Workers warned to tread carefully when taking career advice from social media

A majority of Aussies have admitted to making key decisions about their career by relying on risky sources. Experts weigh up the pros and cons, and what to look out for.

Aussie workers are turning to TikTok and other social media platforms to help them make key career decisions, including whether to quit their job or apply for a specific role.

More than three-quarters of Australians now rely on social media for career-related information, ranging from how to ask for more pay to whether they should leave their job and move to a different sector, research from recruiter Robert Half finds.

Not surprisingly, Gen Zs are the most prolific users of social media in their professional life, with 85 per cent using it for career information, followed by Millennials (80 per cent), Gen X (78 per cent) and Baby Boomers (62 per cent).

LinkedIn is the most popular social media tool used in a professional context, accessed by half of all workers. But other platforms are also being harnessed for insights, including Facebook (used by 27 per cent), YouTube (25 per cent) and Instagram (21 per cent).

TikTok – responsible for viral trends such as “quiet quitting”, “bare minimum Monday” and “act your wage” – is used by 18 per cent of all workers, rising to almost a third of Gen Zs.

X (formerly Twitter) is used in a career context by eight per cent of Australians, the research shows.

Four in five Gen Zs, Ys and Xs are using social media for career info, along with 62 per cent of Boomers. Photo: iStock

Beware “snake oil” career promises

The influence of social media has become impossible to stop, Career Development Association Australia president Kate Flaherty says, and the focus should now be on teaching workers to use it responsibly.

One of the greatest dangers when it comes to using social media for career advice is trusting information from unverified or unqualified sources, she says.

“The danger comes when the person (providing information) is not who they say they are,” Flaherty says.

“People put themselves up as professionals, like a resume writer who doesn’t really know what they are doing. They heavily advertise on social media and people pay them and they don’t get a professional resume.

“There’s a lot of snake oil people on social media selling the idea that you can manifest your dream career if you just buy my product. And they’re the people we are worried about.”

Flaherty says common mistakes include assuming posts from even the most reputable organisations are free from bias, and that advice provided from international experts will be applicable to the local jobs market.

She urges those using social media for career information to check the credentials of those posting and that the advice is relevant to their individual circumstances.

“Even if you’re going to a university (social media site) for information about a course, they will say theirs is the best course,” she says.

“If you look at (comparison site) Good Universities (Guide) you will get a more balanced view.”

Using social media for good

Despite the dangers, job seekers can use social media to their advantage.

Among the benefits is social media’s ability to provide first-hand accounts from people working within a specific job or sector, helping others to determine whether a similar position would be a good fit for them, Flaherty says.

“Sharing (on-the-job) experiences can be extremely helpful,” she says.

“In terms of understanding what it’s like to be in a particular occupation, actually hearing (or reading a social media post from) someone in the occupation is 100 per cent better than talking to a career practitioner because we (career counsellors) can’t be across every occupation.”

She says following the social media channels of accredited career practitioners, industry groups and professional associations can be a helpful way of hearing about developments within a relevant sector – so long as it’s understood that most information provided will be of a general nature only.

Even posts from individual workers are “only one person’s experience”, Flaherty says, advising social media users to get their information from more than one source and test any assertions that are made.

Stewart Rae credits social media with helping him find a new job in late 2024, as chief technology officer at an IT firm.

Helpful but still risky

Stewart Rae is not a significant user of social media, but says it was instrumental in helping him find a new job late last year.

Rae reached out to former colleagues and other acquaintances via LinkedIn to let them know he was looking for work and says about 60 per cent of roles he interviewed for came through recommendations from his network.

He also used the platform to find a professional resume writer to update his CV.

Now happily employed as chief technology officer at an IT firm, Rae is grateful for the information provided via LinkedIn but remains hesitant to turn to other social media platforms for career advice.

“Social media is a free-for-all and the information that goes on it is not necessarily factually correct,” he says.

“Would I use it for making major life decisions? Hell no, it’s too risky.”

‘Distorted reality’

Social media can be an “indispensable tool” for job seekers, best used to build professional networks, showcase skills and research potential employers, says Robert Half director Nicole Gorton.

She agrees workers should independently verify the assertions made in posts and warns against blindly following trends.

Social media often creates a “distorted reality”, Gorton says. Following work-related trends and making ill-informed demands can have devastating and long-lasting career consequences.

“Social media can be a good thing but … some information can be misleading,” Gorton says.

“So don’t use it in isolation and be deliberate in ensuring you are populating your feed with reputable content.”

Tips for using social media for career information

1. Preference trustworthy platforms: LinkedIn is often more reliable due to its professional focus and emphasis on networking with those from a specific field. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be thought-provoking, but the career advice tends to be more surface-level and focused on personal branding and general tips.

2. Verify the information is accurate: Check with other sources to back up claims made on social media. If you want to crosscheck salaries for a role, use recruiter salary guides.

3. Beware of dodgy postings: Avoid promises of overnight success or get-rich-quick schemes and taking advice that encourages risky or unethical behaviour, such as exaggerating skills or lying on a resume. Don’t blindly follow trends like quitting your job dramatically or over-sharing personal information to gain visibility as it can have long-term effects on your career and personal brand.

Source: Robert Half