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You've been tagged! (Then again, maybe not): Employers and Facebook

Author

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  • Smith, William P.
  • Kidder, Deborah L.

Abstract

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have exploded on to the cultural and business landscape. Not only can firms use social networking sites to present organizational information to interested parties, but also perhaps gather information regarding job applicants. As an employer, checking out an applicant's Facebook page--much like Googling a candidate's name--is very tempting. It is understandable that managers would like to know as much about a candidate as possible. Facebook pages can provide a wealth of information beyond, or even possibly contradicting, an applicant's submitted documents. While this may represent a potentially useful tool, there are several reasons for caution. For instance, an organization's selection process may be biased if an applicant's Facebook page contains inaccurate information, if some applicants do not have Facebook pages, and/or if legally protected demographic information ends up being part of the selection process. Facebook's own policies suggest that an organization may face legal challenges if it considers an applicant's Facebook page as part of the selection process. Just as importantly, there are ethical issues--in particular, an individual's right to privacy--which must be considered. We wish to encourage organizations to develop guidelines regarding the use of social networking sites in the application process, based on the practical, legal, and ethical issues covered in this article.

Suggested Citation

  • Smith, William P. & Kidder, Deborah L., 2010. "You've been tagged! (Then again, maybe not): Employers and Facebook," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 491-499, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:53:y::i:5:p:491-499
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Elena – Madalina VATAMANESCU & Ioana – Felicia CONSTANTIN, 2015. "Facebook Usage as Social Screening. Exploring the Approach of Admissions Officers from Management Colleges," Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, College of Management, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, vol. 3(1), pages 61-77, March.
    2. David Agogo, 2021. "Invisible market for online personal data: An examination," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 31(4), pages 989-1010, December.
    3. Magdalena Danilet & Claudia Stoian (Bobâlca), 2017. "Using Zmet For Investigating The Role Of Social Media In The Employment Process," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 19, pages 9-32, June.
    4. Debora Jeske & Kenneth S Shultz, 2016. "Using social media content for screening in recruitment and selection: pros and cons," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(3), pages 535-546, June.
    5. Black, J. Stewart & van Esch, Patrick, 2020. "AI-enabled recruiting: What is it and how should a manager use it?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 215-226.
    6. Hosain Md Sajjad & Liu Ping, 2020. "The Role of Social Media on Talent Search and Acquisition: Evidence from Contemporary Literature," Journal of Intercultural Management, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 92-137, March.
    7. Ricardo Buettner, 2017. "Getting a job via career-oriented social networking markets," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 27(4), pages 371-385, November.
    8. Samawiya Aqeel & Danish Ahmed Siddiqui, 2019. "The Effect of Social Media Following on Recruitment in Service Industries of Pakistan," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(1), pages 41-77, December.

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