Social media as a place to see and be seen : Exploring factors affecting job attainment via social media

Abstract

Job seekers can utilize social media platforms to actively search for job opportunities and also receive unsolicited job offers from recruiters and employers. Using data from a representative sample of Finnish social media users, this article studies both aspects of social media job attainment by analyzing how much individuals successfully apply for jobs and get recruited to positions through social media. Results show that the prevalence of successfully applying to jobs through social media does not differ statistically between socio-economic groups, but the prevalence of getting recruited to jobs through social media is greater within higher socio-economic groups. LinkedIn users are more likely to get recruited to a job, while strategic networking and posting of professional content increase the chances of both successfully applying and getting recruited to a job through social media. The findings demonstrate that in social media-mediated job market, job seekers’ online behavior affects one’s exposure to job leads and career opportunities.