Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Referencing Effects Of Social Networking On Judgments In An Employment Context, Abigail Lewis

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study examined how various components of a social networking website (SNW) as well as rater characteristics can impact employee evaluations. Participants were presented with a job description, an applicant résumé, an applicant SNW profile, and a survey to measure rater characteristics. Professionally-oriented Facebook profiles received higher ratings than their counterparts, evaluations differed based on rater characteristics (e.g., personality), and raters varied in their perceptions of the relative value of SNW profiles. As these findings demonstrate that SNW profiles influence employer judgments to varying degrees based on rater characteristics and perceptions, organizations should use caution when viewing SNW profiles until …