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Social Media and Recruiting
Amber Wherry
Webster University

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Abstract
The use of social networking in recruiting is growing and cannot be ignored. There are many
benefits such as real time interaction with job seekers, free unlimited posting opportunities, and
opportunities for employer branding. There are also many concerns from legal and ethical
standpoints. These include the legality of online background checks, the veracity of information
gathered from social networking sites, and the possibility of discrimination based on protected
information gathered from these sites. There is a lack of legal precedent and serious studies on
the subject. This leaves companies to make their own social media policies and decide how they
will utilize social media in recruiting.

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Social Media and Recruiting
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of social media in recruiting. The internet
is not going away any time soon and social media has gained a major place in our lives. Many
people spend a large amount of time living their lives online. This has led to questions about
how much privacy we have a right to expect in this area of our lives, especially when it comes to
employment decisions. There are also many legal and ethical issues that need to be considered
when using social media in making recruiting decisions. This paper aims to explore some of the
benefits and concerns that arise from the use of social media to attract and select applicants.
What is social media?
According to Wikipedia, “social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people to
create, share or exchange information,” (Wikipedia, n.d., Social media section, para 1). In other
words, the communication isn’t one way as in traditional media, where information is presented
by one source and consumed by a separate source without interaction. In social media multiple
users can interface and exchange ideas, information, videos, pictures, etc. For the purposes of
this paper a broad definition is used that includes everything from texting via cellphone to sites
such as wikis, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to blogs, podcasts, and forums. All these forms
of social media are used in the hiring process by various companies.
Traditional Recruiting Methods
It used to be that you looked at the classified ads in the newspaper, made some calls,
typed up a resume, and went for an in-person interview. Traditional methods of recruiting such
as help wanted signs, employee referrals, career fairs, employment agencies, and print
advertising are not dead but are being supplanted greatly by online recruiting methods. What the
traditional methods have in common is that they are one way, from the company to the applicant.

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They also tend to be very local in focus. If you are looking for a job in another city you need to
get newspapers from that area in order to see what jobs are available. The internet has made it
simple to see jobs in any part of the country or even the world, and has changed recruiting from a
one way street to a multi-lane highway of information.
Uses of Social Media in Recruiting
Targeting the Right Candidates
“In recruiting, your goal shouldn’t be to minimize the number of unqualified people who
apply. Your goal should be to maximize the number of qualified people who apply,” (Coombs,
2013, p.3). Social media can help narrow recruiting searches so that rather than an enormous
blast of resumes from everyone who looks at Monster.com, recruiters can refine their searches to
attract fewer, more qualified people. This can mean partnering with the marketing and IT
departments. According to Liz Ryan (2014) companies should be targeting potential employees
as carefully as they target customers for their products. This can be achieved through the use of
niche social media sites and employer branding.

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Employer Branding
The idea behind employer branding is to market qualities that make the company attractive to
potential applicants. Sivertzen, Nilsen, and Olafson (2013, p.1) define employer branding as
“the process of building employer identity directed at existing and potential employees, in order
to differentiate the firm from its competitors.” An advantage of using social media in a
marketing capacity is that it is largely free and offers very immediate feedback to the
organization. This leads back to the multi-directional nature of social media. Rather than a
paper ad that just sits there, a Facebook posting by a company invites reader comments. Such
feedback can make it easier to fine tune the message for the target audience in a timely manner.
Online Profiling
According to the Society for Human Resources 2013 study (SHRM.org, 2013), twenty
percent of companies currently use social media profiles to screen job candidates, and twelve
percent more plan to start. This entails looking at the applicant’s social media profiles,
commentary, and pictures in order to help determine organizational fit. Some companies have
even gone so far as to request candidates’ social media usernames and passwords (Del Riego,
Abril, & Levin, 2012). Legal concerns that such online profiling could reveal information that
could lead to discrimination, as well as concerns about veracity and applicability of the
information have held some companies back from the practice of online screening (SHRM.org,
2013).
Mobile Devices
Mobile phones and tablets are everywhere these days. Some people appear to spend more
time interacting with others virtually than they do in real life. Such a ubiquitous platform should
not be overlooked when it comes to recruiting practices, especially when targeting younger

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applicants. James Barra, of MetLife’s Goodman Financial Group, says, “It’s [texting] a quick,
concise way to communicate ‘under the radar screen,’” (Joos, 2008, p.57). It’s more discreet
than a phone call, especially for the passive job seeker who doesn’t want his boss to know he is
exploring other options.
Mobile devices can also be used to search for and apply for jobs if sites are formatted to be
mobile friendly. Candidates can apply for a job during a break, while waiting in line, or any
other time they happen to be browsing on their phone or tablet. “Mobile-friendly career sites
where people can easily view jobs and express interest from their phone are now a must for any
employer” (Recruiter.com, 2013, p.8). The key word here is easily. Too many job applications
entail pages and pages of data entry and tests before the candidate even has a chance to upload
their resume. These sites are difficult enough to navigate on a computer much less a cell phone.
So the smart recruiter can differentiate their company with applications that consider the use of
mobile technology by applicants.
How Candidates Use Social Media in Job Searches
The main uses of social media in job searches are: networking to find openings, researching a
company, and as resume attachments. It’s important to know how candidates are using social
media because recruiters are constantly trying to play catch up to the newest internet
technologies (Recruiter.com, 2013). Knowing how applicants are searching for jobs allows HR
to focus its efforts on the places that will result in the most desirable employees. Nobody wants
to waste their time writing blogs no one reads, or posting to job boards no one looks at anymore.
Resumes can be made more holistic through connections to social media such as LinkedIn or
by attaching video links to online resumes. This can help recruiters get an idea of the

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individual’s personality without having to set up an interview. This can save time for both the
organization and the applicant as mismatches may be reduced.
Smart applicants research the companies they are applying to on the internet. Many sites
such as glassdoor.com offer company reviews written by current and former employees so
companies should be cognizant of their online reputations on these sites.
Legal Issues
The accessibility of information on the internet opens up a whole new bag of legal issues and
HR uses of technology are jumping ahead of legal rulings. Over half of all companies lack an
official policy for online screening of candidates (SHRM.org, 2013). Many plan to put policies
in place soon but what to allow and forbid can be confusing to say the least. Here are some
things to consider when recruiting online.
EEOC Position
The EEOC’s main concern is discrimination. Social networking sites often make it easy to
discover protected characteristics such as race, age, sex and so on. The EEOC’s position is that
information from social media postings may not be used to make employment decisions on
prohibited bases (EEOC.gov, 2013). It’s hard to see how a recruiter can just ignore all the
possible sources of bias while still finding enough useful information to help with a hiring
decision. Although protected information can be gathered in other ways, the sheer amount of
information available on the internet makes it nearly impossible to do a background investigation
and not turn up such data.
Disparate Impact
Another legal concern is the impact extensive online recruiting can have on various groups.
Disparate impact refers to the legal doctrine that, “if a selection technique disproportionately

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affects a group protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the employer must
prove…business necessity,” (Hogler, Henle, & Bemus, 1998, p.2). Those without computers
and internet access are obviously affected, and this group is slanted toward minorities, women
and older workers who are less likely to be technologically savvy. Not only does a person need
to own a computer and have internet access but they need to understand how to use the various
internet technologies to help them find a job. The economically disadvantaged are thus placed at
a further disadvantage when it comes to finding a good job. Hogler, et al. (1998) suggest that
internet recruiting be used in cases where computer skills are a required part of the job and that
other means of recruiting be utilized when this is not the case.
Privacy Concerns
U.S. privacy laws have traditionally been concerned with protecting physical spaces which
are easily defined (Del Riego, Abril, & Levin, 2012). The internet is much more amorphous,
how much privacy should one expect on a Facebook page or a Twitter account? On Facebook is
the information publicly posted for all to see or limited to a small group of people? Is an
employer liable if they hire someone who’s social networking profile reveals unsavory
information or is this an invasion of privacy? All these questions are up in the air, “…with the
rise of modern technology that travels between personal and work spheres, protecting the privacy
of digital spaces has become quite sticky for courts and legislatures,” (Del Riego, et al., 2012,
p.18). There are few hard and fast guidelines for businesses to follow.
Current Business Practices
Corporate Examples
One example of social media used for recruiting is Microsoft’s recruiting blog which provides
information about technical career opportunities at Microsoft (Joos, 2008). Blogs can be a way

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to get passive job seekers more interested in a company by providing interesting information and
commentary about the firm’s special projects and what it’s like to work there. Such blogs can be
tailored to specific categories of job seekers such as HR, technical or financial fields.
Another good way to grab the interest of passive job seekers is by providing podcasts on the
company website. Goulston & Storrs, a Boston law firm, uses podcasts to answer questions
potential candidates may have about what it’s like to work for them (Joos, 2008). “The fact that
a company makes podcasts available and its competitors do not is a significant message about
which is the more forward-thinking organization,” (Joos, 2008, p.55). Just offering different
social media options to job seekers can put a company at the forefront of recruiting.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Recruiting automation through ATS that generate large numbers of less than desirable
prospects are beginning to be replaced by social media. “LinkedIn, Monster and ATS vendors
are not selling recruiting solutions to employers; they’re selling database services and ‘good
luck,’” (Corcodilos, 2014, p.3). Anyone who’s ever gone through the often torturous process of
applying for a job online can tell you how they feel about these systems. They are not popular
with applicants. Top candidates know that the best jobs are found through networking, not
through endless pages of drudgery. According to Recruiter.com’s 2013 trend report, “The best
talent expects respect, transparency and ease as they make critical career decisions,” (p.10). The
ATS lacks the human touch of social engagement and treats prospective employees as numbers
rather than individuals. This is the opposite of what job seekers want.
Research Findings

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Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds and serious research is thin on the ground in the
area of social media and recruiting. Companies are left in the dark about what works and why it
works.
Norwegian Study
Sivertzen, et al. (2013) is a study on employer branding and how the use of social media can
help attract job seekers. They studied how social networks can be expanded during the job
search process. It was found that companies who utilized social media to enhance their corporate
reputations were more attractive to job seekers are were more likely to get job applications from
them. One issue the study had was that it used students as respondents and they were unable to
assess the social relationships of companies they did not work for. Use of social media was
found to influence student’s intentions to apply for a job positively. This suggests that at least
among students social media is a good way to enhance applicant attraction.
Study on Using Social Networking for HR decisions
This study from 2011 by Davison, et al., looks at the usefulness of information from social
media sites, its legality, and candidates’ feelings about having their online profiles used for
recruiting and other HR practices. Data gathered from these sites may have limited veracity and
is largely unverifiable. They question the relevance of social media profiles to job performance.
“Almost nothing is known about whether other job-relevant characteristics, such as cognitive
ability, creativity, person-organization fit, etc., can be measured reliably and validly from web
pages,” (Davison, et al., 2011, p.155). Most applicants realize their online lives are likely to be
scrutinized and may edit them accordingly. They also point out that although the internet may
seem to offer cost savings on recruiting, the legal risks may cancel out this advantage in the end.
Recommendations for HR Professionals

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Social Media Policy
It is vital to put into place a policy for the use of social media in recruiting, preferably before
beginning to use it. According to the 2013 SHRM study on social media and recruiting, 77% of
organizations are using social media as part of their recruiting practices while only 42% of
organizations have a social media policy in place (SHRM.org, 2013). This means there is a wide
gap between practice and policy. With the potential legal complications, privacy issues, and
questionable usefulness of information found on these sites, not having guidelines in place is
simply foolish.
Some recommendations from the EEOC include using a third party to conduct background
checks, using only public information, and not asking for passwords to personal social media
profiles (EEOC.gov, 2014). This means the person making hiring decisions should not be the
same one doing the online profiling. This is a way to help reduce the chances that protected
characteristics will be a factor in hiring decisions.
Focus on Attraction over Selection
Social media is a great tool to broaden the recruiting net and attract more applicants. This can
be accomplished by disseminating company culture through social media postings. There are
fewer legal risks from using social media in this way than there are in using it for selection of
candidates and making hiring decisions. Incorporating features such as blogs, wikis, and videos
into company websites can help capture job seekers’ attention. The more information the
website provides the more likely that individuals will self-select whether or not to apply to that
company. This can cut down on applications from those who wouldn’t be a good fit with the
organization, thereby helping with the HR workload of sorting through applications.

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Overall, social media should be used as a supplement to traditional recruiting efforts rather
than as a substitute. The lack of firm legal decisions and empirical research into the topic make
it a somewhat risky practice, especially when it comes to background investigations. HR
departments should take it slow and proceed with caution when transitioning into the use of
social media in recruiting. Until further legal and research guidelines are available for
companies to follow, I suggest that the focus be on employer branding and passive recruitment.
Social media is a powerful tool for the HR department that needs to be utilized with care.

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References
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