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Image: Freepik
On TikTok, a new kind of job hunt is playing out in real time.
Accounts like @meetingkate, where young South Africans chronicle resumes, interview wins, workplace culture breakdowns and candid reflections on job hunting have captured tens of thousands of views, turning job seeking into digestible, social content.
This trend is not just entertainment. It perhaps signals a fundamental shift in how the next generation connects with work.
What once felt like a private, often frustrating exercise, navigating job boards, crafting cover letters and sending applications into the void is now being broadcast, remixed, and discussed in comment threads and short-form video.
But is this Instagram-and-TikTok-first job search actually replacing traditional job boards and formal applications? And what does it mean for the future of work in South Africa and beyond?
Recent trends show that young professionals are increasingly using social platforms as career tools, not just places to kill time.
According to data from Zety’s 2025 Gen Z Career Trends Report:
46% of Gen Z say they’ve secured a job or internship through TikTok.
76% use Instagram for career content, more than twice the number who use LinkedIn (34%).
95% say a company’s social media presence influences whether they’ll apply.
These figures suggest that social platforms have become more than inspiration boards — they’re functional career tools, reshaping everything from who you network with to how you present yourself professionally.
Globally, surveys find that Gen Z and Millennials lead all age groups in using social media to discover opportunities: a Zippia study found around 62% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials use social media sites for job hunting, compared with significantly lower percentages in older generations.
What’s remarkable is not just that these platforms host job listings, but that young people trust the advice they find there. In Zety’s report, a stunning 92% of Gen Z said they trust TikTok for career advice, even though over half admitted they’ve encountered misleading recommendations.
This trust underscores a deeper shift: for digital natives, careers are not separate from social life, both unfold online.
While platforms like LinkedIn and traditional job boards like Indeed still matter, they’re no longer the undisputed gateways to employment for younger jobseekers.
Several factors feed this shift:
Authenticity over polish: Gen Z values real voices and behind-the-scenes accounts of job experiences over corporate imagery. TikTok and Instagram deliver day-in-the-life videos and honest reflections that resonate more than a terse job listing.
Company branding matters: Younger candidates research not just job roles, they evaluate company culture through social footprints. Companies without compelling social content may be invisible to this cohort.
Community and networking are social-native: Connecting with peers, mentors and professionals on platforms where they already spend hours reduces friction in networking.
Yet it would be simplistic to declare traditional job adverts extinct.
Many sectors, especially formal corporate roles still rely on structured application processes and professional networks. What’s changing is how young applicants first encounter opportunities and build credibility before they submit a CV.
For all the optimism about social job searches, challenges remain. Recruiters increasingly scan candidates’ social profiles: some studies indicate that up to 77% of recruiters review social media before hiring decisions, and many have rejected applicants based on content they found there.
That means personal branding, once optional is now career-critical.
Instead of outright replacing traditional job adverts and portals, social media is becoming a gateway to the application funnel, a place where candidates discover roles, understand companies, and build networks before formal application stages begin.
In that sense, job boards are not obsolete, they’re just one part of a broader ecosystem that includes social discovery, personal branding and community insight.
For young South Africans navigating high youth unemployment, the trend highlights an opportunity: jobs are increasingly found not just through formal postings but through visibility, identity, and networks cultivated online.
But with opportunity comes the need for digital literacy: knowing how to present yourself professionally and critically evaluate advice on social platforms will be key skills for the future.
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