📱The TikTok generation is trying to make it work

Hi! I’m Stephen, CEO of BeamJobs. I’m fascinated by job searching and hiring, and I love helping people take the next step in their careers. I want to help you on your career journey…or at least, call out some job-hunt wackiness (I’ll also read every reply, if you want to vent about your experiences with the hiring process today).

This week, here’s what’s on my mind about the job search:

The TikTok generation is trying to make it work

Attention all workers: If you’re not on TikTok, or your feed didn’t bless you with this knowledge, we’re starting this newsletter with an especially useful tip: A TikToker and grizzled vet of three layoffs since 2020 got advice from a hiring manager that she’s putting to use.

Basically, a typical workweek for recruiters means posting jobs on Monday, reviewing candidates from Tuesday-Thursday, and if there aren’t a lot of qualified applicants, reposting on Friday. So start your week by “power applying,” then save some end-of-week energy for the job hunt: if you see a Friday post or repost, they might be looking for someone qualified to make their weekends.

A hard day’s posting. Speaking of TikTok as a source of advice, Gen Z influencers trying to avoid or reduce debt from traditional education are coaching their video-viewing brethren to seek out trade schools and blue-collar work, and showing the appeal of getting your hands dirty. There’s a trend of 500k posts with the hashtag #bluecollar through the first third of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023.

It’s a hard day’s living, sure, but some of these young-ins are making it look glamorous for their millions of followers—it beats sending out applications to beg for a desk job, at least for the right kind of person.

Parental advisory: Keep the ‘rents out of your interviews

For the currently graduating Generation Alpha (boy, does that make me feel old!), the promise of good jobs for a degree rings hollow. New entrants to the workforce are facing a market with “soft spots,” where workers without much previous experience are struggling to get hired.

But there’s a wrong way to infuse experience into the search: apparently, there is a trend where 25+% of youths are inviting their parents to their job interviews. If I’m hiring and Ma or Pa is on the call to help a candidate, I’m telling that story at happy hour with friends for laughs, and maybe putting it in a YouTube video of what not to do in the search.

If you’re doing this for some reason, at least do it Step Brothers style (link is NSFW for language), so we all can have a chuckle.

Ghost jobs are getting spooky

One of the worst feelings in the job search is applying into the void, and just never hearing back. This is especially annoying when you see that job reposted again and again, like you’re trying to make contact through some workplace portal to an alternate reality and just not getting through. The specter of ghost jobs in this economy is real—Planet Money has stats on this trend showing that there are more listings going live, and fewer hires actually happening.

The “ghost post” is a pesky professional poltergeist, but when these unfilled listings are draining your time and energy and attention, it’s no phantom pain. It’s part of why we advocate for time-savers like AI-powered cover letters as helpful apparitions when applying en masse.

Forging new paths to employment

When the job search is strenuous and full-time roles are sparse, it might be worth exploring less traditional routes that still get you paid. There’s a spike in skilled workers being open to contract or freelance work, which makes sense: In downtimes where it’s hard to find an ideal role, both employers and employees can benefit by making a smaller commitment while retaining more flexibility into the future.

All of the chaos might have you thinking about doing something else with your time, too. Career change is an increasingly attractive path. If you’re open to something more junior, a fresh start might be worth your while. Experts recommend aiming for a transition to a field where you’re 80-85% qualified, and willing to drop a few notches on the proverbial totem pole. Some also recommend a “bridge” job, but that sounds shaky when it can feel like the market is falling down.

Even people sitting tight aren’t having a great time. There’s growing pay dissatisfaction for full-time employees, but workers understandably don’t want to brave a chilly market that some call a “white-collar recession.”

One sign it’s time to move on: if you’re put on a PIP. Basically, Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs if you’re saving some syllables) are almost always used when companies have decided they’re ready to let you go, and they’re unlikely to change their minds regardless of what you do. It’s presented, disingenuously, as an opportunity to right the ship, but if you’re put on a PIP, it’s less of a life raft and more of a plank your employer is demanding you walk. Get hip to the PIP, and pour your energy into jumping ship and charting your next voyage.

Reddit’s red flags from the workplace—what are yours?

I’m fascinated by the discourse on Reddit, which runs the gamut from valuable to ridiculous. For better or worse, it’s an extremely candid environment to talk about anything—including what about work doesn’t work for you.

Hey, employers: If you mess with the bull, you’re going to get the horns (on internet forums).

We’re pulling some lightly edited top replies from this recent r/jobs thread on dealbreakers related to your job: Shoot us a reply with your punchy workplace grievance, and we might feature it in an upcoming newsletter!

When it’s described as a “family.”

No raises or moving up…but it’s all good, because we get doughnuts every 2 months (I quit 2 weeks ago).

Managers say we are "overstaffed" and tell you to stay home, then another day, they’re “short staffed" and need you to come in with so little notice.

If they expect me to work hard and then play hard. I can do one or the other.

I will never return to an office more than once per week.

And to bring it home: How I'm still at my job, yet dealing with most of these issues, is beyond me.

You got this,

Stephen Greet
Co-founder and CEO, BeamJobs