the best fit.

– Kosta Tiodorovic, content specialist at Tenscope

A virtual personal assistant

“Social media has become a huge part of our daily lives, but it’s all our choice whether we’re going to give it the power to be beneficial or to be an obstacle. It is a place to find a job, creativity when you need it, information you’re looking for, a book to read or a friend to ask. Whenever I have a project to do, I’m always trying to improve my idea with research, surveys or tips, and social media is my best assistant.”

– Andreyana Kulina, marketing specialist at Brosix

A constant distraction

“With my phone by my side, I do feel distracted by things like dating apps and Instagram while I’m trying to do my job. I think the fact that the social media and the work apps are all at my fingertips right in front of me has made it harder to focus on days that I don’t really feel like working.”

– Shawn Laib, insurance copywriter for Clearsurance.com

A tough habit to break

“Because a lot of my freelance work revolves around social media, it's hard to only focus on my clients' accounts when working. Instagram and TikTok are pretty smart about hooking their users! I've discovered that social media only corrupts my focus when I can see my phone. If I hide my phone in a drawer or behind my computer, I'm less likely to be tempted by it.”

– Annie Earnshaw, content marketing intern with Clean Origin