sony

SETA survey of representatives in Tribunal cases 2008

Research Paper
The use of social media in the recruitment process

Ref: 03/13

2013
Andrea Broughton, Beth Foley, Stefanie Ledermaier and Annette Cox
(IES)

For any further information on this study, or other aspects of the Acas
Research and Evaluation programme, please telephone [phone] or email [e-mail]
Acas research publications can be found at www.acas.org.uk/researchpapers ISBN 978-1-908370-32-7

The use of social media in the recruitment process

Andrea Broughton
Beth Foley
Stefanie Ledermaier
Annette Cox

Prepared for Acas by:
Institute for Employment Studies
Sovereign House
Church Street
Brighton BN1 1UJ
UK
T: 01273 763400
F: 01273 763401 www.employment-studies.co.uk Copyright © 2013 Acas

The Institute for Employment Studies
IES is an independent, apolitical, international centre of research and consultancy in HR issues. It works closely with employers in all sectors, government departments, agencies, professional bodies and associations. IES is a focus of knowledge and practical experience in employment and training policy, the operation of labour markets, and HR planning and development. IES is a not-forprofit organisation.

Acknowledgements
The authors are indebted to the individuals at Pets at Home, Monmouthshire
County Council and G4S, who took the time to talk to us about their experiences of using social media tools for recruitment. Thanks also go to Karen Patient at
IES, who formatted the report, and to Emma Dibb and Andrew Sutherland, project managers at Acas.

Disclaimer
This report contains the views of the authors and does not represent the views of the Acas Council. Any errors or inaccuracies are the responsibility of the authors alone. ii

Contents
The Institute for Employment Studies
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer

ii ii ii

Contents

iii

1

1

Introduction
1.1

2

3.5

The growth

Bibliography: and sources BIS (2010) Findings from the Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications 2008. Bohnert, D. and Ross, W.H. (2010) ‘The Influence of Social networking Web Sites on the Evaluation of Job Candidates’, Cyperpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2007) ‘Social network sites: Definition, history and scholarship’, Journal of Computer Mediated Education, Vol.13, Issue 1: pp.210230 Broughton, A., Higgins, T., Hicks, B. and Cox, A. (2011) Workplaces and social networking CareerBuilder.com (2009) Forty-five Percent of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Research Job Candidates, CareerBuilder Survey Finds CareerBuilder.com (2012) Thirty-seven percent of companies use social networks to research potential job candidates, according to new CareerBuilder Survey, CareerBuilder.co.uk (2010) Fifty-three per cent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, CareerBuilder.co.uk, 13th January Chamberlain, L. (2012) 'HR directors believe social media is ineffective for recruitment survey finds ', Personnel Today, 20th March 2012. CIPD (2013) Social media and recruitment conference, London, March 2013. Clark, L.A. and Roberts, S.J. (2010) ‘Employer’s Use of Social Networking Sites: A Socially Irresponsible Practice’ Clements, A. (2012), ‘Social media and recruitment: time for a coherent HR strategy?’ HR Magazine, 16th February 2012. Davison, H., Maraist, C. and Bing, M. (2011) 'Friend or foe? The promise and pitfalls of using social networking sites for HR decisions ', Journal of Business Davison, H., Maraist, C., Hamilton, R. and Bing, M. (2012) ‘To screen or not to screen/ Using the internet for selection decisions’, Employee Responsibilities and Jobvite (2012) ‘The Jobvite 2012 Social Recruiting Survey Results’, Jobvite, BurlingameJobvite.com. Joos, J.G. (2008) ‘Social media: New frontiers in hiring and recruiting’, Employment Relations Today, Vol Joost, W., Furtmueller, E. and Wilderom, C. (2010) ‘Reflecting on e-recruiting research using grounded theory’, Paper prepared for the Potentialpark (2011) Talent interaction: Does Facebook beat LinkedIn?, Results release http://www.potentialpark.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/12/Potentialpark-Social-Media-Release-Europe.pdf Searle, R.H. (2006) ‘New technology: the potential impact of surveillance techniques in recruitment practices’, Personnel Review, Vol.35, Issues 3: pp.336351. SHRM (2011a) SHRM survey findings: The use of social networking websites and online search engines in screening job candidates, Society for Human Resource SHRM (2011b) SHRM poll: Social networking websites for identifying and staffing potential job candidates, Society for Human Resource Management, 20th June 41 Simply Hired (2012) Today’s Job Seeker Report and motivations, 2012 Edition. Smith, A.D. and Rupp, W.T. (2004) ‘Managerial challenges of e-recruiting: extending the life cycle of new economy employees’, Online Information Review, Nigel Wright Recruitment (2011) The impact of social media on recruitment, Nigel Wright Recruitment, Report 2011. http://uk.nigelwright.com/NigelWrightNews/2011-02-01/New-report-uncoverstrue-impact-of-social-media-on-recruitment/ UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) (2012), UK Commission’s Zielinski, D. (2012) Find social media’s value, HR Magazine, 1st August 2012.