Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your research and critical thinking skills while analyzing a current topic in Human Resource Management. This assignment is designed to keep you updated on leading edge topics as they are happening in our field. You will also develop your ability to integrate ideas from the academic literature and critically evaluate those from the popular press to form a coherent argument in favor for or against a topic.

Assignment Description

You will be assigned several articles to read (See "Assigned Readings" folder below) on a current trend in HRM: Social Media in the Hiring Process. Some of the articles come from the academic literature, and some come from the popular press. You are also expected to conduct your own literature review and research the topic beyond the assigned readings. You should cite this research where appropriate in your document, using APA style. After reading the articles and conducting your own literature review, you should write a position paper outlining whether you think it is appropriate or not to use social media information in the hiring process. You need to support your position with appropriate facts and references.

The following questions are things you should consider as you write your paper. Not all questions necessarily need to be addressed, but a majority of them should be incorporated as you construct the main arguments in your paper. Feel free to examine other ideas that pertain to the topic as well.

1. First of all, for the purposes of this paper, social media includes any information that is available about a person on the internet. This may include (but is not limited to): Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google searches.
2. What kind of information can you find from the various social media platforms? How would this affect a Hiring Managers (or Recruiters) decision about a candidate?
3. When considering whether it is appropriate to use social media information, consider the steps of the hiring process. Is it appropriate to use this information at the beginning of the process, before inviting the candidate for an interview, only after an interview, only at the end of the hiring process (prior to making an offer), etc. Consider the ramifications of viewing ones social media profile at these different steps in the process (e.g., in terms of bias).
4. Is the information we gather from social media reliable and valid in terms of being a predictor of job performance?
   1. On a related note, is the information presented by social media outlets representative of the candidate? Try Google searching yourself and do a social media search on your own name (Facebook and LinkedIn profiles)what did you find?
5. What are the legal ramifications of using social media information in the hiring process? Is there a chance of adverse impact?
6. Consider the practical side of this issue. How many Hiring Managers or Recruiters use this information? What would they say about the use of social media information in the hiring process? How has this information helped (or how could it help) them?

2-4 pages with references