AMERICAN LANGUAGE HUB_Level2_Student'sBook_Answerkey.pdf
The role of social networking sites in recruitment
1. 1. The role of Social NetworkingSitesin recruitment (An IndianPerspective) Project submitted inpartial fulfilment for the
Award of the Degree of Post Graduate Diploma inManagement(2010-2012) By Monika Roll No: 141 50 (B & ) , 60,
Tughlakabad Institutional Area , New Delhi-110062, e-mail :info@ndimdelhi.org.website : https://www.ndimdelhi.org
Monika.15may@gmail.com 1
2. 2. Monika.15may@gmail.com2
3. 3. PREFACEWith thisthesis, I finalize my PGDBM, HR at the New Delhi Institute of Management. After a brief literature
review, asurvey was conducted in order to find new insightsaboutthe role of Social Networking Sitesin recruitment.First of
all, I would like to thankmy supervisor Mr. B.K.Dhup for hisguidance duringthisproject. I would like to thankall th e
respondentsfor their assistance and essential feedback.Also, I wouldlike to expressmy gratitude to my family, my friends,
fellow studentsand colleaguesfor their support andpatienceand for keepingme motivated. Thisproject wasa great
experience, withsome challenging andmanyfascinatingaspects.MonikaApril 2012 Monika.15may@gmail.com 3
4. 4. Executive SummaryBackgroundCurrent challengesand changesin technology and therole of the Internetopenup new
opportunitiesfor companiesto communicateand work. The fact thatSocial Networking Sitesentered thebusinesslandscape,
and in particular therecruitment landscapeleadsto a demandfor knowledgeaboutrecruitment trendsregarding Social
Networking Sites. With thisstudy the phenomena of SocialNetworkingSitesin recruitment wasexplored. Knowledgewas
acquired bymaking use of primary research i.e. a survey, conductedin Indian companiesalong witha comprehensive
secondary research. The followingresearch questionisanswered withinthisthesis: To what extent doesthe use of Social
NetworkingSiteslead to effectiverecruitment?Toanswer the research question and to detect the extent to whichthe use
ofSocial NetworkingSitesleadsto effectiverecruitment, a research model wasestablished in o rder to find relationships
between the qualitiesof SocialNetworkingSitesand effective recruitment.Thechosen qualitiesof siteswereinformation
quality, popularity, networking scope, ease of navigation andsecurity/privacy. Effectiverecruitment ischaracterized by the
diversity ofapplicants, the quality of applicants/applications, the costs, the time and the targetgrouporientation. Furtherm ore,
the type of the site (business-oriented sitesversussocial-oriented sites) played an important rolein thisresearch. In addition,
theusage frequency of the recruiter wasof interest. Monika.15may@gmail.com 4
5. 5. Research MethodA quantitative typeof research was chosen. It was conducted by making use of asurvey among Human
Resources (HR) professionals. To determine theperceptionsand experiencesof the HR departments, a questionnaire based
on theconstructsthat were derived from the literature review wasdeveloped. Conductingasurvey isa very successful
approach for exploring theperceptionsof HRdepartmentsabout Social media inrecruitment.FindingsThe findingsshow that
recruitment supportedby Social Networking Sitesisarelatively new topic in Indian companies. Most of them started using
Web 2.0applicationsfor their Human Resource Management (HRM) duringthe last threeyears. The majority of companies
makes use of the business-oriented sites, inparticular Linkedin, for their recruitment and predictLinkedinto be the
mostimportantSocial Networking Sitein the future alongwith Brijj and viadeo. In thisstudy, Facebookisdefinedasa social-
oriented site. It isnot often used forrecruitmentat thispoint in time,but companiespredict thatFacebookwill gainmore
importancewithin the next three years. In order to detect the qualitiesofSocial Networking Siteswhich mostly influence
effective recruitment, a model wastested. The most significant finding isthat among thetested qualitiesof SocialNetworking
Sitesthe networking scope hasthe most powerful influence oneffectiverecruitment, inparticular on the target group
orientation. Indiancompaniesestimate thenetworkingscope asa benefit for recruitment.Thewiderthe networking scope, the
easier to reach more people and to hit therighttargetgroup. Furthermore, an interesting finding isthat costsare not affected.
According Monika.15may@gmail.com 5
6. 6. to the findings, there isno significant relationship between thequalitiesof SocialNetworking Sitesand costs. Findings
show that companiesdo not spend much oftheir total recruitment time on Social NetworkingSites. At the moment, they
areusing it for recruitmentactivitieson a monthly to semi-annual basis.LimitationsLimitationsof the study can be outlined as
the following.Theresearch sample islimitedto Indiancontext and it cannotbe ruledout thatcertaincultural influenceshave
affected the results. In addition, the amount of companieswhich are makinguse of social -oriented networking sitesissmall
(n=64) which may limit thegeneralizability of thestudy. Asa consequence, it may be difficult to draw definiteconclusions
about social-oriented networking sitesand recruitment.In addition,thestudy isonly a snapshot in time andthe usage of
Social Networking Sitesisafast moving topic which hasto be monitoredfor a longer timeperiod.Conclusionsand
DiscussionA combination of the theoretical background and the findingsof the survey lead tothe conclusion thatSocial
Networking Sitesare an important andupcomingtopicin IndianHR departments. Especially, the networking scope of the
SocialNetworkingSitesisthe most predicting factor for effective recruitment, inparticular for the target grouporientation.
Interestingly, recruitment costsare notaffectedby the qualitiesof Social Networking Sites. It can be assumed that
HRdepartmentscannot observe a cost reduction caused by the usage of SocialNetworking Sitesbecause of the fact that
they have recently started using them forrecruitment. A cost reductionmightbe experienced onthe long -term. Inconclusion,
HR departmentsenter a new terrain and gaintheir first experiencesMonika.15may@gmail.com 6
7. 7. with Social Networking Sitesin combinationwith recruitment. Theoutcomesindicate a trend to use the sitesfor recruitment
and it became obviousthisissuewill gainimportancein the future.Further ResearchAsthe role of Social Networking Sitesin
recruitment isa relatively new topic for HRdepartments, it isdifficultto compare new findingswith oldones. With the
currentstudy first results were detected which explain to what extent theuse of SocialNetworking Sitesleads to effective
recruitment. It can be seen asan exploratorystudy, because there isa lackof studiesabout Social Networking Sites
andrecruitment at the moment. Asa consequence, further research isrecommendedin order to see the long -term effect. A
longitudinal research isnecessary toobserve the possible changesover time. Monika.15may@gmail.com 7
8. 8. “I had (and still have) a dream thatthe Web couldbe lessof atelevision channel andmore of an interactivesea of
sharedknowledge. I imagine itimmersingusas a warm, friendlyenvironmentmadeof the thingswe and our friendshave
seen,heard, believe, or have figured out. I would like it to bringourfriendsand colleaguescloser, in that by working on
thisknowledge together we can come to better understandings.” — Sir Tim BernersLee, 1995 (Inventor of the World Wide
Web) Monika.15may@gmail.com 8
9. 9. 1 Introduction “Right now, with social networksand other toolson the Internet, all of these 500 million people have a way
to say what theyre thinking and havetheir voice be heard.” - MarkZuckerberg1.1 BackgroundThe new world, which we have
already entered,isa flat world with fast changingtechnologiesand these changesopen up new opportunitiesfor companies
tocommunicate andwork. As a consequence of thisconstant change of technologyand dueto the growing importanceof the
Internet, the phenomenon of Web 2.0hasoccurred. Theideaof Web 2.0 wasgenerated from a brainstorming
sessionbetween Tim O´Reilly and MediaLiveInternational in 2001. O‟Reilly, a Californiancomputer bookpublisher, is
considered to be leading figure, a guru of the Web 2.0(Boersenblatt, 2008). The principleof Web 2.0 isthe active use of the
Internet andthepossibility to helpshapingthe Web. The user creates user-generated contentand doesn`t only surf the
Internet. Most of today`syoung people, definedasGeneration Y1, grewsup with computersand view them asa part of their
daily life.GenerationY spendsplenty of timeon the Internet,isconnected24 hours a dayand makesuse of a variety of Web
2.0 applications. Web 2.0 isan increasinglypopular term, whichdescribesan array of technical andsocial developments
thatleadsto changesin Internet user behaviour. Asa result, companieshold the Web2.0 in highregard anduse these
applicationse.g. for marketingcampaignsand forrecruiting new employees. In particular Social Networking Siteshave
2. becomeextremely popular, andtoday hundredsof millionsof Internet usersinteractthrough these Social Networking Sites.
Monika.15may@gmail.com 9
10. 10. Employersprofit from thefact that Social Networking Sitesbecomesimportant.They cangaina lot of personal
informationaboutapplicants“as a source ofapplicant datain an effort to improve hiringdecision s” (Kluemper & Rosen
2009,p.567). Furthermore, in2010companiesstarted a new trend of looking for qualifiedemployeeson Social Networking
Sites. These sites afford companiestheopportunity to search for potential candidates. The variety of these SocialNe tworking
Sitesis growing fast and there are national differences. According toKim et al. (2009) there isa diversity of popular Socia l
Networking Sitesbycontinent, regionand country. Facebookisused on nearly every continent andisthe Social Networking
Site with the most registered userswith more than 500million active users(Facebook, 2011). The number of Social
Networking Siteshasrisen enormously during thelast yearsand still keepson rising. The constantlychanging technology
opensup new opportunitiesof communication,but at thesametime, it isleading to a jungle of applicationsand confusion. At
thispoint intime,there are only a few studiesabout Social Networking Sitesand recruitmentbecause many researchershave
just started examiningthistopic and still try tofinda way through thisjungle.1.2 Research ProblemIn spiteof the global
financial-and economic crisisand booming Indian economy,the war of talent isstill an actual topic, and companiesare
confronted with theproblem finding the right employees. Looking at theIndianmarket, for example,there are still unfilled
vacanciesand companieshave problems*Generation Y: born between 1979 and1994and just now beginningto enter the
workforce. GenerationY or Millennialgenerationisthe first to be born into a wired world. (Smola,Sutton, 2002)
Monika.15may@gmail.com 10
11. 11. regarding their staffing(Kelly Sevices, 2010). Companiesneed people to survive,talented people are a primesource for a
company’scompetitiveadvantage, andtalented peopleare scarce. The search for the best and the brightest peopleis
aconstant battle betweencompanies, and they have to develop strategiesin order tofind the best employees. For that
reason, the strategic question of finding,attractingand recruiting the best peoplehasbecomea relevant issue for
companies.Furthermore, the Internethaschangedthe way people communicate andwork(Giles, 2010). Throughthe entering
of Social Networking Sitesinto businesslandscape andthe fast growing amount of these sites, a need of strategy for findinga
way through thisjungleof sitesis required. Companiestend to be confused aboutwhich applicationsare the best for their
recruitment process. Social NetworkingSitesand itsimpact on recruitment isa very recent field which isfast moving
andtherefore difficult to monitor up to date.Thetraditional job portalshave been actively involvedin integrating social me diato
the portalsas: 1) Info Edge owned job portal Naukri.com hastied upwith Facebook.com - which hasmore than 12 million
users in India - to make its content easily available or sharable on thesocial networking platform. 2) Brijj isa social
networking initiativeof Info Edge 3) All major job portalshave integratedsocial mediaFor the HumanResource Management,
the trend would meanto developarecruitment strategy supportedby Social NetworkingSitesin order to improvetheir
recruitment process. Recruitmentby Social Networking Sitesisa new topicand there isa lackof studies about it.**In199 7
Mc Kinsey & Company coinedthe term war of talent, whichrefersto a competitive landscape for recruitingandretaining
talented employees(Michaels, Handfield-Jonesand Axelrod; 2001) Monika.15may@gmail.com 11
12. 12. Which qualitiesof Social Networking Sitesleadto effective recruitment? Monika.15may@gmail.com 12 Which Social
Networking Sitesare used by Indian Recruiters? What are the advantagesand disadvantagesof online recruitment and
what are important criteria of for recruitment via Social NetworkingSites? Which Social Networking Sitesare available and
what are their particular qualities? What are the advantagesand disadvantagesof Web 2.0 for recruitment, withregard to
Social Networking Sites? The mainobjectiveof thisstudy isto identify to what extent the usage of SocialNetworking Sites
leadsto effective recruitment. An additional goal isto find outwhichSocial Networking Sitescompaniesapply and gain
insightsabout theirexperienceswith differentsites. The previousexplanationslead to the centralresearch question:Towhat
extent doesthe use of Social Networking Siteslead to effectiverecruitment?Inorder to answer the central research question,
different fieldshave to beexamined. The advantagesand disadvantagesof Web 2.0, in particular SocialNetworking Sites, are
relevant. Social Networking Sitesand recruitment are themainpart of thisstudy and hence, they are consideredin detail.The
surveyfocuses on Indian recruitersand HR personalsand their perceptionsandexperiencesregarding thistopic. The
following sub questionsare investigated inorder to answer the central question mentioned above.
13. 13. 1.3 Outlineof the thesisThisreport hasbeen set up as follows. It includesthe theoretical background,which investigates
the main advantagesand disadvantagesof Web 2.0, focusedon Social NetworkingSitesand effective (e -) recruitment.
Additionally, theresearch model isdrafted.Chapter 3 explainsthe methodology of the study. It willdescribethe questionnaire,
the subjectsof study, the data processing and how theinformation wasgathered. Chapter 4 will outlinethe resultsof the
questionnaire.Further, the limitationsof the study and implicationsfor science research wil l beoutlined. Many aspectsof this
study are based on literature about thefieldofonlinerecruitment and information technology whichcan be adapted
torecruitmentby Social Networking Sites.2. Effective Online RecruitmentReading thepublicationsof Rynes (1991), Breaugh
(1992) and Barber (1998) itbecomeobviousthat recruitment iscritical to organizational success, and thatemployee
recruitment hasbecomea highly discussed topic in recent years.Previousresearch hasshown that recruitmentdecisions
have a significantimpacton different factorsof the recruitment outcomes, like the diversity of applicants.Accordingto Breaugh
& Starke (2000), recruitment isa set of activitieswhichorganizationsaccomplish in order to find the right people for their
vacancies, theprimary mechanism to attract potential employees. Recruitment includesvariousactivitiesand isa process
which ischaracterized by different steps. Startingwithidentifying the recruitment objectives, developing a strategy and
recruitmentactivitieslike job advertisements, job interviewsand so forth. Thisprocess is achallengefor any HR department
because they have to establish recruitment Monika.15may@gmail.com 13
14. 14. objectivesfirst. But what iseffective recruitment? According to Fletcher (2011) “theability to effectively recruit and select
good quality people stemsfrom anorganizational effort to hirethe best people.” Thisresearch concentratesonelectronic
recruitment (online recruitment) because Social NetworkingSitesare apart of online recruitment. Thereare different
characteristicswhich are relevant foraneffective recruitmentprocess. The characteristicsof an (e -) recruitment processare
examinedin the followingparagraph.2.1Characteristicsof OnlinerecruitmentPinet al. (2001) , Eisele (2006), Breaughet al.
(2008), Holm (2010) and Jetter (2008)havediscernedthe most important characteristicsof an effective onlinerecruitment
process. These characteristicscan be adapted to recruitment bySocial Networking Sites, because there isa lackof literature
about criteria for aneffectiverecruitment processby Social Networking Sites. Social Networking Sitesare a relatively new
topic and therefore, the findingsof the literature on onlinerecruitment are the basisfor the assumptionsin thisstudy. The
following tablegivesa review of the recruitmentcharacteristicsfrom the selected literature.Potentialsof online recruitmen t
Literature ReferenceReductionof costsS. Eisele (2006)Speed(Time-to-Hire)Increasing number and quality of
applicantsMatching quality (target-group-oriented)Benefitsof online recruitmentLiteratureReferenceFaster information
exchange A. Holm (2010)Lower costs of advertisingDataaccessibility and availabilityCost reductionof
communicationsImproved organizational attraction Monika.15may@gmail.com 14
15. 15. Advantagesof onlinerecruitment Literature ReferenceCost reductionper hire Jetter (2008)Reduction of the recruiting -
process (time)Global distributionPresence of informationfor any length of timeInteractivityTarget-group-orientedRecruitment
objectivesLiterature ReferenceRetentionrate J.A. Breaugh andM. Starke (2008)Job performance andjob
satisfactionPsychological contract fulfilledCost/Speed of fillingjobsNumber of positionsfilled Diversity of hiresNumber of
applicantsQuality/Diversity of applicantsRatio of offersto acceptanceAdvantagesof onlinerecruitment Literature
3. ReferenceFaster posting of jobsand applicant response Pin et al. (2001)Faster processing of résumésLower recruiti ng
costsTime saving24 hrsa day, 7 days a week onlineGlobal access/access to passive CandidatesImageof being up-to-date
and modernTarget-group-orientedScreening outof Under-qualifiedCandidatesMoreopportunitiesfor smaller
companiesTable1: Characteristicsof onlinerecruitmentAspreviously written,the authorshave found advantagesregarding
the use ofInternet duringrecruitment. In thisstudy, Social Networking Sitesare the focusand are a new tool, which
organizationsuse for findingthe right candidatefor theirpurposes. The use of these sitesoffers new perspectivesand
advantagestorecruiters. It isa recent topic and there islessmaterial aboutthe effect of the useof these Social Networkin g
Siteson effective recruitment. Therefore, theadvantages and characteristicsof online recruitment are adapted to the use of
Monika.15may@gmail.com 15
16. 16. Social Networking Sitesin order to test the effect of these siteson effectiverecruitment. For onlinerecruitment, the most
important advantagesare time andcost savings. Furthermore, targetgroup orientation, enhancementof the numberof
applicants, enhancement of the diversity of applicantsand the applicantqualifications(matching) play an important role.1.
CostsIn order to be able to use Internet technologiesfor a recruitment process,organizationsfirst have to invest in it. In 2003,
gartner research found out that 47%of thecompaniesmade use of online recruitment for reducingtheir administrationcosts
and 50% of the companiesexpected a reductionof their costsin the future.When asked the 1,000 biggest organizations
about their experienceswith Internetand recruitment it wasfound that67% saw the use of web -based solutionsas
animprovement of their recruitment processesand 49% of them practicedit andachieved lower recruitment costs. Data also
shows that the use of some form ofonlinerecruitment methodsreduced the hiringcostsabout 87% in comparison tocommon
traditional recruitment toolslike newspapers(Lee, 2005; Cober et al.,2000). Social Networking Sitesare a dimension to
online recruitment and arebased on the factsof online recruitmentand cost reduction. It can be assumedthat using Social
Networking Sitesfor recruitment can make a remarkablecontributionto the reductionof the recruitment costsas well.2.
TimeThesupport of onlinerecruitment facilitiesreducesthe time-to-hire by givingrecruitersthe possibility to post jobsonline
with a clickand by enabling applicantsMonika.15may@gmail.com 16
17. 17. to reply promptly by completingonline formsand by simply attaching CVstoemails(Barber, 2006). Time-to- hire isthe
time for the whole recruitment processfrom the detectedvacancy to the successful filling of these vacancies. By usingthe
Internet, 67% of the biggest companiessee potential to improve theirrecruitment process. They assume a significant
correlation betweenthe costreductionand theimplementationof online recruitment regarding time-savingduringthe
recruitment- and administration processes. Thiscan have a positiveimpact on businessrevenue. Pin et al. (2001) mentionin
their paper that,accordingto a survey carried out among 500Americancompanies, the mainadvantage of online recruitment
is time saving. 86% of the asked companiesagreed on this. Through onlinerecruitment, organizationshave the advantages
ofa faster posting of jobs, faster applicantresponse and a faster processing ofresumes. Therefore, it speedsup the
recruitment processand shortensthe time-to-hire.Thetime-to-hire isusually measured indaysand reflectsthe total
elapsedtime requiredto staff an open position(Dr. Steve Hunt, 2004). Social NetworkingSitesasan issue in online
recruitment can hence lead to timesaving betweenrecruitment processes. Supported by these sites, recruiterscan post jobs
andscreen applicantsin a short time period.3. Target GroupOrientationTarget grouporientedrecruitment ensuresthat the
message reaches the righttargetgroup regarding their qualificationsfor a vacancy. Accordingto Pinet al.(2001, p. 41), 25%
of the companiesasked said that “onlinerecruitment isanexcellenttool” and cited “the likelihoodof finding target candida tes
as a major Monika.15may@gmail.com 17
18. 18. advantage.” Especially jobsitesenable companiesto screen information andtouse the matching toolsof these sites.
Social Networking Sitescan enhancetheavailability of the right targetgroup andcan improve thematching quality of
theapplicants. The site Linkedinand Xingfor example, offersrecruitersto fi lter thetarget group. In thisstudy, the matching
quality of the applicantsisthe extent towhich an applicant matcheswith the job characteristicsof the respective vacancy.4.
Quality of Applicants/ApplicationsThescope of recruitment marketingvia websitesbecomeswider and thereforethe employer
brand establishesitself and leadsto a better quality of theapplications. There isno indication asto the percentage of
companieswhichassume an improvementof the quality of applicantsthroughonline recruitmen t.Pin et al.(2001) cite a study,
among 500 companiesin USA, in which 20% of theparticipatingHR managerssay that the screening out of under-
qualifiedcandidatesisa main advantage of online recruitmentand makesit possible toimprovethe quality of the
applicants/applications. According to bothauthors,online recruitment leadsto a higher quality of applicants/applicationsan d
thus itcan be assumed that the use of Social Networking Siteshasa positive effect onthenumber of qualified
applicants/applicationsaswell.5. Diversity of ApplicantsAccording to Barber (2006), online advertising hasa wider scope -
locally,nationally andinternationally- for enlarging thecandidatepool and for improvingthediversity of applicants.
Consequently, employershave a better chanceto findMonika.15may@gmail.com 18
19. 19. the right candidatesfor their vacancies. In thiscase, the diversity of applicantsischaracterizedby their different
background and their geographical position(regional, national or international). Social Networking Siteshave millionsof
usersand a variety of different backgroundsand geographical positionsof the users. Asa result of this, the diversity of the se
people ishigh. Recruiterscan use thisbenefitfor their recruitment inorder to enhance thediversity of their applicants.2.1.1
Advantagesof Online RecruitmentIn early daysof using web-based technologiesfor recruitment, threemainadvantagesof
using the Internet were found.First, they investigate theinternational distribution with a global orientation asan advantage of
the Internet.Second, the interactivecharacter of the Internet offersorganizationsnewpossibilitiesfor interacting with
applicantsand third, theinnovative and modernimageof the Internet can be adapted to o rganizationsand will lead to a
betterreputationof the respectiveorganization (Riederer von Paar & von Braun,1998).Lee(2005), who hasstudied online
recruitment of Fortune100 companies, foundout that online recruitmenthaschangedthe recruitment processand has
becomemuch more important for organizationsduringthe recent years. Generally, onlinerecruitment can leadto a more
effective recruitment procedure, becauserecruitersare able to perform their recruitmenttasks more efficiently and have
anoticeableeffecton the overall recruitment process(Holm, 2010). According toLievens& Harris (2003), Internet recruitment
is based on five assumptionscompared to traditional methods. He states that the emphasisin Internetrecruitmentlieson
attracting candidatesin order to assure candidatesto apply for Monika.15may@gmail.com 19
20. 20. accept job offersof an organization. Further, an assumption of Lievens& Harris(2003) is that the Internet makesit
possible for candidatesto react easier andquicker to a job posting. In thepast, applicantshave had to search moreintensively
for a job and it wasa more time consuming procedure.In addition, theInternet helpsorganizationsto spread more
informationin a dynamicenvironment. Therefore, candidates can get informationmuchmore easily.According to Lievensand
Harris (2003, p.4), “effective Internet recruitmentprogramswill encourage applicantsto apply and return to theweb site each
timethey search for a new job.” Therefore, applicantscan be stimulated to return to aweb site againif the web site is
designed attractively. Aside from these fourassumptions, another important assumption isthat Internet recruitment is
cheaperthan traditional recruitment approaches. Therecruitmentcost may be reduced byasmuch as25% (Cober et al.,
2001). Today, many people are searchingjobsviathe Internet and it offersfor organizationsnew possibilities, a global search
forcandidates, background informationabout the respectiveapplicant and,moreover, acceleratescommunicationwith
respective applicants.2.1.2Disadvantagesof OnlineRecruitmentOnline recruitment offersa lot of advantagesfor recruiters,
but it hasbeen seencritically aswell. Barber (2006) discussed the disadvantagesand challengesofonline recruit mentand
pointed out that the lossof personal touch isa danger. Pinetal. (2001) asked HR professionalsabout thisin their study an d
4. 50% of therespondentsagree with the statement that recruitersdisregard the personalcontact or the buildingup relation ships
with the candidates. FollowingPin et al. Monika.15may@gmail.com 20
21. 21. (2001), the lackof human touchisalso a pitfall of online recruitment. Asaconsequence,qualifiedcandidatescan be
eliminated by the procedure. In thestudy of Pinet al. (2001), 34% of HR professionalssee a discriminationagainstpeople
who do not surf the Internet. According to Maurer & Lui (2007), the type ofjobdetermineswhether onlinerecruitmentis
suitable or not. They argue thatlow-skilledpositionsdo not benefit from onlinerecruitment. Regarding Carlson et al.(2002),
online recruitment cangenerate a high quantity of applicationswhichseemsto outline anadvantage of online recruitment, but
can lead to anoverwhelming and time consuming procedure aswell. Therefore, companieshaveto take these disadvantages
into considerationwhen they are planning onlinerecruitment practices.2.2 Web 2.0 Applicationsand RecruitmentEvery
research done on the topic suggeststhat Web 2.0 will play a leading roleforrecrui tment in thefuture.Web 2.0 posesa great
challenge to recruitment, butsimultaneously a great chance. Career sitescan be enhancedby Blogs, Podcastsor other
innovative applications. Potential applicantscan gather informationwhichiscrucial for an application.A variety of literature
discusses Web 2.0 and itstechnologies. Accordingto different authors(Kennedy et al. (2007), Anderson(2007) and Graeme
et al (2009)), the best-known Web 2.0 technologiesare Blogs,Wikis, Podcasts, Virtual Worldsand Social Networking Sites.
The following tablegivesan overview of Web 2.0 applicationsand their potentialsand limitationsconcerning recruitment.
Monika.15may@gmail.com 21
22. 22. Web 2.0 Application Potentialsfor Limitationsfor recruitment recruitmentBLOGS - can be used for internal and -Blogsare
an extra expense,-a sort of web diary consisting of external recruitment marketing for have to be maintained/
updateddifferenttexts(posts) monitoringblog entriescontinually-the user can publish messages, -comment potential
obscurities-companieshave to deal withtexts, photosand videoscritics -can lead to an effectiveemployer-userscan write
their personal brandingstrategy -companieshave to create aexperiencesbloggingguidelinein order to -information tool for
applicantsprevent sensitive datafrom-workschronologically about recruitingcampaigns/ getting out.eventsWIKIS -used for
knowledge - informationtool where e.g.-collaborativewebsitesmanagement andnot for teamscan share information
recruitment-allow end-usersto create/update -not suitable for recruitmentcontent-Wikipedia isthe most popular,hasmore
than three millionentries- wikis includea history function,previousversionscan beexaminedPODCASTS -used for recruitment
marketing - -the market in India isnot very-share audio files/video filesspread information about thekeen company -
Podcasts are not that popular-YouTube containsmany (video) -producinga podcast isPodcasts- addition to thecareer site
or disproportionateto the benefit career newsletterVIRTUAL WORLDS - used for virtual job interviews-Virtual worldsare not
real-online communitiesin acomputer-based simulated -contact possiblecandidates- job interview take placein
theenvironment Web –possibility of preselecting- userscan interact with each candidates-only with a 3-D Avatarother -saves
time and costs, e.g. travel -doesnot correspond to reality-SecondLifeisthe most popular costsVirtual World, several
millionusers-user is represented by anAvatar, a 3-D character whichreflectsthe identityTable 2: PotentialsWeb 2.0
applicationsfor Recruitment Monika.15may@gmail.com 22
23. 23. Social Networking SitesAsmentioned before, Social Networking Sitesare the mainpart of thisstudy. Thefollowing
paragraph describesSocial Networking Sitesmore in detail. Additionally,itexplainsthe advantagesand disadvantagesfor
recruitment and figuresout themost important criteria of these sites.2.3 Social Networking Sitesand recruitmentSocial
Networking Siteshave attracted millionsof users all over the world andhaveattracted the attention of organizationswho pla n
to use them for their dailybusiness. Kaplan and Haenlein(2009,p.63) define Social Networking Sitesas“applicationsthat
enable usersto connect by creating personal informationprofiles, invitingfriendsand colleaguesto have access to those
profiles, andsending e-mailsand instantmessagesbetween each other.”Facebook, Orkut, Hi5, XING, ibebo, Big Adda,
LinkedIn, Slideshare etc. areexamplesof Social Networking Siteswhich are used for different thingslikemessaging,
presenting, sharing photosand so forth. The natureof theseconnectionsmay vary from site to site. Th isstudy focuses on
Social NetworkingSitesregardingrecruitment. The following paragraphdescribesSocial NetworkingSitesand their
advantagesand disadvantagesfor recruitment indetail. SocialNetworking Siteshave become extremely popular in recent
years. In January2010, MartinGilesstatesthat “It is a world of connections”, which put an emphasison the fast growing
phenomena of the Social Networking Sitesin the last fewyears. Social Networking Siteshave implementeda variety of
technical featuresand enable usersto connect to their friendsand share videos, photosand textswith them, twenty-four hours
around-the-clock. Theconcept of Social Networking Monika.15may@gmail.com 23
24. 24. Sitesis a topical subjectand representsa revolutionary new trend in companies.Besides, they use it for branding or
marketing research (Kaplan & Haenlein,2010).Boydand Ellison (2007) define Social Networking Sitesas“web -based
servicesthat allow individualsto(1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bondedsystem,(2) Articulatea list of
other users with whom they share a connection, and(3) view and traverse their list of connectionsand those made by others
within thesystem”.Numeroussitesexist today and employershave begun to use these si tesfor hiringdecisions(Kluemper &
Rosen 2009). The sitesbecome more important regardingcompaniesand their Human Resource Management, especially in
thecommunicationwith potential job applicants.Thefact that Social Networking Siteshave expanded on to the
businesslandscape and especially to the HumanResource Management landscapeleadsto the focusof thisstudy on Social
Networking Sites. Social Networking Sitesarean ever-present and often discussed topic in the media. In 2009, a Swiss
labourmarket study among300 recruiterswas conducted inorder to examinetheiropinion about Social Networking Sites
regarding recruitment. They concludedthatthe use of Social Networking Sitesfor recruitment isa relatively new issue and
thatrecruitershave a lackof strategy for using these sites (HR Today, 2009). Thisstudyfocused on Social Networking Sites
which Indian recruitersuse for theirrecruitment inorder to findthe best employeesfor their vacancies. The variety ofSocial
Networking Siteshas to be limited to the market leadersof Social Monika.15may@gmail.com 24
25. 25. Networking Sitesin India. CNN IBN (with comscore) in India (2011) worked out aranking of the Top10 social networking
sites.Figure 1: Global Market Share of Social networking SitesFigure 2: Top10 of relevant social Networking Sitesin India
(Source: Comscore) Monika.15may@gmail.com 25
26. 26. Facebook, Orkut and Bharatstudent are the most important Social NetworkingSitesin India(Figure 2). Based on this
study, the relevant Social Networking Sitesfor thisstudy were chosen. The Social Networking Sitescan be
distinguishedbetweenbusiness-oriented sitesand social-oriented sitesWith only low double-digit growth (16 per updates,
technology, sportsetc. cent) over the last year, chancesare this Google property might slidedown even
Monika.15may@gmail.com 26 Memberspost hundredsof blogsand newsposition. feedsrelatedto careers, their industry
More than 50,000new membersadded networking website inIndia for long, Orkut every week was finally pushed to the
number two After a long reign asthe most popular social Over 2 Million members Offers featuresthat recruiterscan use
to find candidateswho are matchingtheir vacanciesSiliconIndia Orkut 56.67%Penetration (Online Population) networking
site in India. Most popular and used business-oriented Can be used for findingjobsor businesses - is over 50 per cent of
Indiastotal Internet used for establishing international contacts. audience. Facebookregistered 46 Million registered
connectionsmembersfrom Indiain March 2012, which Buildup a networkof direct connectionsfamiliesand coworkers and
the connectionsof each of their People can communicate withtheir friends, Dominant global Social Networking Site
network of professionals Connectspeople to contact a broader 16.48%penetration (online population) every day About
50% of them log on to Facebook Over 13 Millionmembersin India More than500 million active users Over 75 million
membersGlobally Founded in2004 World‟slargest professional network. Business-orientednetworkingsitesallow
5. applicantsto interact withone another throughbusiness-oriented information, endorsements, testimonialsand reputations.
Social-orientednetworking sitesare built on personal informationof memberswho participate inandcontribute to the online
network. These personal profilescontain informationfrom relationship statusto a member´sreligion andsexual orientation,
and areshared with their friendsand the extendedcommunity online (O´Morchuet al.,2004). Themost important Social
Networking Sites(in Indian Context) aresummarizesin the following table.Business-oriented networkingsitesSocial-oriented
networking sitesLinkedIn Facebook
27. 27. More than 9.6 millionmembersworldwide Monika.15may@gmail.com 27 Findinguseful contacts, important information,
new business opportunities, employees, jobs, clientsand ideas Peopleare actively usingit to further their careers
Important tool for career and businessnetworking Membersof Peer Power can interact withcent since July 2009.their
peers directly or in groups, and buildnew and profitable relationshipswith other senior-level professionalsXING Business
networking site launchedby the TheIndiansocial networking websiteibibohad 2.9 Timesof IndiaGroup million unique
visitors in July 2011 growing89 per Viadeo hasover 45 millionmembersgloballyPeerPower Ibibo Local
Jobs/Employers/Job Seekersare pulse seems to be throbbingin Indiawith 3.5 million available on ApnaCircle.unique
visitors in July 2011. Localization: Local MBAInstitutions/SchoolsYahoo! integratedand improved upon Yahoo! are
availableon ApnaCircle. Profilesand Yahoo! 360 to create Pulse. And the Yahoo! Buzz. Yahoo! Pulse and information in
context to India. Local content available on the platform with Yahoo! ownstwo of the top ten social Viadeoin 2009
networking sites in India: Founded December 2006 acquired by The websitehad 4.4 million unique visitors. comprising
people you know, 2nd degreeare peoplethey know and so on.Apnacircle(Viadeo) Yahoo!Pulse The site isbased on the
philosophy thatenoughfor it to hold onto the No. 3 positioneveryonein thisworld isconnected throughfor long.six degrees
of separation. 1st degree Upload your contactsfrom different mail BharatStudent.coms3 per cent growth in addresses and
Invite trusted contacts. unique visitorssince July 2011 will not be With Twitter catchingup very fast, Build an online profile
and add all the amongst the top social networking websitescompaniesyou have worked in and the inIndia. institutesyou
have studied in BharatStudent.com, isranked number three Info Edge(Naukri.com) group initiative Thesocial
networking site targeted towardsnetworking sitesin India young Indians One of the most popular professional 19.87
millionuniquevisitorsfrom Indiain July 2010.Brijj Bharatstudent further in India.
28. 28. Comperatively low penetration in IndiaTable3: Business-orientednetworkingsitesand Social-oriented networking
sitesFurther relevant Social Networking Sitesfor thisstudy are Ning and Video Ningisan US online platform for the world‟s
organizers, activistsand influencersto createsocial experiencesthat inspire action.Viadeohasabout 45 million+ active
usersand comprisesthe brandsViadeo, ApnaCircle andTianji. Twitter isnot exactly aSocial Networking Site. It isa
networking and micro blogging service whichinformspeopleall over the world aboutthe current statusor views(What are
youdoing?). Theuser can only send short messages with a length of 140 characters.You can use it personally or for
business. In this study, it is used only for business,for recruitment regarding job posting. YouTube isexcluded from this
studybecause they are no Social NetworkingSitesi.e. YouTube isprimarily a video-sharing website.2.3.1Advantagesof
Social Networking Sitesfor recruitmentThe use of Social NetworkingSitesfor recruitment isa new fieldin HumanResource
Management. Employersbelieve that using these sitesfor onlinebackground checksisan acceptable practice for making
hiring decisionsforgettinga quickcharacter sketch of the appli cant (Clark & Roberts, 2010). ProfilesinSocial Networking
Sitesallow recruitersto gain informationabout their educationandprofessional career in general. In addition,recruitersh ave
the possibility tocontactpotential candidatesand communicate with them ina noncommittalmanner. By using Social
Networking Sites, recruiterscan search for possible Monika.15may@gmail.com 28
29. 29. candidatesand buildup longterm relationshipswith them. Social NetworkingSiteslike Linkedinand Brijj can act asa
talent pool with a variety of social capitalinthe form of young professionalsand graduates. Recruiterscan filter
candidatesand search for candidateswith special backgrounds. Thiscan leadto a timereductionfor the search and can also
improve the chancefinding therightcandidates. Besidesthis, companiescan keep in touch with interns, alumni andsoforth.
Thus, Social Networking Sitescan support the relationship managementbetween companiesand possible applicants.
Facebookis a social communitywhichoffersa lot of featuresto recruitersfor findingthe right people for theirvacancies.
According to Eldon (2009), Facebookisnot the easiest way forrecruiters to search for candidates, but a great opportunity.
The fact that Facebookisa social-oriented networking site makesit more difficult for recruiterstounderstand the functionof
Facebookfor recruitment, but learning to use the sitecan be a great benefit for the recruitment of a company.Employerscan
create abusinessprofile and can actively support their employer branding. ApplicantsuseSocial Networking Sitesasa
source of informationabout companies. Companiesviceversa use them as a source of informationabout applicants. This
has becomea commonprocedure for a recruiting process. The use of Social Networking Sitesfor recruitment can be
multifunctional, butdo Indianrecruitersreally make use ofSocial Networking Sitesfor recruitment at thispoint in time? This
question reflectsone of themain aspectsof thisstudy. Monika.15may@gmail.com 29
30. 30. 2.3.2 Disadvantagesof Social Networking Sitesfor recruitmentClarkand Roberts(2010) criticize theway employers
make use of SocialNetworking Sitesfor background checksabout applicants. They argue thatapplicantsuse Social
Networking Sitesfor social interaction andthey areunconsciousthat employersuse these sites to collect character
information.Therefore,employershave to be aware of thisfact and take thisinto account.Newstrategiesand approachesin
recruitment lead to changesand challengesforcompaniesand their HumanResource departments. Companieshave to
takecritical factorssuch as privacy of data and ethicsintoconsideration. Additionally,recruitershave to spend a lot of ti me
working with these new technologiesso asto learn the ropesof them. One the one hand, technologically
inexperiencedemployeeshave to be familiarized withthe new technologies, and, on the otherhand, companieshave to define
data protectionregulationsand user regulationsfor the use of these sites. Another challenge for companiesisthe
developmentofknow-how and the timeinvested in active recruitment.Thisfactor of financial andpersonnel resourcesmust
not be underestimated.Moreover, a monitoring of themarket isnecessary in order to prevent the discriminationor exclusion
of possiblecandidates. Companieshave to consider carefully theinformation aboutthequalitiesof the Social Networking
Sites, which isdiscussed in the followingparagraph.2.4 Qualitiesof Social Networking SitesAsmentioned before, Social
Networking Sitesare divided into business-orientedandsocial-oriented sites. The qualitiesof these sitesare measured by
different Monika.15may@gmail.com 30
31. 31. characteristics. Considering that, Social Networking Sitesare a relatively new topicandthe characteristicsof the sitesare
alignedwith the information technologyliterature. Leeand Kozar (2006) investigate website quality factorsin their studywhi ch
can be adapted to the qualitiesof Social Networking Sites. In addition,Palmer conducteda study about key factorsof website
success. The followingtableshowsan overview of relevant studiesaboutthistopic.Factorsof website quality of the
informationLiterature Referencetechnology literatureInformation content, cognitiveoutcomes, enjoyment, Wu et al.
(2003)privacy, user employment, visual appearance,technical support, navigation, organizationofinformation, credibility,
impartialityUsability,design,information,trust, empathy Barnesand Vidgen (2000)Quality of information andservice, system
use, Lui and Arnett (1999)playfulness, perceived ease of useEase of use, usefulness, entertainment, Loiaconoet al.
(2008)complementary relationshipNavigation,content, interactivity and Palmer (2002)responsivenessTable 4: Factorsof
website qualityBased on thistable, themost relevant website factorswhich can be adapted tothe qualitiesof Social
Networking Sitesare information quality, ease of navigationand security/privacy. These three factorsare indicatorsfor a
6. satisfactory websiteand can be adapted to indicatorsof Social NetworkingSites. Lee and Kozar (2006)asked 156 online
customers and 34 managers/designersof e-businesscompaniesaboutthe importanceof website qualities. Different websites
weretested and the preference of website qualitieswasdifferent. Informationquality Monika.15may@gmail.com 31
32. 32. reached high scoresand navigability and website security were also ranked highlyin thisinvestigation. Based on this
result, the following threewebsite qualitiesarefactorsin thisstudy.1. Ease of navigationEase of navigation meansthat a site
containsfunctionsthat helpusersto findwhat they needwithout difficulty, that it possesses a good search engine, andthat it
allowsthe user to manoeuver easily and quickly backand forth through thepages. In thisstudy, ease of navigationis
measured by ease of use and usability ofthe siteswhich includesthat the use of Social Networking Site iseasy to learn
anduser-friendly designed. Furthermore, thesite should make it possible to easilybecomea skillful user. Palmer (2002)
conducted a study about web site usability,design andperformancemetricsin order to find key factorsfor website
success.One part of the study was the navigation of the websitesand Palmer definesnavigability as“the sequencingof
pages, well organized layout and consistency ofnavigation protocols”. Three studieswere completed ina three -year period
(from1997 to 2000) and hypothesizedthat “more navigableWebsiteswill be associatedwithgreater perceived success by
site users” and thishypothesisissupported inall three studies. As a consequence, navigability isan important factor for
awebsite`s success and leadsto the assumption that it isa key factor for the qualityof Social NetworkingSites.2.
Security/PrivacyPrivacy isone of the most important andoftendiscussed ethical issuesofinformation technology and the
media in general. Trust and privacy concern withinSocial Networking Sitesisa topical subject.Moreover, the fact that
millionsof Monika.15may@gmail.com 32
33. 33. users are on these sites leadsto the assumption that certain amount of trust isinvolved. Dwyer et al. (2007) found outthat
Facebookusers have a greater amountof trust and share more information. But what isabout companies? Do they
trustSocial Networking Sites? Because security/privacy isan important issue in theareaof information technology, itistake n
into considerationin thisstudy.Security/privacy involvesthe degree to whichthe user believesthat the site issafefrom
intrusion and that personal informationisprotected.Especially businessdataissensitive data andorganizationsstrive for a
maximal security of their data. In thisstudy, security/privacy ismeasured by improper accessand unauthorizedsecondary use
(intern/extern). Improper accessconsidersthat data aboutindividualsisreadily availableto peopleand who are properly
authorized to viewor workwith thisdata. Unauthorized secondary use meansthat informationcollecte d by individualsfor one
purpose is used for another secondary purposewithoutauthorizationfrom same individuals.3. Information qualityInformation
quality isthe quality of information that the system producesanddelivers. It ischaracterized by deliverin grelevant, updated
informationand easy-to-understand information. The higher the quality of the information, the higher thenumber of online
customers will be. Referringthisto Social Networking Sites, thehigher the quality of information of Social Netwo rking Sitesis,
the higher will bethe number of users. As mentioned before, information quality scored highly in thestudy of Leeand Kozar
and hence, it isan important factor for thisstudy.Believability,the amount of information andthe completenessof information
are Monika.15may@gmail.com 33
34. 34. relevant indicatorsof informationquality. Applied to the study, the informationquality of Social Networking Sitesisreferred
to the informationon applicants`sites. For recruiters, it isimportant that theinformationaboutthe applicantsfulfilsthese
certain criteria inorder to create a complete picture of the person.Asmentioned before, Social Networking Siteshave
become part of therecruitmentlandscape andreceivea highratingin companies. Ease of navigation,security/privacy and
informationquality are main qualitiesof Social NetworkingSites. What are further factors? Social Networking Sitesare a
special type of site,because they are dynamic andinteractive. Therefore,two other factorsarerelevant for thisnew fieldof
web technologies. There isa lackof studiesabout thepopularity of Social NetworkingSitesamong applicantsand about the
networkingscope of these sites, but for thisexploration study they are critical factorswhichhaveto be taken into
consideration.4. Popularity amongapplicantsPopularity among applicantsisthe degree of publicity of the Social
NetworkingSite among thetarget group, the respective applicants. Chu et al. wrote in theirarticle that“a high popularity
usually meansthat the informationprovided by thewebsiteisuseful or attractive for itsvisitors”. Referring thisto Social
NetworkingSitesand recruitment,it meansthe more people make use of Social NetworkingSites, the higher the chanceisfor
getting the best candidates. In thisstudy,popularity amongapplicantsismeasured by registered users of the
SocialNetworkingSitesand the reputation of these sites. Reputationof the site isMonika.15may@gmail.com 34
35. 35. measured by an estimation of the respondentaboutthe popularity of the siteamong the applicantsand whether the site is
often discussed in the media or not.5.Networking scopeNetworking scope isthe scope of the web of social relationshipsand
the numberof people that isexpected to be involvedin thisnetwork. Referred to the study, thenetworking scope isdefined as
the connectionswhich peoplehave andthenetworkeffect of the site. For organizationsit might be important that the
SocialNetworkingSiteguaranteesa high level of valuable connectionsand hasa widenetworkingscope. In addition,a Social
Networking Site makesit easier to reachinternational contacts(applicants) and therefore, leadsto an increased
networkingeffect. The networking effect isthe phenomenon whereby a service becomesmore valuable asmore peopleuse it,
thereby encouragingever-increasingnumbersof adopters(Marketingterms.com, 2010). The use of Social NetworkingSites
has intensified immensely:LinkedIn, for example needed 16 monthsto gainitsfirst millionusers, while the latest millioncame
only within eight days.2.5 Research ModelAccording to the theoretical background, Social NetworkingSiteshave
alreadyentered therecruitment landscape andbecomean important topic inHRdepartments. The sites, business-oriented or
social-orientednetworkingsites, arecharacterized by different qualities. The chosen qualitiesof the sitesare ease
ofnavigation, security/privacy, information quality, popularity among applicantsandnetworkingscope. In thisstudy, the effect
of these qualitieson effectiverecruitment istested. Designingan effectiverecruitment processfor attracting thebest
candidatesrepresentsan enormouschallengefor organizations. AsMonika.15may@gmail.com 35
36. 36. mentionedin earlier, there are characteristicswhich make online recruitmenteffective. The selected characteristicscosts,
time, target-group orientation, qualityofapplicants/applicationsand diversity of applicantscharacterize effectiverecruitment.
Generally, very little research hasbeen conductedon thissubject asawhole. Hence, thisstudy ispioneering andhelpingto
find an answer for the mainresearch question: Towhat extentdoesthe use of Social NetworkingSiteslead toeffective
recruitment?Social Networking Sitesare a part of online recruitment andtherefore, it canbeassumed thatthe use of Social
Networking Sitescan have a positive influenceonrecruitment. Consequently, thefollowinghypotheseshave been
established.Hypothesis1: There isa direct and strong relationship betweenqualitiesof SocialNetworking Sitesand effective
recruitment.Hypothesis2: Thisrelationship ismoderated by the typeof Social NetworkingSites: recruitment ismore effective
if it relieson business-oriented sites.Hypothesis3: Thisrelationship ismoderatedby the usage frequency: recruitmentismore
effective if the usage frequency of the recruiter ishigh.Thefollowingfigure presentsthe conceptual model, whichdescribes
SocialNetworkingSitesand their characteristics, including thepossible influence oneffective recruitment:3MethodologyIn
order to investigate the extent to whichSocial Networking Siteslead to effectiverecruitment, a research isconducted inord er
to obtain the dataneeded. Thisresearch takeson two different characteristics: firstly, it includesa descriptive partasit intends
to specify the main characteristicsof Web 2.0, focused on SocialNetworking Sitesand effectiverecruitment. Secondly, this
research is of anexploratory nature asit intendsto design a new view concerningSocial Monika.15may@gmail.com 36
37. 37. Networking Sitesand effectiverecruitment. There are several research strategiesthat can beadoptedto gather the
required data. Nevertheless, Saunderset al.(2007) say that the decision also dependson the circumstancesof the project.
Thefollowingchapter explainswhich decision wasmade concerning theresearchdesign of thesurvey.3.1
7. OperationalizationTotest the hypothesis, the meaningsof all variableshave to be operationalized.The following tableshows
an overview of the construct, the definitionsand thevariablesof the tested model.Construct (Definition) Variables1st order
construct 2nd order constructSocial Networking Sites1.1 Social Networking Sitesfor recruitment1. A Social Networking Site
essentially consistsof arepresentation of each user, his/her social linksand Social Networking Sites, which companiesuse
fora variety of additional services. Generally, Social employee recruitment.Networking Sitesare web based and
providevariouswaysfor users to interact over the Internet 1.2Business-orientednetworkingsitesvia e-mail and instant
messaging services. (Malitaet al. 2010) Business-orientednetworking sitesallow applicantsto interact with one another
through businessoriented information, endorsements, testimonialsand reputations. (O´Morchu et al., 2004) 1.3 Social-
oriented networkingsites(Social Communities) Social-oriented networkingsitesare built on personal informationof members
who participatein andcontribute to the onlinenetwork. These personal profilescontain information from relationship statusto
members` religion and sexual orientation, and are shared with their friendsand the extendedcommunity online. Some sites
allow viewing of a reducedprofileby anyone.Usage frequency 2.1. Usage frequency of Social Networking Sites2. Usage
frequency isthe number of usage within a Thenumber of usage (in percent) of the respectivegiven timeperiod. Social
Networking Site withina giventimeperiod. Monika.15may@gmail.com 37
38. 38. Local Jobs/Employers/Job Seekersare availableon ApnaCircle.Information quality a. Believability1.Informationquality
is the quality of thethe quality of beingbelievable or trustworthyinformation that the system producesand delivers.It is
characterized by delivering relevant, updatedb. Completenessinformationand easy-to-understand information. the state of
being complete andentire; having(Lee/Kozar 2006) Furthermore, believability,the everything thatisneededamount of
informationand the completenessofinformation are relevantindicatorsof informationc. Relevancequality. (Lee et al. , 2001 )
the relation of something to thematter at hand d. Up-to-date (timeliness) Monika.15may@gmail.com 38 Localization: Local
MBA Institutions/Schoolsare availableon ApnaCircle. Local content available on theplatform with informationin context to
India. FoundedDecember 2006acquired by Viadeo in2009 Apnacircle (Viadeo) Build an onlineprofileand add all the
companiesyou have worked in and the institutesyou have studiedin Info Edge(Naukri.com) group initiative One of the
most popular professional networking sitesin India Connectspeople to contact a broader networkof professionalsBrijj
16.48%penetration (online population) Over 13 Millionmembersin India Over 75 million membersGlobally World‟s
largest professional network 56.67%Penetration(OnlinePopulation)viewing of a reducedprofileby anyone. (O´Morchu
Offers featuresthat recruiterscan use to findet al.,2004) candidateswho are matching their vacancies3.2 LinkedIn
Facebookregistered 46 Millionregisteredpersonal profilescontain informationfrom membersfrom India inMarch 2012,
which isrelationship statusto members` religionand sexual over 50 per cent of Indiastotal Internetorientation, andare
shared with their friendsand audience.the extended community online. Some sitesallow (Own definition)Social-oriented
networking sites3. Social-oriented networking sitesare builton 3.1 Facebookpersonal informationof memberswho
participateinandcontributeto the onlinenetwork. These
39. 39. Informed of or reflectingthe latest information or changese. Easy-to-understand (clearness) free from obscurity and easy
to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/) f. Amountof information Quantity
of the required informationPopularity among applicantsa. Registered Users2. Popularity among applicantsisthe degree
ofpublicity of the Social Networking Siteamong theA registered user isone who uses a program or atarget group, the
respective applicants. website and provideshiscredentials, effectively provinghisidentity.
(http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/registered+user) b. ReputationReputationisthe beliefsor opinionthat is
generally heldabout someone or something.(Oxford Dictionaries) Here, the reputationof a company amongrespective
applicants.Networking scope a. Connections3. Networking scope isthe scope of the web of thesocial relationshipsand the
number of people thatPeoplewith whom one hassocial or professionalisexpected to be involved inthisnetwork. (Own
contact or to whom one isrelated, especially thosedefinition) with influence andableto offer onehelp. (Oxford Dictionaries)
b. Network effect The phenomenonwhereby a service becomesmore valuable asmore peopleuse it, thereby encouraging
ever-increasing numbersof adopters.Ease of navigation a. Ease of use4. Ease of navigationmean sthat a site
containsfunctionsthat helpcustomers(users) find what they Ease of use refers to the property of a product orneed without
difficulty, possesses a good search thing that a user can operate without having toengine, andallowsthe customer (user) to
overcome a steep learning curve.manoeuver easily and quickly backand forth (Websters OnlineDictionary)through the
pages. (Tong et al., 2005) b. Usefulness/Usability The extent to whicha product canbe used by Monika.15may@gmail.com
39
40. 40. specified usersto achieve specifiedgoalswith effectiveness, efficiency andsatisfactionin a specifiedcontextof use.
(ISO 9241-11: Guidanceon Usability 1998)Security/privacy a. Improper Access1. Security/privacy involvesthe degreeto
which thecustomer (user) believesthe site issafe from Concern that data aboutindividualsare readilyintrusionand personal
informationisprotected. available to people not properly authorizedto view or(J.P.C. Tong et al) workwith thisdata. (Smi th
et al., 1996) b. UnauthorizedSecondary Use (intern/extern) Concern that information iscollectedfrom individualsfor one
purpose is used for another, secondary purpose (internally within a singleorganisation or an external party) without
authorizationfrom the individuals. (Smith et al., 1996)Effective recruitment Effective recruitmentincludesthe following
variables. a. More diversity of applicants2. Recruitment isdescribed as―the set of activitiesb. Higher quality of
applicantsand processesused legally to obtain a sufficient c. Costsnumber of qualified peopleat the rightplaceand d.
Timetimeso that the peopleand the organisation can e. Target group orientationselect eachother in their own best short and
longterm interests.‖ (Schuler/Jackson)Effectivenessis the extent to which an activity fulfilsitsintended purpose or
function.(http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/#e)Therefore, effectiverecruitment containsthe mosteffective
set of activitiesand processesused toobtaina sufficient number of qualified people at theright place andtime so that the
applicantsand theorganization can select each other in their own bestshort and long term interests.Diversity of applicants
10.1 Applicantswith different background Applicantshave different backgroundregardingtheir3. A wide rangeof abilities,
experience, knowledge, educationand experiences.and strengthsdue to itsheterogeneity inage,background, ethnicity,
physical abilities, political 10. 2 National applicantsandreligiousbeliefs, sex, and other attributes. Applicantsfrom India,
especially from other partsof India (Tier B and C) 10. 3 Regional applicants10. 4 Applicantsfrom other partsof India 10. 5
International applicantsMonika.15may@gmail.com 40
41. 41. Applicantsfrom other countries.Quality of applicants/applications11.1 Number of qualified applicantsMore qualified
applicants, the number of qualified4. Applicant quality scoresestimate each applicantshasincreased.applicantsposition in
the distributionofperformancepotential for a givenposition. 11.2 Quality of applications/applications(Connerley et al., 2002)
Quality of the incoming applications. (Own definitions)Costs12.1 HR-marketing costs The HR-marketing costs which include
all HR5. Costs savings-decision or action thatwill result in marketingactivitiesfor example job advertisement.fulfilment of the
objectivesof a purchase, at a costlower than the historical cost or the projected cost. 12.2 General recruitment costsGeneral
recruitment costshave decreased. 12.3 Costs-per-hire The formulafor cost-per-hire: total cost of recruitmentand selection
process divided by the number of hiresmade (Thaler-Carter, 1997)Time 13.1 Time-to hire Usually measured indays, time to
hire broadly1. Time savings- shortening the length of time reflectsthe total elapsed time requiredto staff anrequired for an
operation,activity, etc. open position. (Hunt, 2004) 13.2Timeof the applicant administration Administrationtime has
decreased. 13.3 Time for advertisement Time for advertisement hasdecreased.Target grouporientation 14.1Availability of
the target group The availability of thetarget groupvia social2.Target-group oriented recruitment ensuresthat networking
8. sites.the message reaches the right target groupregarding their qualificationsfor a vacancy. 14. 2 Tailored job
advertisementsThe job advertisementsare tailoredto the needsof the target groups. 14. 3 Matching quality of applicants
The matching quality of the applicantsisthe extent to which an applicant matcheswith the job characteristic of therespective
vacancy.Table 5: Operationalization table Monika.15may@gmail.com 41
42. 42. 3.2 Instrument developmentThe type of research isquantitativeand the research isconductedby making useof an online
survey. Using a survey has the benefit of allowing thecollection of alarge amount of datafrom a sizablepopulation
(Saunderset al., 2009). Therefore,applying a survey in order to ask different Indianrecruiters/HR personnelsaboutWeb2.0,
focused on Social Networking Sitesand recruitment, isthe most suitablesolution for thisresearch. Accordingto Broekhuizen
(2005), the large number ofitemswhich can be measured ina survey is a great advantagefor the analysisofdata.
Consequently, the findingsreflect the opinion of a largenumber ofcompaniesand their experienceswith Social Networking
Sitesand effectiverecruitment. The questionnaireconsistsof different parts: general questionsaboutthe organization, Human
Resources and Web 2.0, quality of Social NetworkingSitesand recruitmentsupported by Social Networking Sitesand is
comprisesdifferent typesof questions. The majority of questionsare based on a 5-point LikertScale6in order to reflect the
opinionof the respondents. The questionnaire canbefoundin the appendix (Appendix 2). Construct Number of Items
Diversity of applicants5 Quality of 2 applicants/applicationsCosts 3 Time 3 Target group orientation3 InformationQuality 6
Popularity 3 Networking scope 4 Monika.15may@gmail.com 42
43. 43. Ease of Navigation 3 Privacy/Security 43.3 Data processing and AnalysisThe nature of the questionnaireisquantitative
and the standardization of the datacollection representsstrength of survey research. A standardized questionnairemakesi t
easier to analyse the data and to draw results. The data wasgathered bythe returnedquestionnairesand wasanalyzed by
making use of the programsGoogleappssurvey.3.5 SampleThe unitsof analysisare Indian organizations/recruiterswith
minimal 100employeesor 50 recruitments/ annum,thusemployeeswithin thecompany haveprobably madeexperiencesin
using Social Networking sitesfor their recruitment.After a brief literature review, the study wasconstructed in form of a
questionnairewhich wassent out to 460 HR/recruitment personnel’s. The participantswererandomly chosen and were
invited to the survey on a voluntary basis. In total, 96 ofthe 460 asked HR personnelsagreed to take part in the survey. Thi s
is a totalresponse rate of 20.86%. Therespondentshad the choice of fillingin thequestionnaire onlineor by hand and email
it. By giving thischoice, the respondentrate wasprobably increased,because respondentscould choose the
mostcomfortable way of answering the questionnaire.Additionally, the respondentswere free to answer anonymously by
filling inthe online questionnaire.These expertshave answered questionsabout Web 2.0,focused on SocialNetworkingSites
regarding their recruitment. Asa first step, all of the possible Monika.15may@gmail.com 43
44. 44. respondentshad been asked via email to answer the questionnaire.After a month,a reminder email wassent out to the
personnel’sin order to obtain enoughdatafor the analysis. The research sampleconsistsof employeesof Human
Resourcedepartmentsand the data are obtainedfrom LinkedIn mainly.Number of employeesFrequency %Lessthan 200 38
39200-500 26 27500-1000 24 24>1000 8 8Table 8: Number of employees(n=96)The respondentrate using Social
Networking Sitesfor recruitment is74companies.Asshown in the table above,most of the companies(39%) are companies
withlessthan 200 employees, followed by companies(26%) with 200-500 employees.Only 8% of the companiesemployed
more than 500 employees. Furthermore, thecompanieswere asked to classify themselvesin a business. The results
(Appendix5) show a variety of businesses. The dominatingfieldof businessisthe IT andService industry (24.8 % of the
companies). It is followedby bankingandinsurance(13.1%).Ina next step, the HR department were asked whether they use
Web 2.0applications(Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts, Social Networking Sitesand/or VirtualWorlds) for their Human Resources
Management. Thisquestionwasanswered by92 of the 96 asked companies. The HR employeeshad the possibil ity for
multipleanswers. In total, almost all the companiesalready make use of Web 2.0applicationsin one or multiple stage of
recruitment. The outcome showsthat 64out of 96 companiesmake use of Social Networking Sitesfor their Human
Monika.15may@gmail.com 44
45. 45. Resource Management.Thefollowingtable showsthe distribution of theapplicationscompaniesuse for their Human
Resource Management.Web2.0 applicationsfor Frequency %recruitmentSocial networking64 100sitesWikis6 9Weblog 42
65Virtual worlds0 0Others2 3Table 9: Web 2.0 applicationsfor Human Resource Management (n=64)Duringthe last three
years, the majority of the respondentsmake use of Web 2.0for their Human Resource Management. In order to find out
which type of SocialNetworkingSitescompaniesuse for their recruitment, the companieshavechosen a type of site (n=92).
As indicated infigure 5, most of the companies(85%)make use of business-oriented networking sites(like Brijj or LinkedIn)
for theirrecruitment. Only 17% of the companiesapply social-orientednetworking sites(Social Communitieslike Facebook).
Monika.15may@gmail.com 45
46. 46. 4 FindingsAsmentioned earlier (paragraph3.5), the total response rate of the 96 surveyedcompanieswas97% (n=94).
The rate of companieswhich make use of SocialNetworkingSitesfor their recruitment is66.6% (64 of the 96 respondents).
Thefollowingparagraph reportson the general findingsof the survey.4.1 General FindingsCompanieswere asked to
determinethe fieldsof activitiesin which they make useof Social Networking Sites. For thisquestion, they had the possibility
to givemultiple answers. Table 10showsthe results.Fieldsof activity Frequency %Senior level management 58
90Administrative graduates48 75Technical graduates46 71Other graduates32 50Other administrative employees27
42Other technical employees16 25Trainees47 74Interns47 74Apprentices12 18Students3 4Table10: Fieldsof activity
(n=64)As can be derived from the table, the dominatingfield of activity through SocialNetworking Sitesasindicated by the
respondentsis searching for Senior/midmanagement (90% of respondents) and administrativegraduates(75% of the
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47. 47. respondents). It is followed by the search for Traineesand interns(74%). The leastattractive activity asreported by the
respondentsis searching for students(4%).Type of sitesused for recruitmentRespondentswere asked about their perception
about the extent ofsuccessfulnessof Social Networking Sitesfor their recruitment. The majority ofcompaniesmake use of
Linkedin for recruitment.Table11 showsthe distribution.Linkedinused for Frequency %recruitmentvery successful 9
14successful 26 40littlesuccessful 19 29not at all successful 6 9no usage 4 6Table 11:Linkedinused for recruitment
(n=64)As table 11 illustrates, the majority of theasked companiessuccessfully appliesthe business-oriented site Linkedinfor
their recruitment(14% very successful and40% successful). Further results show that the majority of companiesdo not
useother sites for their recruitment. A bigger part of the companiesdoesnot use thesocial -orientedsite Facebookfor
recruitment. Only a smaller proportionmakesuse of Facebookin the HR departments.Future of Social Ne tworking Sitesfor
recruitmentCompanies(n=96) were confrontedwith thequestion of how they perceive theimportance of different sitesfor
recruitment withinthe next threeyears. They wereasked to estimate whether the importance of therespective site wil l grow in
thefuture or not (Likert Scale (1 to 6) from “will become muchmore important” to “will Monika.15may@gmail.com 47
48. 48. become extremely lessimportantor application unused / unknown). Figure 5showsthe distribution of business-oriented
sites and figure 6 presentsthedistributionof social-orientedsites. Perceived importance of business-oriented networking
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% LinkedIn SiliconIndia Brijj ApnaCircle Peerpower Xing (viadeo) Much moreImportant more
important Stay ConstantLessImportant Extremely lessimportant Applicationunused/unknownFigure 5: Perceived
importanceof business-orientednetworking sitesfor recruitment IndianRecruiters(n=96)Asrepresented in the figure,the
respondentsvalue Linkedin asthe most importantSocial Networking Site for the future. Accordingto the HR departments,
48%suggest that Linkedin will become much moreimportant and38% predict thatBrijjwill becomemore important within the
9. next three years. In contrast, the majority ofrespondents(94%) doesnot use or even know about Xing.
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49. 49. Considering the opinion of the HR departments, Facebookwill stay constant (36%)or will become more important (28%)
within the next three years(Figure 6). Social Oriented Sites60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% FacebookOrkut
Bharatstudent Yahoo! Pulse IbiboFigure6: Perceived importanceof social -oriented networkingsitesfor recruitment among
IndianRecruiters(n=96)TwitterRespondentswere asked whether they make use of Twitter in their company. Only18.4% of
the asked HR departmentsmake use of Twitter. Twitter ischiefly used forjobpostingor for posting other informationabout
the company. Themajority ofthe surveyed companiesdo not make use of Twitter (81.6%).4.2 Effect of qualitiesof Social
Networking Siteson effective recruitmentWhen analysing the relationship betweenSocial Networking Sitesand
effectiverecruitment, it becomesobviousthat there are significant relationships. Monika.15may@gmail.com 49
50. 50. 5 Discussion5.1 Limitationsof the studyThisstudy has some limitations. The research sample may raise
somegeneralizability issues, because it containsonly Indianrecruitersand it cannot beruled out that certain cultural
influenceshave affected the resultsof the research.Consequently, the resultsare based on Indianperceptionsand their
experiencesabout Social Networking Sitesand recruitment. However, the generalization inthisstudy concernsthe theoretical
level, and not thecountries. Furthermore, it isimportantto note thatthe sample size of companieswhich make use of social -
oriented networkingsiteslike Facebookfor their recruitment issmall. In order toensure the generalizability of the results in
thisstudy, more participantswho makeuse of social-oriented siteswould be necessary. In addition, Social NetworkingSites
are a fast moving topic.New applicationsand sitesare developedcontinually. Asa consequence, thewholelandscape is
changing andhasto bemonitored at regular intervals. At the moment, Linkedin isthe leading business-oriented networking
site for recruitment inIndia. Survey findingsindicatethat themajority the companiesasked made use of Linkedin and assume
that linkedinalong withBrijj will become muchmore important in the future, butthiscan onlybe a trend andhasto be
observed for a longer time.5.2 Discussion of the FindingsAsa direct consequence of the enormousgrowing of the Internet
and the hype ofWeb 2.0 applications, especially Social Networking Sites, the recruitment Monika.15may@gmail.com 50
