Publishing personal information online: How employers’ access, observe and utilise social networking sites within selection procedures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine employers’ use of social networking sites (SNSs) within employee selection. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 organisations to gain an understanding of how they accessed, observed and utilised data from SNSs in their selection procedures, as well as gaining an insight into employers’ perceptions of candidate privacy and discrimination. Findings – SNS profiles were either accessed as part of an organisation’s official selection process, through integrating internet screening as part of the formal process and obtaining candidate permission, or through covert (without consent) observation. Facebook was primarily used to identify a candidate’s organisation fit and make assessment of their soft skills, whereas LinkedIn distinguished their professional attributes and their job fit. Problems were associated with the extent to which SNSs were reflective of the person and whether a candidate’s personal life reflected their wor...

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