When you’re bombarded with AI slop, humble bragging, and a general sense that everyone is achieving bigger and better things in their careers than you are, it’s easy to get the LinkedIn ick. So, many professionals looking to advance their careers—especially Gen Z—have started congregating elsewhere.
A new survey from Zety, a résumé builder, found that YouTube and Instagram are now the top platforms where Gen Z workers seek career advice, cited by 80% and 73% of respondents respectively. LinkedIn lagged behind, with just 26% of the 919 Gen Z workers surveyed saying it was their go-to source.
The report also found that 74% used Instagram for professional networking, and 69% had successfully landed a job or internship from there—which is surprising for a platform originally designed to share photos with friends.
Instagram isn’t exactly replacing LinkedIn, but it is increasingly taking on the role of recruiter, career coach, networking event, company website, and employer review platform all at once.
For employers, attracting Gen Z talent may now depend more on skills traditionally associated with social media creators, including transparently demonstrating their company culture in public. Jasmine Escalera, the career coach who wrote the report, tells Fast Company that Gen Z is redefining what work looks like: While millennials had it drilled into them that the performative professionalism we see on LinkedIn is how we get ahead and network in our chosen career paths, Gen Z tends to approach work differently.
“They’re getting those definitions from the place that they get everything, which is social media,” she says. “Gen Z was raised on Instagram, so it makes a lot of sense that where they play would be where they get work information as well.”
Investigating and ‘netpicking’ employers
Younger workers are using social media to investigate employers before they apply. In a way, they’re attempting to rebalance a hiring process that has traditionally favored employers.
Christina Muller, a licensed clinical social worker and workplace mental health expert, says she’s increasingly seeing Gen Z workers use Instagram as a professional screening tool.
“I’m seeing less networking and more netpicking,” Muller tells Fast Company. “They’re using Instagram as a tool for vetting organizations for fit—whether they can really see themselves in that organization.”
It’s handy to have a career tool that answers questions like: What does the company culture actually look like? How do leaders treat their employees? Do people seem happy?
“They’ve seen previous generations deal with burnout, deal with mental health challenges,” Muller says. “And they’re really pushing back and saying, ‘I want to have more intentionality in my career. I don’t want to just work in a workplace for 20 years and be a cog in the machine and show up every day and be miserable.’”
Tishayla Williams, an industrial organizational psychologist and workplace culture expert, tells Fast Company she’s noticed more nonprofits, startups, and consumer brands using Instagram to advertise openings over the past three years, often encouraging candidates to send a direct message or comment for more information.
In many ways, social media is now doing the job once handled by recruiters, career fairs, and company websites.
Instagram gives people “a peek behind the curtain that they can’t always get from LinkedIn,” she says, with companies posting more candidly about who works there and what actually happens daily at the company. Williams said prospective candidates can get a better feel of company values, DEI commitments, and leadership decisions this way, both through the posts and the comments left on them.
“They’re trying to figure out whether they can actually see themselves working there before they ever apply,” Williams says. “A LinkedIn profile tells me someone’s job title. Instagram gives me a better sense of what it’s actually like to work somewhere.”
Authenticity matters more than polish
The shift may also be a reaction against the highly curated nature of professional networking platforms. LinkedIn, with its positivity, can be a nice change from other social media sites where trolling is rife and every comment can ignite a culture war. But some experts believe it can feel disconnected from what younger workers are looking for.
“I think the performative nature of LinkedIn, this younger generation is really saying, ‘that doesn’t align with me,’” she says. They’d rather see something imperfect than a painted-on grin.
“There’s openness around mental health challenges, mental health struggles, and wanting a workplace that is aligned with furthering wellness and mental health,” Muller says. “Making it paramount and a priority and not just a nice to have.”
LinkedIn has seen a rise in soul-baring posts about job searches and layoffs in recent times. But Gen Zers see that as part of the hiring game, Muller says, and still think it’s a bit fake.
“They are pushing back in so many ways and demanding more,” she says.
The rise of AI-generated content may be accelerating that trend. As professional platforms become increasingly filled with polished, formulaic posts, workers are becoming more adept at spotting content that feels generic or automated—especially digitally native Gen Zers.
Sometimes, LinkedIn voice has become so obvious, people don’t even need to use artificial intelligence—they still sound like a cheesier, cringier version of themselves.
“You’re not really seeing the person’s voice and personality as much,” Muller says. “I think that really turns off Gen Z because they feel that that’s so important and crucial for not only themselves, but what they want in an employer and an organization.”
The companies that will win
Companies hoping to attract the next generation of talent face a challenge. The organizations winning over younger workers are often the ones willing to show what happens behind the scenes: how leaders communicate, how employees collaborate, what flexibility actually looks like, and whether the culture matches the marketing.
Williams, the workplace culture expert, believes that expectation is only going to grow stronger over the next decade.
“Credibility, work-life balance, flexibility, and organizational values will matter just as much as compensation for many younger workers,” she says.
Escalera at Zety agrees. Employers who want to attract Gen Zers need to meet them where they are.
“Gen Z is looking for work and looking for companies that align using social media,” she says. “And if you’re in that space and forum, it’s a great way to showcase who you are, what you stand for, and how you can support the younger generation of workers.”
LinkedIn isn’t going anywhere. But young workers are taking note of the employers who are adapting to a world where authentic communication is no longer a nice-to-have but a vital step in getting the best and brightest to click “apply.”