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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
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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