Social Media in Employee-Selection-Related Decisions: A Research Agenda for Uncharted Territory

• Published in: Journal of management 2016-01, Vol.42 (1), p.269-298
• Main Authors: Roth, Philip L., Bobko, Philip, Van Iddekinge, Chad H., Thatcher, Jason B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Decision making; Personnel policies; Personnel selection; Social networks; Studies; Technology adoption
• ISSN: 0149-2063; 1557-1211
• DOI: 10.1177/0149206313503018

Social media (SM) pervades our society. One rapidly growing application of SM is its use in personnel decision making. Organizations are increasingly searching SM (e.g., Facebook) to gather information about potential employees. In this article, we suggest that organizational practice has outpaced the scientific study of SM assessments in an area that has important consequences for individuals (e.g., being selected for work), organizations (e.g., successfully predicting job performance or withdrawal), and society (e.g., consequent adverse impact/diversity). We draw on theory and research from various literatures to advance a research agenda that addresses this gap between practice and research. Overall, we believe this is a somewhat rare moment in the human resources literature when a new class of selection methods arrives on the scene, and we urge researchers to help understand the implications of using SM assessments for personnel decisions.