Employment Eligibility and Social Netwo rks Does the info online affect one’s ability to be hired? Zachary Burac Faculty Advisor: Aimee Lau

Introduction As electronic social media is more commonly used, information relative to personal whereabouts and social life are easier to access. Past research suggests that a variety of actions, traits, and characteristics greatly affect the perception of job candidates. Awareness of Society (Peluchette, 2008) Organization/Time Management (Hwang, 2004)

Introduction A previous study suggests that the information on our social networking sites does influence other people’s perspectives about our professionalism and performance in the work place. (Bohnert, 2010)

Purpose and Hypothesis Purpose: to determine if the information found on social networking sites positively or negatively affects perception of eligibility for a job opening. Hypothesis: Participants will consider the applicant described in the Professional Profile as the individual most suited for the position, and the applicant described in the Non-Professional Profile as the individual least suited for the position.

Method: Participants Total Number of Participants: male 20 female Subject Characteristics: Race/Ethnicity Caucasian-33 Hispanic-4 Asian-American-1 Other-2 Age Avg , Standard Deviation- 1.39

Method: Materials Instruments: Created 3 surveys containing 15 questions each. Each survey represented one particular style or category of social networking profiles. (1-Strongly Disagree to 5- Strongly Agree) Example Questions: P1Q14) John avoids using offensive or vulgar language P2Q14) John avoids vulgar language, but stresses his displeasure with friends and family P3Q14) John’s posts pertain to his dislikes and his participation in underage drinking

Method: Procedures Step 1: Participants received an informed consent form via projector. Step 2: Participants completed the 3 self created surveys Step 3: Participants completed a short answer essay was given which asked participants to rank profiles in order of which they would be most and least likely to hire and to briefly explain what helped guide their decision. Step 4: A Debriefing Statement was handed out to each individual who completed the survey upon their exit.

Results: Survey 1 A t-test was run for all 15 survey items on Survey 1 comparing men & women’s reaction All the following are questions from the survey with significant results: -Q4- t(40)=-1.23,p<.05 Men (M=3.35,SD=1.09) Women (M=3.75, SD=.97) -Q5- t(40)=-1.10,p<.05 Men (M=3.70, SD=1.03) Women (M=4.05, SD=1.00) -Q13- t(40)=-1.94,p<.05 Men (M=3.90, SD=1.25) Women (M=4.55, SD=.83) -Q14- t(40)=-2.30,p<.05 Men (M=3.80, SD= 1.40) Women (M=4.60, SD=.68)

Results: Survey 2 Significant items listed below -Q7- t(40)=1.67,p<.05 Men (M=3.55, SD=.83) Women (M=3.00, SD=1.22) -Q11- t(400=1.36,p<.05 Men (M=3.50, SD=1.10) Women (M=3.10, SD=.72)

Results: Survey 3 Significant items listed below -Q2- t(40)=2.48,p<.05 Men (M=1.85,SD=.99) Women (M=1.25, SD=.44) -Q4- t(40)=2.85,p<.05 Men (M=2.20, SD=1.20) Women (M=1.35, SD=.59) -Q8- t(40)=2.15,p<.05 Men (M=2.20, SD=1.32) Women (M=1.45, SD=.83) -Q9- t(40)=1.02,p<.05 Men (M=1.65, SD=1.18) Women (M=1.35, SD=.59)

Results At the end of the surveys there was a short answer section asking participants to rank their choice (1-3) of which applicant was most eligible for the job. They were asked to give a brief reasoning for their selections. 1. Professional Profile – Middle Road Profile – Unprofessional Profile – 0 Participants cited reasons such as foreseen maturity, small amount of use of social networking sites, proper grammar usage, and avoidance of vulgar or abusive language as reasons for selecting their candidate.

Discussion Hypothesis: a majority of participants will select the Professional Profile as the profile best suited for the job. The Data compiled supports this hypothesis. 27 of the 40 participants chose the Professional Profile as the best suited for the job position.

Discussion Previous research by Bohnert suggests participation in socially deviant actions and behavior found on social networking sites negatively affects job eligibility is supported (Bohnert, 2013). Out of the 40 participants, 27 selected the Professional Profile, 13 selected the “Middle- Road” Profile, and 0 selected the Unprofessional or “Bad” Profile.

Discussion Limitations and Future Studies: Participants were all WLC college students. If study was limited to only students with managerial experience, this would give more insight into the professional world view. No use of media was used in survey Potential use of media such as powerpoint or actual social network profiles might influence the decisions made by the participants. The possible future study may target only those students that are Business Majors, as they will be more than likely to be making managerial decisions in the future.