The Impact of Social Networking Sites on HRM Practices: The Case of LinkedIn in Finland

This thesis studies the use of social networking sites (SNSs) in recruitment. The research focuses on the use of SNSs in Finland, and especially on LinkedIn. Human Resources Management’s philosophy has shifted from one party giving orders to another towards a valuable advantage what company can gain. Social media has impacted the Human Resources Management’s (HRM) policies and practices. Efficient use of SNSs in recruitment can benefit a company in many ways. Applying SNSs in recruitment is cost and time efficient for companies. On SNSs recruiters can reach also the passive candidates who are not looking for a job but could be suitable for the position. There are several ethical and legal issues which might arise when applying the use of SNSs in recruitment. Discrimination and privacy issues need to be considered when using SNSs. Legislation for employees’ privacy is lacking, when discussing social media. These issues, and practises and policies to avoid those challenges, are presented in the research. A survey to study Metropolia Business School’s students’ and graduates’ use of LinkedIn was conducted to get a detailed overview of the use. The discussion of this thesis analyses and studies the results and compares those to other studies conducted in Finland and globally. Despite the large scale changes that social media has brought to individuals’ and organisations’ around the globe, the traditional Human Resources Management theories can still be applied in the recruitment processes. However, the impact of SNSs in recruitment can be seen in today’s recruitment practices and trends