Recruiters and employers are increasingly using online social networking to attract and screen candidates as part of the hiring process. Social networking sites (SNWs) are used as a tool for pre-screening and gathering information about candidates. One report suggests that SNWs are among the most visited sites on the internet, just behind the major search engines. The use of such sites, when combined with search engines such as Google, Yahoo and other functionalities of the internet are considered to enhance the effectiveness of recruitment. In the online social network structure, the recruiter acts like a broker in a “hub-n-spoke” structure, occupying a centralized position between job seekers and employers, either within their own network or across the networks of other providers. Among the providers, LinkedIn is recognized as a social media site used almost exclusively for building professional relations and it has became a widely used tool by recruiters. According to its web site, professionals are joining LinkedIn at a rate of approximately two new members per second throughout 200 countries.
Individuals are responsible for how they digitally represent themselves on social media sites. Zide, Elman and Shahani-Denning (2014) examined students’ posts on Facebook and found that most participants believed their profile portrayed a friendly, hardworking, and intelligent person. Students that presented inappropriate information (e.g. comments regarding alcohol use, sexual activity, illegal drug use, etc.) did so because they aimed to create a social identity that is seen as cool, outrageous, and/or different. Results showed that graduates were more aware of the need for a professional online identity, which suggests that SNWs are used as a form of impression management and identity formation. For example, an undergraduate student might use her online profile as a mode for presenting herself in a way that is deemed as “cool” to her peers, and when she graduates she might alter it to appear more professional. Students’ decisions to post a photograph of oneself intoxicated with friends and allowing this to be visible to the public and recruiters, are likely to impact the outcome of their applications. Accordingly, recruiters relied heavily on the profile photograph presented, followed by quotes, and then interests. This is unfortunate for many Facebook users, because a study by MacDonald et al. (2010) examined medical students’ usage of Facebook, and found that half of these students had photographs displaying alcohol consumption. One of the consequences of not managing an online profile in a professional manner was emphasized in the same study. The researchers discovered that psychologists as well as their patients utilize SNWs to learn more about one another. Along a similar line, DiLillo and Gale’s (2011) published an article “To Google, or Not to Google?” where they examined student therapists’ opinions and behaviors regarding the use of these SNWs when searching for personal or professional information about their clients. Their findings were that as students progressed in their program of education, their understanding of professional ethics would increase, and subsequently their use of “googling” or looking at networking sites would decrease. Anyhow, most (98%) student therapists had reportedly “googled” a client, and 94% had searched using a networking site, even though the majority agreed it was unethical to do so.
Ollington, Gibb and Harcourt (2013) examined how recruiters use online social networks as a tool to effectively attract and screen prospective job applicants. Their findings supported the notion that entrepreneurial recruiters, who act with speed and focus to secure a central network position, are more likely than other recruiters to successfully attract job seekers. More specifically, they found that recruiters preferred to develop a multi-centered brokering structure to attract job seekers, where they were positioned within and across numerous networks. They also identified that referrals made by other long-standing network members increase the likelihood of getting a job. Participants of the study believed that referrals via a secondary online connector were more likely to succeed, especially when the candidate could be simultaneously traced through other online connections. If, on the other hand, the risk is too high, the candidate is simply not recommended.
In conclusion, it is clear that SNWs are a widely used form of professional social networking, and will continue to grow as a selection tool in the workforce. However, some studies have shown that utilizing SNWs instead of the traditional resume might be problematic. Across the three occupations studied, users were reluctant to fully complete their profiles. For example, LinkedIn has non-work-related components that could bias decision making (e.g. photograph, personal interests, personal information). Further, only 10% of the 288 individual’s sampled in Zide, Elman and Shahani-Denning (2014) research were non-white, leading to conclude that LinkedIn usage may not be as widespread as the site claims. Given the infrequency of the non-white profile there is the danger that non-whites would stand out in any search of candidates leading to the potential of discrimination in hiring decisions. Evidently, SNWs as a recruitment tool can potentially lead to charges of discrimination.
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