Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
12-2020
Abstract
Many organizational representatives review social media (SM) information (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) when recruiting and assessing job applicants. Despite this, very little empirical data exist concerning the SM information available to organizations or whether assessments of such information are a valid predictor of work outcomes. This multi-study investigation examines several critical issues in this emerging area. In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis of job seekers’ Facebook sites (n = 266) and found that these sites often provide demographic variables that U.S. employment laws typically prohibit organizations from using when making personnel decisions (e.g., age, ethnicity, religion), as well as other personal information that is not workrelated (e.g., sexual orientation, marital status). In Study 2 (n = 140), we examined whether job seekers’ SM information is related to recruiter evaluations. Results revealed that various types of SM information correlated with recruiter judgments of hireability, including demographic variables (e.g., gender, marital status), variables organizations routinely assess (e.g., education, training and skills), and variables that may be a concern to organizations (e.g., profanity, sexual behavior). In Study 3 (n = 81), we examined whether structuring SM assessments (e.g., via rater training) affects criterion-related validity. Results showed that structuring SM assessments did not appear to improve the prediction of future job performance or withdrawal intentions. Overall, the present findings suggest that organizations should be cautious about assessing SM information during the staffing process.
Keywords
cybervetting, Facebook, personnel selection, social media, staffing
Discipline
Human Resources Management | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Organizational Behavior and Theory | Social Media
Research Areas
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources
Publication
Journal of Applied Psychology
Volume
105
Issue
12
First Page
1530
Last Page
1546
ISSN
0021-9010
Identifier
10.1037/apl0000490
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Embargo Period
2-10-2020
Citation
ZHANG, Liwen; VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H.; ARNOLD, John D.; ROTH, Philip L.; Filip LIEVENS; LANIVICH, Stephen E.; and JORDAN, Samantha L..
What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity. (2020). Journal of Applied Psychology. 105, (12), 1530-1546.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6500
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000490
Included in
Human Resources Management Commons, Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Social Media Commons