Meadhbh Teegan Long
102088584
Word count: 2048
How Social Networking
is changing HR practices.
It is fairly safe to say that the internet has changed the way we operate our personal and business lives. The more current issue is that social media has changed the way we organise our social and professional calendars and the way in which we correspond with others, both business and non-business. The continuing growth of social networks such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook etc. has significant ramifications for employers. In the ever advancing information age, social networks have become the newest tool of the HR manager. But just how useful can they really be to a HR manager?
It is important to note that there are a host of different categories of social networking sites. Some focused at general friendships, others at specific interests and also those which concentrate on the user’s professional persona. As we know, a professional and private persona can be two different things so this choice of networking sites reflects this.
Obviously the internet has changed HR techniques drastically in recent years, with the advent of online job posting, online testing and recruitment; HR managers now have more access than ever to candidates. However, the use of social networks for recruiting purposes is relatively new. But this use of social networks as a means of gaining information about a candidate is clearly on the rise.
The “profile page” of a user of a social networking site may be accessed by anyone who is a member of the same networking site, subject to the privacy and security settings applied by the user themselves.
The use of social networks for recruitment purposes is now a widely common practice due to its close relation to the act of posting an advertisement for a position on the internet. Social networks are even beginning to develop classified sections for job seekers and job posters.
Social networking sites such as LinkedIn are
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