Social Networking Sites Used in the Hiring Process Essay Example

Using Social Networking Sites In The Hiring Process

March 25, 2009
Outline
Thesis: Social networking sites are any online communities that enable people with shared interests to communicate through a variety of networks. The most popular of these networks are MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Employers are interested in using social networking sites to screen job applicants by reviewing their social networking information to determine their “fit” within the organization but many believe this practice is unethical.

I. Employers use Facebook for further background checks. A. Employers use Facebook to get a better picture of the individuals to see if they will fit into the organization. B. There are positive and negative sides for the employer to use Facebook during the hiring process.

II. Job candidates get tripped up by Facebook. A. A variety of companies use Social Networking sites with job applicants. B. Examples of discrimination stem from personal information found on these sites.

III. When considering job applicants, prospective employers have no business poking around the applicant’s profiles on social networking sites. For or against? A. Greg Fish argued that networking profiles aren’t resumes and companies should not use them when determining if an applicant should be hired. B. Timothy Lee said that people shouldn’t fear that an employer will get a hold of their social networking profile but expect it and use it to their advantage
RWTS: All three of these articles discuss that organizations that use social networking sites are mainly using them to weed out candidates (through the discovery of information) that don’t fit well with the company. Now more employees are starting to understand the importance of the type of information that is put out on the web about them, because one never knows who may be able to find that information.

Using Social Networking Sites In The Hiring Process

Social