Gen Zers Stalk Potential Bosses on Social Media

The research is a good indicator as to whether they’ll take the job.

July 11, 2022

Gen Z using Social Media App

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—More than half (54%) of young workers say they have stalked their potential managers on social media prior to interviews, reports Fortune. Also, 70% have scanned their potential employer’s website before their interview. Gen Zers say they are determining whether the company is the right fit for them by doing the internet research.

“One of the reasons I fought to get a previous role was that hiring manager’s [social media] showed someone creative, innovative, ambitious. I figured that would make her exciting to work for,” Ollie Lash-Williams, a marketing executive in the U.K., told Fortune.

Lash-Williams also found another social media profile of a coworker within the company and took the person to be “abrasive.” He took the job anyway but did end up finding the coworker difficult to work with and quit not long after being hired.

According to a 2020 article published on career site The Muse, “Insta-stalking” is a way to assess a company’s culture and presents dos and don’ts of stalking the company as well as potential bosses.

“Stalking a potential employer should be carried out as a covert operation. Think of it as a fact-finding mission for you, and you alone,” reads the article.

But stalking goes both ways. In a 2018 Gartner report, half of large corporations admitted to monitoring the content of employee emails and social media accounts.

There are ways for companies to prevent the need for potential employees to stalk them on social media. Recruiters suggest posting employee video testimonials on a company’s website and detailed job descriptions, plus using social media, email or text campaigns to communicate with candidates.

However, for Gen Zers, they feel they must stalk for their potential job well-being.

“It’s almost reckless not to search many social media profiles as you consider a role,” Lash-Williams told Fortune.

NACS Magazine dived into how to hire the Gen Z workforce by understanding what this generation wants from an employer.

NACS hosted three webinars in June that discussed innovative ways to address the labor shortage facing the convenience retailing industry. Convenience retailers also can access the Good Jobs Calculator, designed exclusively for NACS members and the convenience industry. The tool allows retailers to input their own data and customized assumptions about the amount of improvement or uplift achievable, so executives can run scenarios on the bottom-line impact of a Good Jobs system.

Revisit “Understanding Your Local Labor Landscape” in the December 2021 issue of NACS Magazine for tips on building an effective employee value proposition and how to gain an edge when competing for candidates.

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