44% of working U.S. adults believe an active social media presence is more likely to hurt someone’s career than help, while 37% say it’s more likely to be an advantage, according to a new Workforce Monitor® survey from the American Staffing Association conducted by The Harris Poll.
The news comes at a time when seven out of 10 employers admit to using social media sites to research job seekers, with 57% of those saying they’ve found materials that caused them to move away from a candidate.
Not surprisingly, attitudes regarding the benefits and dangers of social media on career prospects found sharp generational contrasts:
- 48% of employed Baby Boomers (ages 61–79) believe an active social media presence can hurt someone’s career, but 51% of Gen Z (18–28) say it can help
- 56% of employed Gen Zers believe their social media presence has helped their own personal careers, compared with 44% of Millennials (29–44), 28% of Gen X (45–60), and just 20% of Baby Boomers
“An active social media presence has the ability to make or break years of hard work in the blink of an eye,” said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at ASA. “While younger generations may see social media as a platform for personal expression as well as a tool to advance their careers, it’s important to keep in mind that any post you make will likely be seen by potential employers.”
Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of American Staffing Association April 21–23, 2025, among 2,093 adults ages 18 and older, of whom 1,272 were employed. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/– 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Megan Sweeney at msweeney@americanstaffing.net.
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