Pros and Cons of Social Media Screening in Hiring Process

BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WITH HONOURS
MAY SEMESTER 2021
OUMH1203
ENGLISH FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
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Table of Contents

ESSAY OUTLINE.....................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................2
BODY........................................................................................................................................3
DISADVANTAGES / CONS................................................................................................3
Point 1 – Invasion of privacy.............................................................................................3
Point 2 – Inconsistent and unreliable information.............................................................4
ADVANTAGES / PROS.......................................................................................................5
Point 1 - Eliminating discrepancies....................................................................................5
Point 2 – Reduce in cost and time......................................................................................6
Alternatives for employer to screen job candidates...............................................................7
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................9

ESSAY OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
 What is “usage of social media in screening candidates’ profiles during hiring
process”
 Most popular social media in today’s world
Thesis statement
 The use of social media in screening candidates’ profiles during hiring process in
today’s world.
 This assignment will argue and includes the theoretical background, which
investigates the main advantages and disadvantages focused on social media
screening during new employee hiring into an organization/company.
BODY:
DISADVANTAGES / CONS
 Point 1 – Invasion of privacy
 Point 2 – Inconsistent and unreliable information
ADVANTAGES / PROS
 Point 1 - Eliminating discrepancies
 Point 2 – Reduce in cost and time
Alternatives for employer to screen job candidates
 References interview
 Paid trial projects
CONCLUSION
 The conclusion of the essay/assignment
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INTRODUCTION
The method companies or employers hunt for a candidate to locate suitable potential
worker keeps changing day to day as mass communication continues to advance more and
more. Professionals in a company's human resources department now use a variety of
strategies and tools for screening and selecting new employees, including social media
(Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram). With so much information floating around in the
social stratosphere, gathering additional information on job seekers are now easier than ever.
Since 2008, Facebook's monthly active user numbers have been steadily increasing with no
signs of slowing down. They now have more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. To put it
another way, that's a bit more than a third of the world's population hence, there's a good
chance that most candidates applying for jobs have Facebook accounts (Andrew Greenberg,
2020). That's just Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are among the most popular
social networking platforms. Virtually everyone has at least one social media page, though
the amount of time they spend on it, how easy it is to locate and identify as theirs, and how
valuable it is will all vary greatly.
Many organizations are using social media screening to evaluate job seekers as a low-
cost alternative to traditional background checks. Employers mostly have access to personal
information about candidates that isn't available during the interview process and social
media screenings can disclose unexpected information about a prospect (Miller et al., 2010,
p. 377-382). Before a job interview, social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter may teach a potential employer a lot about job searchers and employers may learn a
lot about a candidate. However, using social media as part of a pre-employment screening
approach has sparked debate. Some say that monitoring candidates' social media accounts is
immoral and infringes on their right to privacy. Many people assume that what they say in
their spare time has no influence on their ability to accomplish their work. Nonetheless, HR
professionals who employ social media screening believe that the information and
photographs shared on these networks are in the public domain and that it would be foolish
not to use them. In this assignment, we will look into the pros and cons and argue the use of
social media in screening candidates’ profiles during hiring process.
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