Professional and Non-professional Social Networks as a Recruitment Tool: The Impact on Job Seekers' Attraction and Intention to Apply

Purpose This paper explores different strategies implemented by three companies using professional (LinkedIn) and non-professional (Facebook) social networks (SNWs) as a recruitment tool and investigates the influence of their perceived usability and attractiveness on job seekers’ attraction and their intention to apply. Methodology/approach First, a laboratory experiment involving 171 MBA students compares the effectiveness of three different social recruitment strategies. Second, a survey among 110 job seekers focuses on the most effective strategy in terms of attraction as an employer and the influence of perceived usability and attractiveness of professional SNW pages on job seekers’ intention to pursue the job. Findings The laboratory experiment confirms the key role of LinkedIn as an e-recruitment practice. The survey shows that the overall company image, the usability of the LinkedIn page and the interaction between the attractiveness of the page and the overall company image positively influence job seekers’ intention to pursue the job. Social implications The research offers insights on job seekers’ reactions to 2.0 Internet-based recruitment. Companies should focus on and invest in professional SNWs, paying attention to the usability of their SNW page. Originality/value of paper Recruitment is a strategic HRM practice to attract talents, however, research lags behind practice and little is known about job seekers’ perceptions and reactions to Internet recruitment. This paper sheds light on the use of SNWs for recruitment and identifies two features that contribute to an effective e-recruitment strategy.