Shaping effect of social media as an institution on personnel procurement-selection and recruitment decision: Tunisia case study

The purpose of this study is to show the decisive power of social media as an institution on personnel procurement, selection and recruitment decision of human resources managers. In this framework, following questions have been tried to be answered within this study. 1-) As an institution, how social media has a shaping effect on individual preferences, decisions and acts of human resources managers? 2-) As an institution, how social media has an effect on personnel procurement, selection and recruitment process of human resources managers? Is it possible to say that social media leads to a normative isomorphism? 3-) Is it possible to say there is a legitimacy scale that shapes the social media posts of the personnel candidates? 4-) Which type of posts human resources managers focus on among the posts of their personnel candidates or existing personnel and which type of information they seek while examining their posts? Within the scope of the stated purpose and research questions shaped accordingly with this purpose, this study consists of three chapters. In chapter one, an examination has been carried out regarding institutional theory and a macro institutional analysis has been made in Tunisia scale. In chapter two, a literature review has been made regarding personnel procurement-selection and recruitment processes, also within the context of the purpose and focus questions of this study. In the third and final chapter, data acquired from Tunisia scale has been analized based on the research questions. Structured interview approach has been used when collecting the data needed for the research. Interviews has been carried out with 12 human resource managers. Content analysis was conducted. According to the results of this content analysis, has been considered by human resource managers as an institution which has a shaping effect regarding other platforms of both political and social life. Furthermore, it has been identified that social media has been used as a personnel procurement source and it has a significant decisive effect on personnel selection and job placement processes, and decisions concerning these processes. Moreover, the fact that social media leads to a normative isomorphism within the scope of human resource management applications and constituting the ideal qualifications for some positions is another issue that has been identified. In addition to all of these points, human resource managers has implied that there is a legitimacy scale in their minds concerning social media posts and they don't take a positive approach on people posting outside of this scale by stating that they don't approve of some types of social media posts. Finally, data collected in this research indicates that human resource managers genereally focus on posts that provide information about personal and psychological qualities of the personnel candidates and reveal their potential.