Using social media during the hiring process: A comparison between recruiters and job seekers

A large majority of organizations and those seeking employment maintain at least one, if not several, social media pages; consequently, social media is being used more frequently in the job search and employee recruiting processes. The use of social media as a source of information may become increasingly important as recruiters, and job seekers alike, learn how to effectively use social media in the search process, leading to sustainable hiring practices. This study evaluates the difference in recruiters and job seeker’s rating of social media activities, content type, and usefulness. In most cases, significant differences were found between recruiters and job seekers. In general, recruiters rated questionable social media more negatively and job seekers were less positive in regards to content that might be beneficial to the job search, revealing a disconnect between the two groups. This disconnect could have an impact on job seekers finding employment and organizations finding qualified, acceptable employees.