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What's on Job Seekers' Social Media Sites? A Content Analysis and Effects of Structure on Recruiter Judgments and Predictive Validity

American Psychological Association
Journal of Applied Psychology
Authors:
Liwen Zhang at University of Macau
Liwen Zhang
Chad H Van Iddekinge at University of Iowa
Chad H Van Iddekinge
John D. Arnold at University of Missouri
John D. Arnold
Philip L. Roth
Philip L. Roth
Philip L. Roth
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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 multistudy 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, and religion), as well as other personal information that is not work-related (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. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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RESEARCH REPORT
What’s on Job Seekers’ Social Media Sites? A Content Analysis and
Effects of Structure on Recruiter Judgments and Predictive Validity
Liwen Zhang
University of New South Wales
Chad H. Van Iddekinge
Florida State University
John D. Arnold
University of Missouri–Columbia
Philip L. Roth
Clemson University
Filip Lievens
Singapore Management University
Stephen E. Lanivich
University of Memphis
Samantha L. Jordan
Florida State University
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 multistudy 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, and religion), as well as
other personal information that is not work-related (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
Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000490.supp
Social media (SM) has become an increasingly popular means
by which organizations recruit and assess job applicants. Examples
of SM include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Prior surveys
found that 70% or more of recruiters and hiring managers search
applicants’ SM sites and even use this information to screen
applicants, with Facebook being the site reviewed most frequently
This article was published Online First March 12, 2020.
Liwen Zhang, School of Management, Business School, Univer-
sity of New South Wales; XChad H. Van Iddekinge, College of Business,
Florida State University; John D. Arnold, Trulaske College of Business,
University of Missouri–Columbia; Philip L. Roth, College of Business, Clem-
son University; Filip Lievens, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore
Management University; Stephen E. Lanivich, Fogelman College of Business
and Economics, University of Memphis; Samantha L. Jordan, College of
Business, Florida State University.
Chad H. Van Iddekinge is now at Tippie College of Business, University
of Iowa.
Earlier versions of this article were presented at the 2017 and 2019
annual meetings of the Academy of Management in Atlanta, Georgia and
Boston, Massachusetts, respectively.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Liwen
Zhang, School of Management, Business School, University of New South
Wales, Room 542, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: liwen.zhang4@
unsw.edu.au
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
Journal of Applied Psychology
© 2020 American Psychological Association 2020, Vol. 105, No. 12, 1530–1546
ISSN: 0021-9010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000490
1530
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... Another major concern is that social media assessments target the applicant's personal life. For instance, political affiliation, religion, and hobbies are prominent on social media (Zhang et al., 2020). This increases the risk of adverse impact, e.g., similarity attraction (Mönke et al., 2024a;Roth et al., 2020). ...
... For example, Aguado et al. (2019) reported that about one-third of surveyed LinkedIn users did not include a profile picture. Relatedly, Zhang et al. (2020) reported that only 56.8% of surveyed Facebook profiles included information on the job seeker's education, and only 41% included information on prior work experience. Further, while Facebook and LinkedIn are the two most used sites for social media assessments, about one-third of US workers (18-64 year olds) do not use Facebook, and about two-thirds do not use LinkedIn at all (Auxier & Anderson, 2021;Smith, 2017). ...
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... Screening applicant social media (SM) during the hiring process (i.e., cybervetting) is a common practice (Hartwell & Campion, 2020;Zhang et al., 2020), but research examining its occurrence is still young (Cubrich et al., 2021;Roth et al., 2016). As highlighted in prior research, one major question that needs attention is how specific SM content and features influence hiring manager perceptions and decisions (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015;Roulin & Fernandez, 2022;Wilcox et al., 2022;Zhang et al., 2020). ...
... Screening applicant social media (SM) during the hiring process (i.e., cybervetting) is a common practice (Hartwell & Campion, 2020;Zhang et al., 2020), but research examining its occurrence is still young (Cubrich et al., 2021;Roth et al., 2016). As highlighted in prior research, one major question that needs attention is how specific SM content and features influence hiring manager perceptions and decisions (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015;Roulin & Fernandez, 2022;Wilcox et al., 2022;Zhang et al., 2020). SM includes digital platforms where one can connect and share information with others and create online networks, including sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. ...
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... Moreover, people pick up on nonwork cues about their coworkers (Ollier-Malaterre et al., 2013;Rothbard et al., 2022). Given the salience of politics in society, such cues (even the car one drives) are often interpreted as reflecting one's politics (Howard, 2020;Wade et al., 2020;Zhang et al., 2020). However, in contrast to surface-level differences, discerning political dissimilarity is not immediate and requires one to transcend the present (or most salient) context. ...
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... Our methodology is in line with the recommended procedure in the literature (Duriau et al., 2007;Zhang et al., 2020). ...
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