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LinkedIn as a new selection method: Psychometric properties and assessment approach

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Personnel Psychology
Authors:
Nicolas Roulin at Saint Mary's University
Nicolas Roulin
Julia Levashina at Kent State University
Julia Levashina
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Abstract

Various surveys suggest LinkedIn is used as a screening and selection tool by many hiring managers. Despite this widespread use, fairly little is known about whether LinkedIn meets established selection criteria, such as reliability, validity, and legality (i.e., no adverse impact). We examine the properties of LinkedIn‐based assessments in two studies. Study 1 shows that raters reach acceptable levels of consistency in their assessments of applicant skills, personality, and cognitive ability. Initial ratings also correlate with subsequent ratings done 1‐year later (i.e., demonstrating temporal stability), with slightly higher correlations when profile updates are taken into account. Initial LinkedIn‐based ratings correlate with self‐reports for more visible skills (leadership, communication, and planning) and personality traits (Extraversion), and for cognitive ability. LinkedIn‐based hiring recommendations are positively associated with indicators of career success. Potential adverse impact is also limited. Profiles that are longer, include a picture, and have more connections are rated more positively. Some of those features are valid cues to applicants’ characteristics (e.g., applicants high on Conscientiousness have longer profiles). In Study 2, we show that an itemized LinkedIn assessment is more effective than a global assessment. Implications of these findings for selection and future research are discussed.
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Received: 21 September 2017 Revised: 31 August 2018 Accepted: 4 September 2018
DOI: 10.1111/peps.12296
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
LinkedIn as a new selection method: Psychometric
properties and assessment approach
Nicolas Roulin1Julia Levashina2
1Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
2College of Business Administration, Kent State
University, Kent, Ohio
Correspondence
Nicolas Roulin, Department of Psychology,Saint
Mary's University,923 Robie Street, Halifax, NS,
Canada, B3H 3C3.
Email: nicolas.roulin@smu.ca
Abstract
Various surveyssuggest LinkedIn is used as a screening and selection
tool by many hiring managers. Despite this widespread use, fairly lit-
tle is known about whether LinkedIn meets established selection cri-
teria, such as reliability, validity, and legality (i.e., no adverse impact).
We examine the properties of LinkedIn-based assessments in two
studies. Study 1 shows that raters reach acceptable levels of consis-
tency in their assessments of applicant skills, personality, and cogni-
tive ability.Initial ratings also correlate with subsequent ratings done
1-year later (i.e., demonstrating temporal stability), with slightly
higher correlations when profile updates are taken into account. Ini-
tial LinkedIn-based ratings correlate with self-reports for more visi-
ble skills (leadership, communication, and planning) and personality
traits (Extraversion), and for cognitive ability. LinkedIn-based hiring
recommendations are positively associated with indicators of career
success. Potential adverse impact is also limited. Profiles that are
longer, include a picture, and have more connections are rated more
positively. Some of those features are valid cues to applicants’ char-
acteristics (e.g., applicants high on Conscientiousness have longer
profiles). In Study 2, we show that an itemized LinkedIn assessment is
more effective than a global assessment. Implications of these find-
ings for selection and future research are discussed.
KEYWORDS
cyber-vetting, LinkedIn, psychometric properties
One of the most pervasive innovations in employment selection and recruiting over last several years has been the use
of social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook. Companies review job applicants’ social media profiles to make initial
screening decisions (Bohnert & Ross, 2010; Brandenburg, 2008; Roth, Bobko, Van Iddekinge, & Thatcher, 2016). It is
assumed, that social media profiles allow companies to gather information about applicants’ personality, skills, experi-
ences, and values, and examine the degree to which applicants’ qualifications are aligned with the job requirements or
fit with the organizational culture (Bangerter, Roulin, & König, 2012; Roulin & Bangerter, 2013b).
The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic assessment of LinkedIn as a new selection measure. We focus on
LinkedIn and not on Facebook for several reasons. First, LinkedIn is a professional social media created to facilitate the
Personnel Psychology.2019;72:187–211. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/peps c
2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 187
... Since most organizations lack policies on how to evaluate (incomplete) social media information Wilcox et al., 2022), recruiters are left to interpret the data. We predict that, in such cases, raters will respond negatively: Ambiguity is heightened, and the LinkedIn assessment fails to fulfill its purpose as a background check-a key objective of cybervetting aimed at reducing uncertainty (Pike et al., 2018;Roulin & Levashina, 2019). ...
... 494) in social media assessments. Also, LinkedIn profile length was positively related to hireability perceptions in two field studies (Roulin & Levashina, 2019;Roulin & Stronach, 2022). We aim to substantiate these findings in a robust experimental design that separates the effect of incomplete information from other applicant and profile characteristics (e.g., the applicant's conscientiousness, number of connections; see Roulin & Levashina, 2019). ...
... Also, LinkedIn profile length was positively related to hireability perceptions in two field studies (Roulin & Levashina, 2019;Roulin & Stronach, 2022). We aim to substantiate these findings in a robust experimental design that separates the effect of incomplete information from other applicant and profile characteristics (e.g., the applicant's conscientiousness, number of connections; see Roulin & Levashina, 2019). Our design provides more nuanced insights into the decision-making processes involving incomplete online information. ...
When Less Is Not More: Incomplete Information in LinkedIn Assessments and the Moderating Role of Applicants’ Résumé
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Assessing social media platforms like LinkedIn has become popular in personnel selection but remains controversial due to varying relevance and availability of job-related content. To better understand the implications of this low information uniformity, we introduce the incomplete LinkedIn information paradigm: How do recruiters react to incomplete LinkedIn profiles? In Study 1 (N = 460), we found a significant decrease in hireability ratings when job seekers provided just basic LinkedIn information and no details, even outweighing the effect of their qualifications. Perceptions of professionalism and trustworthiness, reflecting overall warmth and competence, served as mediators. An interview study (Study 2, N = 32) confirmed that incomplete LinkedIn profiles diminish hireability ratings and increase suspicion. In studies 1 and 2, raters were presented with no application materials beyond the LinkedIn profile, framing LinkedIn assessments as the active sourcing of passive candidates. Thus, to investigate the effect of incomplete LinkedIn information in a more traditional context, we examined this incomplete LinkedIn information paradigm again in Study 3 (N = 363), where we framed LinkedIn screenings as background checks beyond the applicant’s complete résumé. Here, incomplete LinkedIn information did not negatively affect hireability, suggesting that providing a complete résumé can offset the negative impressions from incomplete LinkedIn profiles. In summary, we demonstrate that incomplete information on professional platforms has new relevance in digital assessments, but its impact varies by context: Incomplete LinkedIn profiles can harm a passive candidate’s prospects, whereas they do not seem to impact background checks in the same way.
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... 2018), and over the past ten years, researchers have studied the psychometric rigor and practical value of social media assessments (Vaughn et al., 2019). Some studies demonstrate that social media assessment contains sufficient interrater reliability (Bohnert & Ross, 2010;Kluemper & Rosen, 2009); convergent validity with traditional selection methods (Kluemper et al., 2012;Roulin & Levashina, 2019;van de Ven et al., 2017); and small, yet significant criterion-related validities (Rosen et al., 2018). On the other hand, research has also found that social media assessment can lack both convergent (Schroeder et al., 2020) and criterion-related validity, and that interrater reliability may be lower in applied contexts than in controlled experimental settings (Vaughn et al., 2019). ...
... Furthermore, trained evaluators' scale-based ratings of Facebook users' openness to experience predicted incremental variance in users' academic performance, above and beyond cognitive ability and trait scores from self-report personality assessments. When viewing LinkedIn profiles, trained raters' hiring recommendation significantly predicted degree-consistent job attainment and promotion (Roulin & Levashina, 2019). ...
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... In the analog era, qualifications were represented with printed resumes or other physical artifacts that were only accessible to people who had copies of those artifacts. However, platforms such as Indeed and LinkedIn now provide representations of resumes, recommendations, test scores, and so on (Brenner et al., 2020;Roulin & Levashina, 2019;van Dijck, 2013). Work samples can now be stored and shared digitally. ...
... Public platforms are operated by intermediaries to facilitate matchmaking between a general population of employers and a general population of workers. These technologies include traditional job boards (Bonet et al., 2013;Nakamura et al., 2009), comprehensive job boards (Autor, 2009;Bagues & Labini, 2009), professional social networking sites (SNS) (Bonet et al., 2013;Roulin & Levashina, 2019), people aggregator sites (Phillips, 2023), credential networks (Nietzel, 2020), and online labor markets (Agrawal et al., 2015;Constantinides et al., 2018;Kokkodis, 2021). 3 ...
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... Paruschke's research indicates that a scientist's personal visibility and academic performance are critical to securing funding and advancing academic careers, with online presence emerging as a powerful tool for increasing visibility, disseminating research, and staying informed about others' work [252]. Similarly, Nicolas Roulin's study finds that users with profile photos, detailed selfintroductions, and larger networks on professional social platforms receive more favorable evaluations [253]. Social media plays a crucial role in reinforcing these social capital accumulation mechanisms, reshaping the structure of academic relationships [254]. ...
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... By consistently sharing insightful content, achievements, or innovative ideas, individuals position themselves as knowledgeable and influential within their professional community. This can attract attention from recruiters seeking candidates who not only possess technical skills but also demonstrate leadership potential (Roulin & Levashina, 2019). ...
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