Job Applicants’ Information Privacy Protection Responses: Using Social Media for Candidate Screening
AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction
John R. Drake 0 1 2 3 4
J. Bret Becton 0 1 2 3 4
Responses: Using Social Media for Candidate Screening. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer
0 Drake , J. R., Hall, D., Becton, J., & Posey, C. (2016). Job Applicants' Information Privacy Protection
1 The University of Alabama , USA
2 East Carolina University
3 University of Southern Mississippi , USA
4 Auburn University
Follow this and additional works at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci Recommended Citation Interaction, 8(4), 160-184. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol8/iss4/3 This material is brought to you by the AIS Journals at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, please contact .
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Article 3
DOI:
Transactions on
Human —
Job Applicants’ Information Privacy Protection
Responses: Using Social Media for Candidate
Screening
John Drake
East Carolina University
Bret Brecton
University of Southern Mississippi
Dianne Hall
Auburn University
Clay Posey
The University of Alabama
Abstract:
For human resource (HR) departments, screening job applicants is an integral role in acquiring talent. Many HR
departments have begun to turn to social networks to better understand job candidates’ character. Using social
networks as a screening tool might provide insights not readily available from resumes or initial interviews. However,
requiring access to an applicants’ social networks and the private activities occurring therein—a practice currently
legal in 29 U.S. states
(Deschenaux, 2015)
—could induce strong moral reactions from the job candidates because of
a perceived loss of information privacy. Subsequently, such disclosure requests could induce job candidates to
respond in a multitude of ways to protect their privacy. Given that an estimated 2.55 billion individuals will use social
media worldwide by 2017
(eMarketer, 2013)
, the repercussions from requests for access social media environments
have potentially far-reaching effects. In this research, we examine how one such disclosure request impacted six
information privacy protective responses (IPPRs)
(Son & Kim, 2008)
based on the job candidates’ perceived moral
judgment and the perceived moral intensity of the HR disclosure request. These responses occurred when we asked
respondents to provide personal login information during a hypothetical interview. By modeling data derived from a
sample of 250 participants in PLS-SEM, we found that the five IPPRs (i.e., refusal, negative word of mouth,
complaining to friends, complaining to the company, and complaining to third parties) were all significant responses
when one judged the request to be immoral and perceived the moral intensity concept of immediate harm. The
amount of variance explained by these five IPPRs ranged from 17.7 percent to 38.7 percent, which indicates a solid
initial foundation from which future research can expand on this HR issue. Implications for academia and practice are
discussed.
The manuscript was received 12/04/2015 and was with the authors 5 months for 2 revisions.
December 2016 Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction
1 Introduction
For human resource (HR) departments, screening job applicants is an integral part in acquiring talent.
While resumes and applications provide much factual and verifiable information such as educational
achievements, certifications, licenses, experience, and so on, employers also use them to infer other
characteristics such as personality, intelligence, leadership, and work ethic
(Cable & Gilovich, 1998; Cole,
Feild, Giles, & Harris, 2009)
. They then use these inferences to assess prospect employability
(Brown &
Campion, 1994; Cole, Feild, & Giles, 2003; Cole, Rubin, Feild, & Giles, 2007)
.
To complement traditional resumes and formal applications, employers also use online social networks—
which we refer to simply as social networks here—to enhance their hiring inferences
(Davis, 2007; Grasz,
2009; Kasper, 2015; Smith, 2012)
. This practice appears to be ubiquitous among employers.
Approximately 93 percent of recruiters use or plan to used social media during the hiring process, and 55
percent have reconsidered applicants based on content found on their social media profiles
(Jobvite,
2015)
. By examining these networks, employers attempt to compile a more comprehensive profile of
applicants than would be available otherwise, especially as it relates to individuals’ personalities
(Kluemper & Rosen, 2009; Kluemper, Rosen, & Mossholder, 2012)
. Additionally, many employers
approach screening applicants using social networks as an additional means of assessing “fit” with the
organization or identifying “red flags”
(Grasz, 2009)
. These “red flags” might include social network
content about applicants’ use of alcohol and illegal drugs, profanity, and engag (...truncated)