While LinkedIn has for years been the place to find professional contacts, many Gen Z employees are seeking out other sources for career advice. The survey, conducted by résumé builder Zety, showed that younger job seekers are turning to social media sites such as YouTube and Instagram for career advice, rather than LinkedIn.

80% of the 919 Gen Z workers surveyed reported using YouTube for career information, and 73% reported using Instagram. In comparison, 26% considered LinkedIn to be their primary source for professional advice.

The study highlighted that 74% of its respondents use Instagram for professional networking, and 69% said that they have landed a job/service through Instagram. Instagram was meant to be a place to share personal photos, but it’s now becoming a career tool, networking site, recruiting platform and employer brand.

Social Media Is Redefining Career Networking 

Unlike millennials, who were coached to create a professional LinkedIn profile and an online presence, Gen Z has more of an expectation to find career guidance and advice on the same social channels they use on a regular basis.

Instagram is where Gen Z has been since they were born, so it only makes sense they would find jobs, connect with professionals and look at the potential employers through the platform. Social media is considered a one-stop resource for younger workers, rather than a distinction between personal and professional online spaces.

Using Instagram to Evaluate Employers 

Experts have stated that Gen Z isn’t merely networking on Instagram; it’s also prepping for their next job.

This shift, says workplace mental health expert Christina Muller, is known as “netpicking” – where job seekers are mindful of whether a company’s values and lifestyle fit with their own. By looking at the photos on Instagram, candidates can see what the company culture is like, how the leadership acts, what kind of experience employees have, and the atmosphere in the workplace that the job posting doesn’t necessarily indicate.

A generation of younger workers is also placing mental health and work-life balance as a priority. Gen Z is learning from previous generations and doesn’t want a job that causes stress or burnout; they want one that allows for flexibility and promotes well-being and supportive environments.

Companies Are Recruiting Through Instagram 

More startups, consumer brands and nonprofits have started posting job openings directly on Instagram, says industrial-organisational psychologist Tishayla Williams. Certain organisations like to receive unsolicited messages from applicants, or they like to leave a comment on posts instead of the normal application procedure.

Instagram provides candidates with an inside perspective into the work life of a company and helps them determine if the company’s values align with public values. Job seekers learn more about leadership style, diversity initiatives, and office culture through photos and videos, as well as connecting with employees.

While LinkedIn might give you details of a job role and experience, Instagram can give you a truer picture of what it really is like to work for a company, Williams says.

Authenticity Matters More Than Perfection 

This preference for Instagram also ties into Gen Z’s desire for authenticity. For many younger professionals, LinkedIn is a too-glamourised and too-performative place, with carefully written success stories and motivational postings that can feel like a ‘to-the-marshmallow’ distance from reality.

While LinkedIn is more open to talking about layoffs, job searching, mental health, and other areas, some Gen Z users still view a lot of the content as more professional image-building than true communication.

With the advent of AI-generated content, this perception has only grown stronger. As more and more businesses are posting the same types of formulas, youngsters are becoming better at seeing the non-personalised or non-original material.

Gen Z is not interested in photos that are too staged or in polished, professional marketing.

What Employers Need to Do 

Social media is gaining importance for employers who want to gain the interest of a younger workforce.

Companies are getting better results by posting on Instagram rather than just their corporate websites or LinkedIn profiles, and posting day-to-day things happening in the workplace, employee stories, how leadership interacts with regular employees, flexible work practices and organisational values.

In addition to salary, Williams says that many job seekers in the Gen Z generation are prioritising other factors like values, work-life balance, flexibility, and credibility.

In fact, Escalera says that employers need to meet Gen Z where they’re at. Social media is a great way for businesses to share their culture, mission and their commitment to employee support.

Although LinkedIn is still a useful tool for professional networking, Gen Z is turning to Instagram and YouTube to seek out career advice, connect with other people, and find out more about employers. Organisations that don’t lie online will gain an edge in attracting the next generation of talent as expectations around transparency in the workplace continue to change.