woman speaking arm up caption 'There are some large brands that I just don't understand who is in charge... I could do a better job from my bed' (l) hand holding iPhone with TikTok on screen (c) woman speaking arm up caption 'There are some large brands that I just don't understand who is in charge... I could do a better job from my bed' (r)

Media Lens King/Shutterstock @its_isabellaarmour/TikTok (Licensed)

‘All that time you spend on this app? You’re actually developing a monetizable skill’: Business coach says Gen Z’s use of TikTok translates to job skills

'I’ve applied for jobs recently that asked how many years of experience using Word I have. like idk all my life?'

 

Braden Bjella

IRL

Posted on Aug 21, 2022

All that time you spend on TikTok might be worth something after all—at least, according to TikToker and business coach Isabella (@its_isabellaarmour).

In a video with over 56,000 views, Isabella explains that many businesses are looking for people who are computer literate and able to navigate today’s complex media environment. As Gen Z has grown up with the internet, Isabella argues that they are well-suited to take on these tasks.

“…You have monetizable skills because of your age, because you are a type of person that grew up with the internet,” Isabella says. “That is something that your parents and their parents do not have.”

@its_isabellaarmour Replying to @wubasse ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

There are many reasons growing up online is advantageous in today’s marketing environment. For example, many contemporary advertisements reference memes or other trending internet stories. People without internet knowledge may not know how to use this format correctly, Isabella explains.

“I have friends who are social media marketers who work for corporations, and they have to make a slide deck to explain the joke of a TikTok to their Boomer boss,” they detail. “You don’t have to do that. You can take the knowledge that you have and the way your brain works—because it’s been wired by the internet—and turn that into money very easily.”

In comments, users backed up this idea with their personal experiences.

“I just had a job interview and one thing they were looking for is someone who is ‘computer literate,’” one user claimed.

“I’ve applied for jobs recently that asked how many years of experience using Word I have,” another added. “like idk all my life?”

“…the owner of my work pays some young boomer/genx to handle our socials and it’s so cringe,” a third stated.

Others stressed the importance of broadening one’s understanding of their own skills before applying for a job.

“I’m literally a barista but the amount of knowledge I have in other fields is insane,” a commenter claimed. “I have electrical experience from theatrical design…learned texture painting, I can design and produce garments, and I’m insanely technologically proficient.”

“Yeah I had social media skills from 2012,& I basically social media managed a ton of small companies before it was a title,” a second offered. “MONETIZE YOUR SKILLS KID.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Isabella via Instagram DM.


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*First Published: Aug 21, 2022, 11:04 am CDT