The Influence of Social Networking Web Sites on the Evaluation of Job Candidates

Bohnert, Daniel; Ross, William H.

doi:10.1089/cpb.2009.0193

Cited by 40 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…Studies into the effect of online content on the evaluation of job candidates indicate hiring managers evaluate candidates based on SNS profiles (Bohnert & Ross, ; Kluemper, Rosen, & Mossholder, ), providing indirect support for negative attributions from online information. Finding employers are less likely to hire and (were they offered a job) offer lower starting salaries to an applicant whose social network site profile photograph emphasized drinking alcohol than an applicant whose profile photograph was personally or professionally oriented, Bohnert and Ross () concluded reduced perceptions of applicant fit and organizationally consistent characteristics led to the applicants emphasizing alcohol receiving fewer job offers and for lower starting salaries. A complimentary or alternate explanation to these findings may be that the conditions emphasizing alcohol were perceived as presenting negative information given social stigmas associated with excessive alcohol consumption.…”

Section: Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing Attributional Certainty via Social Media: Learning About Others One Bit at a Time

Carr

Walther

2014

J Comput-Mediat Comm

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This study presents a novel examination of changes in attributions about individuals via information obtained from online sources within the context of hiring decisions. An experiment had 127 participants examine dossiers collected about a job applicant, in some conditions containing either positively or negatively valenced information about the applicant, obtained from the Internet. Results indicated online information significantly increases attributional certainty and positively valenced online information led to more favorable impressions of the applicant's perceived fit and employability. Surprisingly, results also violate assumptions of the increased magnitude of attributions due to negative information. Findings are discussed with respect to uncertainty reduction strategies, the negativity effect of online information, and implications for job seekers and employers.Key words: online information, attributional certainty, uncertainty reduction, hiring decision, information seeking, social media. doi:10.1111/jcc4.12072Given the growing prominence and ubiquity of access to and information on the Internet, one area of interest to computer-mediated communication (CMC) scholars is how information found online is used to form impressions of another person. Significant research has explored the process of online impression formation, including how individuals virtually signal real-world attributes (Ellison, Hancock, & Toma, 2012) and how cues generated by others or computer systems themselves are integrated into interpersonal attributions (Tong, Van Der Heide, Langwell, & Walther, 2008). Although research has enhanced our understanding of what and how impressions are formed with online information, we know relatively little about the certainty of those impressions.Unfortunately, CMC theories have been hard-pressed to conceptualize the cognitive aspect of interpersonal attributions (Lee, 2001). Previously, Walther et al. (2011), noted new phenomenon may be effectively conceptualized by applying older concepts to help frame them in a way that can be * Accepted by previous editor Maria Bakardjieva 922Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 19 (2014) 922-937

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Section: Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing Attributional Certainty via Social Media: Learning About Others One Bit at a Time

Carr

Walther

2014

J Comput-Mediat Comm

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“…The most common item that students did not want the employers to see was pictures and comments. A similar study done by Bohnert and Ross (2010) outlines that an unprofessional website can be costly in terms of lower salary and loss of employment opportunity, whereas on the other hand, a professional website can increase the likelihood of candidate getting the job.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 92%

Perceptions of Employees on Information Checks by Employers using Social Networking Sites in IT Sector

Tripathy

Kaur

2012

Management and Labour Studies

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Social networking sites (SNSs) are used to interact with friends and stay connected. The SNSs are increasingly being used by employers as a source of background checks on employees, including the prospective candidates for employment. Employers are making decisions on the basis of information posted on SNSs. The decisions regarding selection, retention or exit are in part influenced by information posted on such sites. The present study examines the perceptions of current employees on the information checks done by employers using networking sites like Facebook. The current study also provides insights that can be followed by both the employees and employers related to usages of SNSs.

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“…When relevant to the task, information is seen as being favorable, as it reduces ambiguity associated with the hiring decision, and ultimately increases the likelihood of a positive hiring decision (Cole, Rubin, Field, & Giles, 2007). Prior research has found that hiring professionals use information such as type of degree, extracurricular activities, prior work experiences, and prior employers to make inferences about an applicant (Bohnert & Ross, 2010). Prior research has found that hiring professionals use information such as type of degree, extracurricular activities, prior work experiences, and prior employers to make inferences about an applicant (Bohnert & Ross, 2010).…”

Section: Information In Social Networking Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information from social networking sites: Context collapse and ambiguity in the hiring process

Pike

Bateman

Butler

2017

Information Systems Journal

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Forming impressions of job candidates is a challenging process, one characterized by ambiguity brought about by the uncertainty associated with making decisions and judgments. To reduce ambiguity, hiring professionals have established policies and procedures to facilitate the sourcing and use of information about a candidate. However, recently, a public source of information is increasingly being used—information from social networking sites (SNSs). While conventional wisdom says more information is better and can help make decisions less ambiguous, this relationship may not be as straightforward as expected when facing assessments of candidates. This paper examines two such aspects, information‐task quality and context collapse, and their collective impact on ambiguity when making an assessment of a job candidate. Using data from an online survey‐based experiment, the findings suggest information from SNSs can be useful, yet can create ambiguity for decision makers because of context collapse made possible by SNS technologies.

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The Influence of Social Networking Web Sites on the Evaluation of Job Candidates

Cited by 40 publications

References 0 publications

Increasing Attributional Certainty via Social Media: Learning About Others One Bit at a Time

Increasing Attributional Certainty via Social Media: Learning About Others One Bit at a Time

Perceptions of Employees on Information Checks by Employers using Social Networking Sites in IT Sector

Information from social networking sites: Context collapse and ambiguity in the hiring process

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