Companies Use Social media In the Hiring Process
Organizational Behavior Paper
Angelica Newcome
MGT-3322-01Companies Utilize Social Media in the Hiring Process
Many companies utilize social media in the hiring process. This could affect the way you are perceived before you get a chance to be interviewed by your prospective employer. Is it legal? Sure it is and it is done all the time. Employers may want to check out your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn accounts. There are many ways an employer can look up things about you before you ever even meet them. So, what does your public image look like? Is it something you would be proud for an employer to look at? Are you professional? Are you looking more like a party animal than a future employee? Do you blog? What are you saying when you do? Are there problems associated with this type of investigating before hiring? In the world of social media is it ethical for companies to investigate you? Lastly, what obligations do you have and what obligations does the employer have when it comes to social media?
Answering some of these questions “a new study Carnegie Mellon University found that up to a third of U.S. Businesses were checking out applicants on social media early in the hiring process” CITATION Lyd13 \l 1033 (Dishman, 2013). Knowing this should have people thinking about what information they place about themselves on these social media websites. Not only what you portray as an image but even addressing political views, favorite teams, what college you went to, and even your religious beliefs. You never know who is on the other side of your application checking you out before they ever get a first look at you in person. This leads us to the question of whether it is moral for companies to be using this practice. It is becoming apparent that these companies that are looking at social media could be leading themselves toward legal action if it can be proven they based your credibility for the job on the fact of race, gender, religion, and
Angelica Newcome
MGT-3322-01Companies Utilize Social Media in the Hiring Process
Many companies utilize social media in the hiring process. This could affect the way you are perceived before you get a chance to be interviewed by your prospective employer. Is it legal? Sure it is and it is done all the time. Employers may want to check out your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn accounts. There are many ways an employer can look up things about you before you ever even meet them. So, what does your public image look like? Is it something you would be proud for an employer to look at? Are you professional? Are you looking more like a party animal than a future employee? Do you blog? What are you saying when you do? Are there problems associated with this type of investigating before hiring? In the world of social media is it ethical for companies to investigate you? Lastly, what obligations do you have and what obligations does the employer have when it comes to social media?
Answering some of these questions “a new study Carnegie Mellon University found that up to a third of U.S. Businesses were checking out applicants on social media early in the hiring process” CITATION Lyd13 \l 1033 (Dishman, 2013). Knowing this should have people thinking about what information they place about themselves on these social media websites. Not only what you portray as an image but even addressing political views, favorite teams, what college you went to, and even your religious beliefs. You never know who is on the other side of your application checking you out before they ever get a first look at you in person. This leads us to the question of whether it is moral for companies to be using this practice. It is becoming apparent that these companies that are looking at social media could be leading themselves toward legal action if it can be proven they based your credibility for the job on the fact of race, gender, religion, and