Chad Van Iddekinge Florida State University Steve Lanivich Old Dominion University

1. Should We Be Using Facebook for Selection? A Study of Predictive Validity and Adverse Impact Potential Chad Van IddekingeFlorida State University Steve Lanivich Old Dominion University Phil RothClemson University Elliott JuncoAccenture Consulting

2. Use of Internet in HRM • Internet has had a profound effect on HRM • Many organizations are using the Internet to search for information about job applicants • 50-75% of U.S. organizations are using social networking websites such as Facebook (FB)

3. Benefits and Challenges of Using Facebook for Selection • Potential benefits • Low cost and convenient • Provide information not available from traditional assessments (e.g., resumes, tests, interviews) • Part of due diligence in vetting potential employees • Potential challenges • Inability to identify and evaluate job-relevant information • Access to job-irrelevant information • Lack of standardization across applicants

4. HR Research on Facebook • Not much… • Some evidence that FB ratings correlate with self-reported personality (e.g., Kluemper & Rosen, 2009) • Overall, practice in this area appears to be fast outpacing research

5. Current Study • Do recruiters use FB to screen applicants and what are their perceptions of the practice? • Concerns the prevalence of the practice • Do recruiter ratings of FB predict on-the-job performance? • Concerns the validity of the practice • Are there demographic group differences in recruiters’ FB ratings? • Concerns the fairness and possible adverse impact of the practice

6. Research Participants • 416 FSU students preparing to graduate • Provided access to their FB profile • 86 recruiters from various organizations • Staffing specialists, hiring managers, and employees • Reviewed snap shots of students’ FB profiles and evaluated them • 142 supervisors of students in their new positions • Rated graduates’ job performance

7. Measures • Recruiter use of FB • Recruiter perceptions of FB • Job-relevance (e.g., “Applicants’ Facebook information could be a good sign of the type of an employee they would be”) • Opportunity to perform (e.g., “Facebook gives applicants an opportunity to show their job-relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities”) • Credibility (e.g., “Facebook is a credible information source on which to base selection decisions”) • Privacy(e.g., “Checking applicants’ Facebook profiles is an invasion of their privacy”)

8. Measures • Facebook ratings (recruiters completed) • Suitability (e.g., “I can see how this person would be an attractive applicant to an organization”) • KSAOs (e.g., dependability, maturity, interpersonal skills) • Job performance (supervisors completed) • In-role performance (e.g., “The employee performs tasks they are asked to complete”) • Extra-role performance (e.g., “The employee goes out of their way to help other employees”)

9. Measures • Other predictors (students provided/rated) • Cognitive ability (SAT/ACT scores) • Extraversion (e.g., “I am comfortable starting conversations”) • Self-efficacy (e.g., “I am capable of coping with most of my problems”)

10. Recruiters’ Use of Facebook

11. Recruiters’ Perceptions of Facebook

12. Correlations between Recruiter Characteristics and FB Use/Perceptions Note. **p < .01. *p < .05.

13. Correlations between Facebook Ratings and Job Performance

14. Correlations between Facebook Ratings and Job Performance

15. Demographic Group Differences for Facebook Ratings

16. Key Findings and Implications • Majority of recruiters use FB during the selection process at least some of the time • Some recruiters (e.g., managers and employees, smaller firms) use FB more than others • Recruiter ratings of FB did not predict future job performance • FB ratings were higher for females than for males, and in some instances, higher for White individuals than for racial minorities

17. Some Caveats • Focused primarily on FB and not other internet information sources (e.g., LinkedIn, Google searches) • College student sample and initial performance in entry level positions • Unclear whether our approach mirrors how organizations actually use and evaluate FB information

18. Some Recommendations • Exercise considerable caution until methods for collecting and evaluating FB information are shown to be reliable, valid, and legally defensible • Develop clear policies concerning use of Facebook and other internet information (most firms do not have such policies, SHRM, 2011) • Train managers and employees about the potential pitfalls with using this type of information