Influence of social media on job seeking behavior of post graduate students – understanding recruiter’s perspective

Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate use of social networking sites by recruiters and job seeking post graduate students, highlighting factors considered by employers while selecting or rejecting candidates and methods post graduate students could implement to influence recruiters through social media. Methodology: A qualitative research methodology was utilized for this research. Request for research interviews were emailed to 10 recruiters whose email address was known and personalized Linkedin messages were sent to 60- recruiters and talent recruitment specialists. There were 9 responses obtained in the specified time frame. For interviews of post graduate students 25 participants were invited by emails. Wherein, 15 participants communicated their availability in stipulated time period. Template analysis approach was used to deduce the findings. Findings: The findings suggested that there is disparity in use of social media between employers and job seeking students. It is found that job seeking students who are actively utilizing social networking sites for communicating and sharing personal experiences are not completely equipped while utilizing these mediums for seeking employment. Limitation: There are a few limitations to this research which involves gathering more responses from recruiters and targeting a specific industry for conducting analysis if there were no time restrictions. A mixed methodology might uncover different outcome. Value: This research would add substantial value to all job seeking students who are enabling themselves to become employable. Career consultants could utilize knowledge obtained through this study to understand areas where post graduate students need to be trained. Nonetheless, study could enable recruiters to avoid from overlooking talented candidates who might not be completely equipped with utilizing SM platforms for getting hired. Methodology of research helped gather extensive information and attempted to fully comprehend different views obtained from participants