HIRING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Hiring and Social Media

Abstract

There is a decline in recruitment to pre-registration programmes in psychiatric nursing in Ireland. This article discusses factors that may relate to the Irish situation in the context of relevant international literature on nurse recruitment. It is noted that disciplines and courses in Ireland, such as social care, that engage in similar work to that of psychiatric nurses do not suffer from such a shortage of applicants. Whilst it is difficult to account for this difference, a number of factors identified from the literature are discussed. The need to highlight differences with general nursing and the importance of career guidance are seen as important in overcoming prejudices and stereotypes. From a review of the literature it appears that studies dedicated to recruitment to psychiatric nursing alone are notable by their paucity, and absent in the case of Ireland. Therefore, the available literature fails to fully explain the fall in psychiatric nurse recruitment compared to the robust recruitment position of social care. It is argued that dedicated research on recruitment to psychiatric nursing within an Irish setting is needed if a sustainable recruitment policy is to be implemented to reverse the long-term decline in recruitment.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Objectives and Research Questions5

Literature Review6

History of Social Media6

Impact of Social Media on Hiring Process7

Benefits of Using Social Media8

Potential Risks Involved9

Disadvantages of Social Media10

Research Methodology11

Instrument development12

Data processing and analysis13

Pretest13

Sample14

Findings and Recommendations15

Type of sites used for recruitment15

Future of Social Networking Sites for recruitment16

Twitter17

Effect of qualities of Social Networking Sites on effective recruitment17

Conclusion and Recommendations19

Further research (implications for science)20

References22

Appendix24

Hiring through Social Media

Introduction

Online social networking has rapidly developed from the time where is was considered novel to simply email a picture to another person to one of the most powerful recruiting tools available to employers. Today, hundreds of millions of potential job candidates offer intimate, often instant, contact with recruiters and human resource personnel through online social media. Some studies indicate that over 79% of human resource departments now use online social media when evaluating candidates for potential jobs.

Consequently, 70% of those departments say they have rejected candidates due to a candidate's online information. The rapid growth of social media has outpaced legislatures and courts alike and created a legal minefield where employers are left with an unanswered question - “How can we legally and ethically use online social media in the hiring process?” This handout provides a brief overview on what types of social networking are available online and how employers can make the most of what social media sites have to offer. This handout also discusses the potential legal and ethical pitfalls of using online social media and illustrates essential steps involved in developing a comprehensive social media use hiring policy that will help ensure employers maintain compliance with the law.

Social networking has exploded in the last few years, creating an internet full of personal information on anyone who participates in social networking. We've all heard the stories warning teenagers or homeowners about divulging too much private information ...