Social media has impacted just about every aspect of life, from the way politics is conducted to news dissemination and consumption to the everyday business tasks of finding and engaging with potential new customers. The jobs market is not immune to the impact of social media.
Social media has affected the jobs market in a number of different ways. For example, job seekers can use social media platforms to find suitable vacancies. Recruiters also use social media to engage with potential candidates as well as for research and vetting purposes.
But there are other, less positive, ways that social media has affected the jobs market, particularly among young people.
In this blog, we are going to look at how social media:
- Sets unrealistic career expectations
- Distorts professional values and work ethic
- Creates soft skills gaps
Unrealistic Career Expectations
We are going to talk about a type of person that will come up more than once in this blog – the social media influencer. Social media influencers seek to make a living by posting to social media platforms. That content often showcases carefully curated and often heavily edited images and videos that portray rapid career success, luxury lifestyles, and instant gratification.
Constant exposure to this influencer culture leads young professionals and young people coming out of university to develop unrealistic expectations about the workplace.
They can have unrealistic expectations of career progression opportunities.
They can have unrealistic expectations of job satisfaction levels.
And they can have unrealistic expectations of the pace of success.
When workplace realities don’t align with expectations, disillusionment and decreased motivation can follow.
Distorting Professional Values and Work Ethic
Social media influencers often focus on quick wins and highly visible successes. In addition to being unrealistic in the real world of work, this type of presentation can also clash with the needs of employers, where perseverance, resilience, and long-term growth are essential elements of a positive and healthy work ethic.
Soft Skills Gaps
Young professionals and young people coming out of university are unquestionably digitally savvy. After all, technology has been part of their entire lives.
However, there can also be gaps in other areas, especially in the soft skills that employers value. This includes teamwork, communication, empathy, and problem-solving.
Social media isn’t wholly responsible for these soft skills gaps, but it does contribute. Again, it is social media influencers leading the charge, where the emphasis is on individualism and superficial self-gratification rather than collaboration and tangible collective success.
How Can We Counteract the Negative Impacts of Social Media on the Jobs Market
While the problems that social media is creating are significant, they are not insurmountable. Recruiters and employers working together can set realistic career expectations, for example, by providing honest insights into typical career trajectories and the challenges that can be encountered.
Guiding young people in the development of soft skills also helps, as does setting clear expectations in terms of professional values and work ethic.
Recalibrating Candidate Expectations and Values at Accessplc
At Accessplc, we can’t change the way social media affects the jobs market. However, we can play a significant role in recalibrating mindsets and expectations, one candidate at a time. Our direct, hands-on, personal approach to recruitment builds trust with high-potential candidates, enhancing our levels of influence.
We can also provide you with expert advice on how to continue guiding young professionals and university leavers once they take up a position in your company.
Influencer culture shows no sign of going away. Taking positive, empathetic, and candidate-focused steps to counteract it within the jobs market is the solution.
