Social media screening and content effects: implications for job applicant reactions

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to pursue several goals: first, what is the relationship between perceived respect for privacy and potential job pursuit of student applicants in a hypothetical application scenario which includes social media screening as part of the selection process? Second, if the job involves vulnerable others, what are the implications for privacy perceptions? And third, to what extent does the use of social media for non-work purposes relate to perceived respect for privacy? Design/methodology/approach - Using a cross-sectional sampling approach, data were collected from 388 student participants in two different data collection rounds via an online survey. Findings - Perceived respect for privacy was positively correlated, and information privacy concern was negatively correlated, with job pursuit intention. However, perceived respect for privacy differed across the different jobs. Specifically, respect for privacy was higher when the employer screened social media for jobs involving explicit work with children. Social media use and content effects also emerged. Those who either observed others online or interacted with others online to socialize reported lower respect for privacy. Participants with more sensitive content online and content they would be unwilling to share also reported lower scores for privacy. Research limitations/implications - The results were based on cross-sectional data, correlational analyses and hypothetical job scenarios due to ethical considerations and causal restrictions in what may be bi-directional effects. Originality/value - The current study adds to the limited research on the negative effects of social media screening by employers on applicant reactions and the role of job-specifics on how applicant may react to screening.