What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity

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 va...

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Main Authors: ZHANG, Liwen, VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H., ARNOLD, John D., ROTH, Philip L., Filip LIEVENS, LANIVICH, Stephen E., JORDAN, Samantha L.
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Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6500
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/7499/viewcontent/social_media_edited.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.lkcsb_research-74992021-10-15T12:21:13Z What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity ZHANG, Liwen VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H. ARNOLD, John D. ROTH, Philip L. Filip LIEVENS, LANIVICH, Stephen E. JORDAN, Samantha L. 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. 2020-12-01T08:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6500 info:doi/10.1037/apl0000490 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/7499/viewcontent/social_media_edited.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University cybervetting Facebook personnel selection social media staffing Human Resources Management Industrial and Organizational Psychology Organizational Behavior and Theory Social Media
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic cybervetting
Facebook
personnel selection
social media
staffing
Human Resources Management
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Social Media
spellingShingle cybervetting
Facebook
personnel selection
social media
staffing
Human Resources Management
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Social Media
ZHANG, Liwen
VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H.
ARNOLD, John D.
ROTH, Philip L.
Filip LIEVENS,
LANIVICH, Stephen E.
JORDAN, Samantha L.
What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
description 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.
format text
author ZHANG, Liwen
VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H.
ARNOLD, John D.
ROTH, Philip L.
Filip LIEVENS,
LANIVICH, Stephen E.
JORDAN, Samantha L.
author_facet ZHANG, Liwen
VAN IDDEKINGE, Chad H.
ARNOLD, John D.
ROTH, Philip L.
Filip LIEVENS,
LANIVICH, Stephen E.
JORDAN, Samantha L.
author_sort ZHANG, Liwen
title What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
title_short What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
title_full What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
title_fullStr What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
title_full_unstemmed What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
title_sort what's on job seekers' social media sites? a content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2020
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6500
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/7499/viewcontent/social_media_edited.pdf
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