Gen Z employees are turning to ChatGPT for career advice

Gen Z employees are seeking support from the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT as they navigate their first few years in the professional world.

This generation is one of the fastest-growing ages in the workforce, but they’re said to have little faith in and poor experience with their higher-ups.

Employees born between 1997 and 2012 say they get better career advice from friends and family, Google, social media, and AI. Almost half (47%) said they prefer to turn to ChatGPT, as managers ‘don’t care about their career development,’ a report by INTOO and Workplace Intelligence has found.

Other commonly reported issues with managers are that they’re ‘more focused on their own career’ and ‘they don’t know how to help’ with role development. A significant, 62% of participants say they’d like to talk to their manager more often about their career, but their manager is too busy.

These young adults are seeking further support from companies, but are asking for more than what learning and development teams are currently offering. 80% of employees think employers should offer self-paced learning courses, while only 49% of companies have this on their radar.

With the expectation of available opportunities to help people advance in their careers not being met, HR professionals are predicting a quarter of employees are likely to quit within the next six months due to a lack of support for their careers. This figure rises to 44% when speaking about Gen Z.

How managers can support Generation Z

As more teenagers and twenty-somethings enter the workforce, HR consultants are urging current managers to remember that every person has different needs. 

Speaking with CNBC, Stacie Haller chief career advisor at Resume Builder explains the steps to be taken: “When new employees enter the company, there should be a conversation with them about what their aspirations may be, what their long-term goals are. It should be built into their onboarding.”

Mentorship programs are another recommendation to help guide workers throughout their journey in the corporate world.

Featured image: Ideogram

Sophie Atkinson

Freelance Writer

Sophie Atkinson is a UK-based journalist and content writer, as well as a founder of a content agency which focuses on storytelling through social media marketing. She kicked off her career with a Print Futures Award which champions young talent working in print, paper and publishing. Heading straight into a regional newsroom, after graduating with a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism, Sophie started by working for Reach PLC. Now, with five years experience in journalism and many more in content marketing, Sophie works as a freelance writer and marketer. Her areas of specialty span a wide range, including technology, business, marketing, and finance.