HR paper

PositionPaperHandout1.docx

MGT 643 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Position Paper: Social Media in the Hiring Process

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your research and critical thinking skills while analyzing a current topic in Human Resource Management. This assignment is designed to keep you updated on leading edge topics as they are happening in our field. You will also develop your ability to integrate ideas from the academic literature and critically evaluate those from the popular press to form a coherent argument in favor for or against a topic.

Description of Assignment

You will be assigned several articles to read on a current trend in HRM: Social Media in the Hiring Process. Some of the articles come from the academic literature, and some come from the popular press. You are also expected to conduct your own literature review and research the topic beyond the assigned readings. You should cite this research where appropriate in your document, using APA style. You should critically analyze the information you are reading and consider the source from which it comes as you are weighing evidence for and against the use of social media in the hiring process. After reading the articles and conducting your own literature review, you should write a position paper outlining whether you think it is appropriate or not to use social media information in the hiring process. You need to support your position with appropriate facts and references.

Discussion Topics

The following questions are things you should consider as you write your paper. You do not necessarily have to answer these questions in order, but use these topics as you construct the main arguments of your paper. Feel free to examine other ideas that pertain to the topic as well.

1. First of all, for the purposes of this paper, “social media” includes any information that is available about a person on the internet. This may include (but is not limited to): Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google searches.

2. What kind of information can you find from the various social media platforms? How would this affect a Hiring Manager’s (or Recruiter’s) decision about a candidate?

3. When you are considering whether it is appropriate to use social media information, consider the steps of the hiring process. Is it appropriate to use this information at the beginning of the process, before inviting the candidate for an interview, only after an interview, only at the end of the hiring process (prior to making an offer), etc. Consider the ramifications of viewing one’s social media profile at these different steps in the process (e.g., in terms of bias).

4. Is the information we gather from social media reliable and valid in terms of being a predictor of job performance?

a. On a related note, is the information presented by social media outlets representative of the candidate? Try Google searching yourself and do a social media search on your own name (Facebook and LinkedIn profiles)…what did you find?

5. What are the legal ramifications of using social media information in the hiring process? Is there a chance of adverse impact?

6. Consider the practical side of this issue. How many Hiring Managers or Recruiters use this information? What would they say about the use of social media information in the hiring process? How has this information helped (or how could it help) them?

Details

This assignment will be completed individually. Refer to the syllabus for the specific due date and suggested week 1 and week 2 deadlines. Email submissions or submissions after the due date will NOT be accepted.

· Length. Your paper should be 2 – 4 pages double spaced, not including title page or references.

· Style and Formatting. You should utilize APA style for the paper. Use headings where relevant, and have a references page that lists the works that you cited during your paper in APA style. For more information on APA style, please consult Purdue’s OWL website at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

· Grading – Your paper should articulate a clear argument in favor of, or against, the use of social media information in the hiring process. Excellent papers will state a clear policy that is in accordance with best HRM practices using supportive facts and references that are outside of, but include, the assigned readings. It is important that the legal, as well as practical, issues of using social media information are addressed in the paper. Excellent papers will also have a clear structure, and will have organized information in a logical way to illustrate their argument clearly. The paper is worth 100 points, or 10% of the student’s final grade in the class.

· Rubric:

Criteria	Excellent 94 - 100	Good 83 - 93	Average 73 - 82	Poor < 73
Demonstration of Understanding of Course Material	Paper demonstrates mastery of the material. Thoughts are well integrated. Uses course-related terminology frequently and well.	Paper demonstrates understanding of material, some lack of integration of ideas. Uses course terminology sometimes.	Paper demonstrates some gaps in understanding of the material, ideas are not well integrated. Does not use course terminology or uses them incorrectly.	Paper demonstrates considerable lack of understanding, no integration of idea, no use or inappropriate use of course terminology.
Considered legal and ethical issues appropriately	Considered all current legal and ethical issues involved in using social-media information in the hiring decision.	Considered some of current legal and ethical issues involved in using social-media information in the hiring decision.	Considered some current legal and ethical issues inappropriately involved in using social-media information in the hiring decision.	Did not mention any current legal or ethical issues involved in using social-media information in the hiring decision.
Evidence of having read all the readings and conducted background research	Makes reference to the readings and other resources.	Makes reference to some of the readings or other resources.	Little evidence of making reference to some of the readings or other resources.	No evidence of reference to readings or other resources.
Logically structured argument and clear statements	Arguments are presented clearly, concisely, and are organized into a coherent document.	Arguments are presented clearly, concisely, but there are some organizational issues.	Arguments are not presented clearly, concisely, or are not organized into a coherent document.	Arguments are not presented clearly, concisely, and are not organized into a coherent document.
Writing Style and Technical Issues	No spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Written in appropriate style. Uses APA style correctly and fully.	A couple of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Written in appropriate style. Uses APA style correctly but may not be complete.	Many spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Some stylistic problems. Has some inconsistencies but mainly uses APA style.	Many spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Significant stylistic problems. Difficult to read. Does not use APA style.