Rekryteringsprocessen och sociala medier : Hur arbetar olika HR-funktioner i Sverige med sociala medier i rekryteringsprocessen

Sammanfattning: An increased use of social media has enabled a new arena for HR functions and the work with HR issues. Proponents are critical of this, as it can lead to ethical and legal dilemmas. So far the research on this area is limited. On this basis I found it interesting to study how social media is used in connection with the recruitment process. Those who will benefit from this study are primarily those dealing with recruitment, but also others working with HR issues. Therefore an empirical study was conducted among different organizations in Sweden, with the help of a web survey. The purpose of the survey was to map the use of social media in recruitment process and investigate any directives/guidelines, and to find out what knowledge in the field that is available out there among the organizations. A survey was distributed to 250 HR functions around Sweden, I received 57 responses. The results showed that a large portion of respondents used social media as a tool in the recruitment process. However, the results showed that many HR functions lacks directives and guidelines for the use and that many respondents also felt that they lacked knowledge in the field, both theoretical and practical knowledge. Among the respondents in which social media was not used, it turned out be a hesitancy and uncertainty to these kind of media. The reliability and what social media could really contribute was questioned. Finally, with the help of the previous research and the empirical study two perspectives could be distinguished, one which suggests that there are many advantages of takingthe plunge and try to take advantage of social media in HR work. While others argue tha tHR managers should take a critical approach in working with social media, questioning the reliability and validity of these media and making decisions based on the information available online, and in conclusion proactively address ethical and legal dilemmas that can arise in the use of social media in the recruiting process.