For my Media Analysis class, I have been asked to conduct a research study on mediated communication. Under the direction of Professor Jennifer Good, I will collect and prepare my data for a final essay and Brock University poster session. Due to the fact that I am a graduating student concerned with how I appear to potential employers on the Internet, I have decided to explore the benefits of the professional networking website, LinkedIn. This will be an interesting study because LinkedIn is a social media tool that has not been widely explored in scholarly research. I would like to change that.
I have formulated the following three research questions to determine how Human Resources employees use LinkedIn on behalf of their organizations:
RQ1: Are Human Resources employees likely to include
websites like LinkedIn in their online search of a candidate?
RQ2: How do employers judge the credibility of a candidate’s LinkedIn profile?
RQ3: Does having a LinkedIn profile improve a candidate’s chances of being hired?
I plan to conduct an online survey to get feedback from thirty Human Resources employees. I believe that this sample will give me an accurate idea of organizational recruitment methods and LinkedIn use.
