How Tech Layoffs Are Forcing Work Influencers To Change Their Content
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
Most days, Kyyah Abdul films herself going through her nightly routine as she explains to viewers how they can make their resumes stand out.
Abdul is part of a subsect of TikTok focusing on workplace advice better known CareerTok and is one of the myriad L.A.-based work influencers whose content is focused on everything from resume layouts to salary negotiation to a behind-the-scenes look at the Google offices or work-from-home habits. But in light of the recent tech layoffs that have affected every company from Snapchat to Amazon, CareerTok creators are worried about how their previous content may impact their employment.
Abdul, for her part, has safeguards in place: Kyyah Abdul is a pseudonym to prevent her employer from finding her account.
“People don't realize the virality of a page like TikTok,” Abdul says. “Whatever you're putting out there and whatever message you're portraying, someone in a high place has seen it.”
TikTok’s popularity also means that discussions that were meant for a specific audience on the app have infiltrated the larger conversation around employment. Take quiet quitting, for example. The term, which describes doing the bare minimum of one’s job description, originated in a TikTok video in March. Since then, the term has spiraled into countless think pieces and ruminations on the state of the workforce.
Though Abdul knows that people's posts about their quiet quitting plans aren’t responsible for the mass layoffs, she says tech companies can find what their employees are posting—and they might not like what they see.
Deran Christian, who works in tech sales and posts about his career path, says he doesn’t discuss specific events or people from work on his account.
“Whenever I'm posting something I keep in mind if my manager were to see this, would I be comfortable addressing it?” Christian says. “My answer, is yes.”
Such limits, however, often lead CareerTok creators vulnerable to being accused of romanticizing tech jobs. Following an influx of videos showing off the perks, such as free food or an in-office gym, some creators began to question why no one was discussing the negative side of working in tech.
“This romanticization of tech has gone south because people who had those cushy positions in tech don't have them anymore,” Christian says.
The changing landscape, however, has invited a shift in content. In recent weeks, a number of work influencers have begun sharing their personal experiences being fired from their job. Last month, employees from Meta and Twitter took to TikTok to discuss how they got the news. Videos that paint a sharp contrast to the enthusiastic office tours that were popular amongst work influencers prior to the layoffs.
But even amidst an economic downturn and mass layoffs, it’s not all doom and gloom on CareerTok. Creators have also pivoted their content toward sharing tips on how an employee can predict if their position may be at stake, such as observing a company’s financials. Additionally, one former Twitter employee used the platform to share the resume that got him his next tech job.
Which is to say, just as CareerTok has helped people navigate job interviews and corporate politics, the community is now helping people mitigate layoffs. Abdul herself has posted videos ranging from ranking what positions are most likely to get laid off to laughing at her boss’ jokes during layoff season.
“I think what's great about career TikTok,” Abdul says, “is that it opens up a lot of people's perspectives to what they should be paying attention to so that they don't experience [layoffs] again.”
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Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
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