Gen Z are turning to TikTok for career advice, survey finds, as creators share workplace tips like 'corporate flirting' and being 'delulu'
- Gen Z are not just using TikTok for fun but are instead gleaning useful career advice from the app.
- They say it's helped them get promotions and raises, an EduBirdie survey of 2,000 Gen Zers found.
Gen Z workers are trying to find their feet in the workplace and most are seeking out advice on TikTok where they're met by an abundance of neat hacks from "corporate flirting" to "managing up," to get ahead at work, a new survey found.
Edubirdie, an essay-service platform for students, published a report on November 2 which surveyed 2,000 Gen Zers between the ages of 18 to 26 in the US in October about the influence of TikTok in their lives.
It found that 70% of Gen Z were using TikTok to get advice on their careers, with 51% saying they use it for that purpose occasionally and 19% saying it's their main source of career advice.
The video-sharing platform is turning into more than just a hub for fun dances, songs and comedy. Instead it's providing an essential lifeline for Gen Zers trying to understand corporate norms.
In Edubirdie's survey, 46% of Gen Zers said TikTok influenced their choice of profession and a further 48% said it has benefitted their careers. This includes helping them land a job or negotiating a pay rise. 57% said the social media platform is an effective learning tool.
The survey also exposed some of the negatives of platforms like TikTok. Around 28% of Gen Zers have posted something online that has gotten them into trouble at work, it found.
55% of Gen Z have gotten into trouble for sharing misinformation from TikTok at school, work, and in their personal lives.
Avery Morgan, chief communications officer at EduBirdie warned Gen Zers that it's likely "if you repeat the wrong lie, you'll be out of a job before you know it," in an email to Business Insider.
"You need to question everything you hear and check that the 'experts' you're following have genuine qualifications and credentials in their field," she said.
"But that doesn't mean that there isn't an incredible amount of useful information available online. Choosing a career path and finding your feet on the professional ladder can be incredibly daunting for young people, and platforms such as TikTok offer advice and support in a format that is easy to digest."
TikTokers are demystifying the workplace for Gen Zers and offering advice on topics like how to say what you really feel without getting fired, how to achieve work-life balance, and responding to questions in job interviews.
In one recent viral video, a TikToker promoted a networking hack called "corproate flirting" which draws on tips from dating situations that are also applicable when building connections at work.
Another workplace strategy called "managing up" picked up almost eight million views on the platform this year as TikTokers advised Gen Zers on how to get their boss to accommodate their needs.
Some TikTokers also advised Gen Zers to be "delulu" or "delusional" at work with the hashtag racking up billions of views on the platform. The term means to have radical self-believe that you will get your dream job, promotion and achieve all of your goals.