Impact of Traditional and Internet/Social Media Screening Mechanisms on Employers’ Perceptions of Job Applicants
Keywords:
Hiring, Employment, Personal Brands, Social Media, Social Media Brands, Screening, RecruitingAbstract
This study examined employers’ perspectives of applicants’ employability via traditional methods (resume, job interviews, etc.) and nontraditional methods (internet/social media). Drawing from qualitative interviews with employers, results showed that older employers only checked candidates once online, whereas younger employers checked candidates multiple times. Respondents cited the internet/social media as an inexpensive way to conduct a cursory background check on job applicants. But they mostly used the internet/social media to weed out applicants, not to be more inclusive with applicant pools. Implications for employers and job applicants are discussed.
References
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Stevens, C. K. & Kristof, A. L. (1995). Making the right impression: A field study of applicant impression management during job interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 587-606.
Sylva, H. & Mol, S. T. (2009). E-Recruitment: A study into applicant perceptions of an online application system. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 17, 311-323.
Tham, J., & Ahmed, N. (2011). The usage and inplications of social networking sites: A survey of college students. Journal of Interpersonal, Intercultural and Mass Communication, 2(1), 1-11.
Van Hoye, G. & Lievens, F. (2009). Tapping the grapevine: A closer look at word-of-mouth as a recruitment source. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 341-352.
Weathington, B. L. & Bechtel, A. (2012). Alternative sources of information and the selection decision-making processes. Journal of Behavior and Applied Management, 13(2), 108-120.
Brooks, C. (2016). Social screening: What hiring managers look for on social media. Retrieved from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2377-social-media-hiring.html
Brown, M., Setren, E., & Topa, G. (2012). Do informal referrals lead to better matches? Evidence from a firm's employee referral system. Retrieved from: http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr568.pdf.
Davidson, J. (2014). The 7 social media mistakes mostly likely to cost you a job. Time. Retrieved from: http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/
Dreher, G. F. & Ryan, K. C. (2004). A suspect MBA selection model: The case against the standard work experience requirement. Academy of Management Learning Education, 3, 87-91.
Dustmann, C., Glitz, A. & Schönberg, U. (2000). Referral-based job search networks. Retrieved from: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1867046
Granovetter, M. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology 78, 1360-80.
Grasz, J. (2009). Forty-five percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates. Retrieved from: http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr519&sd=8/19/2009&ed=12/31/2009&cbRecursionCnt=5&cbsid=500d5fc2036446baa6a02728el553a55-323275188-wz6&ns siteid=ns us g.
Harrison, J. & Budworth, M.H. (2015). Online presence could affect job seeker’s hiring chances and salary: York U study. Retrieved from: http://news.yorku.ca/2015/07/30/online-presence-could-affect-job-seekers-hiring-chances-and-salary-york-u-study/.
Healthfield, S. (2015). Job Application. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryj/g/job-application.htmp
Hebberd, L. (2015). Why employee referrals are the best source of hire. Undercover Recruiter. Retrieved from: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/infographic-employee-referrals-hire.
Higgins, C.A. & Judge, T.A. (2004). The effect of applicant influence tactics on recruiter perceptions of fit and hiring recommendations: A field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 622–632.
Hollon, J. (2012). Survey: The 8 qualities employers most want in their employees. Retrieved from: http://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/survey-the-8-qualities-employers-most-want-in-their-employees/.
Joyce, S. P. (2009). How to find a job with social media. Retrieved from: http://www.job-hunt.org/social-networking/social-media.shtml.
Jobvite. (2014). Social recruiting survey. Retrieved from: https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf
Kim A., Kim Y., Han K., Jackson S. E., & Ployhart R. E. (2014). Multilevel influences on voluntary workplace green behavior: individual differences, leader behavior, and coworker advocacy. Journal of Management, 20(10). doi 10.1177/0149206314547386.
Lewis-Beck, M. S., Bryman, A., & Liao, T. F. (2004). The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Lin, N. (2001). Social capital. A theory of social structure and action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Marr, J.C., & Cable, D. (2014). Do interviewers sell themselves short? The effect of selling orientation on interviewers’ judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 57, 624-651.
McDaniel, M.A., Whetzel, D. L., Schmidt, F. L., & Maurer, S. D. (1994). The validity of employment interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 599-616.
Messiah, N. (2012). Survey: 37% of your prospective employers are looking you up on Facebook. Retrieved from: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/18/survey-37-of-your-prospective-employers-are-looking-you-up-on-facebook/.
Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Muir, C. (2005). Managing the initial job interview: Smile, schmooze, and get hired? Academy of Management Executive,19, 156- 158.
Parks-Yancy, R. (2010). Equal Work, Unequal Careers: African-Americans in the Workforce. FirstForumPress: Boulder, CO.
Parks-Yancy, R. & Cooley, D. (2015). Are YOU Making the Right Impression? Preparing Now for Your Real Life After College. Decabooks LLC: Wilmette, IL;
Paulhus, D. L., Westlake, B. G., Calvez, S. S., & Harms, P. D. (2013). Self-presentation style in job interviews: the role of personality and culture. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 2042–2059. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jasp.12157/full.
Perkins, O. (2015). More than half of employers now use social media to screen job candidates, poll says; even send friend requests. Retrieved from: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/more_than_half_of_employers_no_1.html
Roulin, N., Bangerter, A., & Levashina, J. (2014). Interviewers' perceptions of impression management in employment interviews. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29, 141 – 163.
Saylin, G. & Horrocks, T. (2013). The risks of pre-employment social media screening. Retrieved from: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/staffingmanagement/articles/pages/preemployment-social-media-screening.aspx.
Stevens, C. K. & Kristof, A. L. (1995). Making the right impression: A field study of applicant impression management during job interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 587-606.
Sylva, H. & Mol, S. T. (2009). E-Recruitment: A study into applicant perceptions of an online application system. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 17, 311-323.
Tham, J., & Ahmed, N. (2011). The usage and inplications of social networking sites: A survey of college students. Journal of Interpersonal, Intercultural and Mass Communication, 2(1), 1-11.
Van Hoye, G. & Lievens, F. (2009). Tapping the grapevine: A closer look at word-of-mouth as a recruitment source. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 341-352.
Weathington, B. L. & Bechtel, A. (2012). Alternative sources of information and the selection decision-making processes. Journal of Behavior and Applied Management, 13(2), 108-120.
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