To Screen or Not to Screen? Using the Internet for Selection Decisions

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly relying on Internet searches and social networking websites to uncover detailed and private information about job applicants. Such Internet screening techniques have the potential to provide additional information beyond that found using traditional screening approaches. However, questions regarding the legality and appropriateness of this practice, as well as issues regarding the standardization, reliability, and validity of the information obtained, need to be addressed. The current work describes these issues associated with Internet screening and provides recommendations to help ensure this practice is used appropriately in organizations. Suggestions for future research on Internet screening are also discussed.

New Talent Signals: Shiny New Objects or a Brave New World?

“…For example, MIT researchers used phone metadata (e.g., call frequency, duration, location, etc.) to produce fairly accurate descriptions of users' personalities (de Montjoye, Quiodbach, Robic, & Pentland, 2013). Similarly, Chorley, Whitaker, and Allen (2015) successfully inferred some elements of the Big Five personality taxonomy by tracking user location behavior.…”

Organizational Hiring Preferences: Comparison of Traditional and Non-traditional Hiring and Recruitment Practices

“…Other research suggests that the use of data from SNSs by hiring managers increased from 22% in 2008 to 45% in 2009 (Brown & Vaughn, 2011). By 2010, over 80% of participating human resource managers used (or planned to use) social networks (Davison et al, 2012). More current data from Jobvite (2011) found 89% of respondents use social networks for recruiting, an increase from the 83% reported in the 2010 survey.…”

“…As the number of individuals with SNSs increases, organizations are increasingly using the Internet and SNSs to gather information about prospective employees (Davison, Maraist, Hamilton & Bing, 2012).…”

“…In 2008, only 56% of employers reported they had not used SNSs to gather applicant information (Davison et al, 2012). Other research suggests that the use of data from SNSs by hiring managers increased from 22% in 2008 to 45% in 2009 (Brown & Vaughn, 2011).…”

“…Whether employers should use the Internet to glean information about employment candidates remains debatable. There are unanswered legal questions and inconsistencies associated with the free information from social networking sites (Brown & A few cases have been tried in court, and courts have ruled in employers favor when they used information gathered on the internet to negatively influence their hiring decision and as grounds for termination (Davison et al, 2012). In a 2009 survey, 35% of employers surveyed said they had not hired a candidate based on information acquired from SNSs.…”