Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Brenda Jack

Abstract

The use of social networking websites by employers without adequate strategies can lead to misuse of job applicant's information or discriminatory hiring practices. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies that some human resource professionals in the southeastern United States implemented to maximize the use of social networking websites in the hiring process. Signaling theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 8 purposefully selected human resource professionals who used social networking websites for at least 3 years to screen and select job applicants. Documentation of participating organizations was also reviewed to assess the guidance employees received for using social networking websites to inform hiring decisions. Two other sources of data included field notes and observations of participants during interviews. Interview transcripts and supporting documents were coded using a priori and emergent codes focused on identifying themes among strategies hiring managers used. A few of the themes that emerged from the thematic analysis of the interview data were professional social media, personal social media, and legal concerns. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing human resource professionals and hiring managers with more knowledge for optimizing the use of social networking websites for cybervetting and hiring job candidates.

Included in

Business Commons

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