Keeping up to date : Incorporating social network sites and employer branding in recruitment processes

Abstract:

The use of social network sites (SNSs), such as Facebook and LinkedIn, by both organizations and the Swedish population is increasing. Previous publications in this research field lack empirical reinforcement and the empirical research that has been published often suggest a connection between recruitment via SNSs and employer branding. However, this connection has not yet been elaborated on or explained by previous research. Furthermore, both these research fields lack the insight of empirical studies conducted from a managerial point of view. The objective of this study is to contribute to these research fields by providing a holistic understanding about employer branding and SNSs role in recruitment processes from a managerial perspective. The recruitment process includes all activities from the origin of a vacant position to employing an applicant.

To gain insight into this perspective, a qualitative study was conducted with the methodological stances constructionism and interpretivism. HR-managers at eight organizations with 200 employees or more located in the northern part of Sweden were interviewed. A thematic analysis, in line with the research approach with inductive characteristics, was used to analyze the qualitative data collected from conducting semi- structured interviews. The themes are based on regularly discussed aspects found in the empirical data. These themes are: “Employer Branding”, “Benefits“, “Barriers”, “Communication Channels” and “Implementation”. The fundamental aspect of succeeding with implementing SNSs as a recruitment tool was found to be a supportive management. This resulted in a framework being developed that describes necessary actions to take into consideration by the management to successfully implement SNSs as a recruitment tool. It was found that employer branding is closely interlinked with the attraction stage of a SNS recruitment process. Therefore, the framework also incorporates the findings regarding the benefits that a strong employer brand will have on the SNS recruitment process.

This study provides theoretical insight of how SNSs are used to strengthen the employer brand in recruitment processes. The study also concluded that the interviewed organizations are in the early stages of implementing employer branding and SNSs in organizational contexts. The managerial perspective also provides an important theoretical contribution. Practical contributions include inspiration for how to design strategies to implement SNSs as a recruitment tool and an insight as to why it is important to adopt such strategies.