The role of networking and social media tools during job search: an information behaviour perspective

by John Mowbray@jmowb_napier

Co Authors:Professor Hazel Hall

Professor Robert RaesideDr Pete Robertson

9th International Conference in the Conceptions of Library and Information Science, 20th to 22nd June 2016

Structure of presentation• Background• Research questions• Method• Theoretical framework• Findings• Discussion• Conclusion

• 31% in the UK find jobs via their social network

• A deeper understanding of “networking” during job search is required…

• Which (offline/online) sources & behaviours are associated?

Background

Research questions

• What are the key offline networking behaviours employed by young jobseekers during the job search process?

• How do social media tools support the networking behaviours of the young jobseekers during the job search process?

Method• Information science journals reviewed systematically

– Information research, JASIST, Library and Information Science Research, The Journal of Academic Librarianship

• Search extended to other databases + search engines– E.g. Emerald Journals, Google Scholar, Sage Journals Online, Science Direct

• Findings drawn from analysis of 63 papers

Theoretical framework

Theoretical framework

Findings: themes identified from literature• Social network theory• Networking behaviours

• The adoption of social media tools

• Weak ties • Propagate information

flow• Provide access to

“new” information

• Strong ties• Mobilise on behalf of

individual• Used by young people

entering labour market

Social network theory: tie strength

Social network theory: social capital

• Embedded within network

• Can determine quality of job information received

• Young people from poorer backgrounds at disadvantage

Networking behaviours: job search• Largely quantitative

approach

• Personality traits predict networking behaviours

• No focus on:• young people• social media

Networking behaviours: information behaviour• Largely qualitative

approach

• Networking "integral information seeking behaviour"

• Various barriers identified

• Relates to “opportunistic information acquisition”

The adoption of social media tools

• Channels for weak and strong ties

• SNS associated with higher levels of social capital

• Personality traits, age and gender all impact on usage

Wilson’s model: context of information need

• The literature shows:• network composition is key• young people reliant on

“ascribed” contacts

• To be explored:• socio-economic context• environmental context (city,

rural etc.)• Role-related context

Wilson’s model: intervening variables

• Enablers/barriers from literature:• Social capital • Personality traits • Demographics

• Enablers/barriers to be explored:• Attitudes/motivations• Access issues• Digital literacy

Wilson’s model: information seeking behaviour

• The literature shows:• Networking is key ISB• Job search measures of

networking are arbitrary

• To be explored:• Online networking behaviours• Passive search behaviours

Conclusion• Networks are crucial in job search

• Extant networking research limited in its scope and methods

• More needs to be understood about social media tools and job search

• An information behaviour perspective using Wilson’s model could be useful for further research

References• Bell, D., & Blanchflower, D. G. (2010). Young people and recession: A lost generation?. In Fifty-Second

Panel Meeting on Economic Policy, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance, October, 22-23.

• Beaudoin, C. E., & Tao, C. C. (2007). Benefiting from social capital in online support groups: An empirical study of cancer patients. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 587-590.

• Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.

• Finlay, I., Sheridan, M., McKay, J., & Nudzor, H. (2010). Young people on the margins: in need of more choices and more chances in twenty‐first century Scotland. British Educational Research Journal, 36(5), 851–867.

• Gibson, C., H. Hardy III, J., & Ronald Buckley, M. (2014). Understanding the role of networking in organizations. Career Development International, 19(2), 146-161.

• Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American journal of sociology, 1360-1380.

• Granovetter, M. (1974). Getting a job. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

References (2)• Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious!

Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3), 241-251.

• Ofcom (2014). Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes Report. [Online]. Available at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/adults-2014/2014_Adults_report.pdf [Accessed 20th February 2015].

• Smith, S. S. (2005). Don’t put my name on it: social capital activation and job‐finding assistance among the black urban poor. American Journal of Sociology, 111(1), 1-57.

• Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009). Is there social capital in a social network site?: Facebook use and college students' life satisfaction, trust, and participation. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 14(4), 875-901.

• Verhaeghe, P.-P., Van der Bracht, K., & Van de Putte, B. (2015). Inequalities in social capital and their longitudinal effects on the labour market entry. Social Networks, 40, 174–184.

• Wanberg, C. R., Kanfer, R., & Banas, J. T. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of networking intensity among unemployed job seekers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 491.

• Wolff, H. G., & Kim, S. (2012). The relationship between networking behaviors and the Big Five personality dimensions. Career Development International, 17(1), 43-66.

21