1 The total values reported in the tables and

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2 Recruiting is increasingly social and Adecco wants to know how it works. An international survey, that involved over candidates and Human Resources managers between March 18 and June 2, 2014, collected 318 responses from American job seekers (164 complete responses and 154 partial responses 1 ), with the purpose of understanding how they search for jobs through social media, which instruments they use, and how they present themselves online. The sample presents a majority of men (64%), born between 1946 and 1964 (34%), and with a degree (55%). Those who are currently employed (43%) are mostly in a non-managerial position (71%). The present report is structured in four areas: the use of social media for job search purposes, the effectiveness of social media in the matching between supply and demand, web reputation and its impact on job search, and the social capital of individual candidates. The report is concluded with a statistical appendix, which offers further detail on the responses provided by the participants. 1 The total values reported in the tables and figures also include the partial responses, which did not provide information related to their sociodemographic profiles. Therefore, they may present a value that does not fit the sociodemographic profile. 1

3 The data shows that 51% of job seekers utilize social media for job search purposes. LinkedIn is largely the most used social networking site (40%) for professional job search activities (fig. 1). Fig. 1 - Social Media Used in General and for Job Search.. Notes: (1) General use also includes job search usage. (2) Total Social Media is the percentage proportion of respondents using at least one of the considered social media platforms. 100,0 90,0 80,0 70,0 60,0 50,0 40,0 30,0 20,0 10,0,0 67,7 48,8 10,3 1,4 59,9 40,4 30,9 7,4 10,22,1 10,20,4 25,4 0,4 24,3 1,1 1,1 0 2,8 0,7 87,7 51,9 General Use Use for job search 2

4 In the USA, men and women show similar usage rates of social media for general purposes, but women show a relatively higher prepotency for job search usage (64% vs 52%). Candidates born between 1965 and 1980 also tend to utilize such instruments the most (95%), with younger seekers (below 33 years of age), following closely with 91% regularly using at least one social networking site for job search purposes. Education level is also an important factor, since the use of social media for job search purposes among those with a secondary school education title significantly increases with the attainment of a higher educational level (tab.1). Tab. 1 - Social Media Used in General and for Job Search by Socio-demographic Profile.. Note: The analysis of seekers born before 1946 (over 70 years old) and with education level "less than high school" has been omitted because of a limited sample size. General Use Use for job search Gender Female 91,6 63,6 Male 90,2 52,5 Year of birth ,4 53, ,7 68,4 After ,6 58,3 Level of education completed High School 86,2 58,6 College 91,3 58,7 Master or Doctoral Degree 93,3 66,7 Total 87,7 51,9 The usage rate of social media for job search is significantly higher among those candidates looking for their first job and among those who are already employed. Its use is slightly less frequent among the unemployed candidates currently looking for work (fig. 2). Fig. 2 - Social Media Use for Job Search by Employment Status ,4 51,9 57,6 66, Employed Unemployed and looking for work By employment status Looking for my 1 job Total 3

5 Among the different activities that can be done to search for jobs online, the ones most frequently utilized by the candidates include searching through job ads (67%), researching potential employers online pages (62%), and the submission of applications (57%). The distribution of CVs (31%) is comparatively less frequent, as is personal branding (39%), therefore we can conclude that seekers use social media in an equal social and professional manner (tab. 2). Tab. 2 - Use of Social Media for Specific Job Searching Activities.. Note: Multiple choice question. Rank Job searching activities: 1 Searching for jobs 67,3 2 Researching potential employers' pages 62,0 3 Submitting applications 56,5 4 Check what other say about potential employers 55,8 5 Professional networking 55,4 6 Personal branding 39,2 7 Distributing my CV 30,8 The use of social media for job search purposes is also related to the level of IT skills possessed by the candidate. Regarding the self-evaluation of competences, candidates seem to see themselves more skillful in their ability to utilize social media effectively (0,38), connect with others (0,36), and communicate (0,34), but gives less importance to sharing information they have found with others using social media (0,29) (tab. 3). Tab. 3 - Index of Expertise on Social Media.. Note: Index value from -1 (not at all confident) to 1 (very confident), value 0 if neutral position. Rank Task about expertise on Social Media Index 1 I can be very effective at using social media 0,38 2 I can use social media as an effective way of connecting with others 0,36 3 I can communicate very effectively using social media 0,34 4 I can have a positive impact on the lives of others through social media 0,33 5 I can find important and interesting information by reading other people's content on social media 0,29 6 I can offer other people important and interesting information by posting on social media 0,29 4

6 A reported 31% of job seekers utilize social media to distribute their CV online, with 38% of job seekers having been contacted through social media by a recruiter at least once, and only 9% receiving a job offer. Males are relatively more active than females on social media (47% vs 34%) and tend to be contacted more often by recruiters (44% vs 36%), but the rate at which a candidate receives a job offer is relatively higher for females (11% vs 7%). The use of social media to distribute CVs is more widely utilized by the age range (42%) and by graduates (41%). The display of a Master s degree or a Doctorate degree also increases the rate at which a candidate will use social media for professional use (55%), as well as how likely they are to be contacted by recruiters (57%) (tab. 4). Tab. 4 - Steps Taken to Get a Job by Socio-demographic Characteristics.. Note: The analysis of seekers born before 1946 (over 70 years old) and with education level "less than high school" has been omitted because of a limited sample sizes. Gender Distributing CV Contacted by a recruiter Get the job Female 34,0 36,4 10,6 Male 47,4 44,3 6,8 Year of birth ,7 41,4 3, ,5 45,6 14,0 After ,4 31,3 10,4 Highest level of education completed High School 15,4 24,1 13,8 College 40,6 39,4 9,6 Master or Doctoral Degree 55,2 56,7 3,8 Principal employment status Employed 37,7 52,1 13,0 Unemployed and looking for work 38,8 29,4 7,4 Total 30,8 38,4 8,9 5

7 Job seekers believe that, among the different elements displayed on company s profiles, the most attractive ones are the presence of job ads (attractiveness index 0,43), followed by the presence of general information about the company (0,34) and the personal content posts made by the company (0,28). Social media profiles operated by the firms are largely perceived by American job seekers to be informational dashboards more than relationship building channels (tab. 5). Tab. 5 - Attractiveness Index of the Company s Social Media Page. Note: Index value from -1 (min attractiveness) to 1 (max attractiveness). Rank Elements on company's Social Media profile Index 1 Job Postings (and ability to search for jobs) 0,43 2 General company information (e.g. about, contact...) 0,34 3 Content posted by the company 0,28 4 Company's interaction with users 0,20 5 Recommendation on this company by relatives or contacts 0,19 6 Comments posted by other users 0,17 7 Pictures 0,13 8 Firm popularity (likes, reviews...) 0,11 9 Number of followers (e.g. fans, group members...) -0,12 Among the different social networking sites, LinkedIn is considered to be the only effective platform in terms of matching between supply and demand with an effectiveness index of 0,19 (the index assumes a value between -1, lowest effectiveness, and 1, greatest effectiveness). The less ineffective ones are Facebook (-0,30) and Twitter (-0,40) (fig. 3). Fig. 3 - Effectiveness Index of Social Media for Recruitment Purposes. Note: Index value from -1 (max ineffectiveness) to 1 (max effectiveness), value 0 if neutral position. 6

8 If we look more closely at LinkedIn, we can see that this particular social network is appreciated significantly more by males and by candidates born between 1965 and 1980 (fig. 4). Fig. 4 - Effectiveness Index of LinkedIn for Recruiting Purposes by Gender and by Year of Birth. Notes: (1) Index value from -1 (max ineffectiveness) to 1 (max effectiveness), value 0 if neutral position. (2) The analysis of seekers born before 1946 (over 70 years old) has been omitted because of a limited sample size. The relationship between social media usage and the education title held by the candidate seems to be quite evident. The increase in the perceived utility of social media is directly proportional to the increase in the level of education, being significantly higher for graduates and postgraduates (0,41). Those who are employed also tend to consider LinkedIn more favorable (0,32) than those who are unemployed (0,23) (fig. 5). Fig. 5 - Effectiveness Index of LinkedIn for Recruitment Purposes by Highest Level of Education Completed and by Principal Employment Status.. Notes: (1) Index value from -1 (max ineffectiveness) to 1 (max effectiveness), value 0 if neutral position. (2) The analysis of seekers with education level "less than high school" has been omitted because of a limited sample size. 7

9 Candidates tend to use Facebook to maintain a professional image online (0,47) and consider it to be an important tool for their future (0,39), but by and large, they believe that the information displayed is seen mostly by friends (0,38). This confirms the notion that Facebook often tends to be seen as a social networking site that is orientated towards both friendships, as well as professional relationships. Tab. 6 - Index of Agreement with Specific Statements Regarding a Candidate s Private and Professional Image on Facebook. Note: Index value from -1 (max disagreement) to 1 (max agreement), value 0 if neutral position. Rank Statements about privacy Index 1 It is important to maintain a professional image online 0,47 2 My online image is important to my future 0,39 3 I work hard to maintain a professional image on my profile 0,38 4 My profile can only be accessed by my friends 0,38 5 I assume my profile is only viewed by my friends 0,12 The elements most often presented on the web profiles of candidates from the USA are professional experiences (0,19) and the number of contacts (0,12), while the references and comments posted by others are significantly less present. It is interesting to note that professional awards and prizes, which recruiters give considerable importance to, are rarely posted by candidates to their profiles (-0,29) (tab. 7). Tab. 7 - Career Related Information Contained in Social Media Profile: Index of Attendance. Note: Index value from -1 (fully absent element) to 1 (very present element). Rank Elements on Social Media profile Index 1 Professional experience 0,19 2 Number of contacts 0,12 3 Personality emerging from profile -0,02 4 Personal information (e.g. marital status, gender...) -0,03 5 Pictures -0,04 6 Content posted -0,06 7 References and comments posted by others -0,07 8 Hobbies and personal interests -0,11 9 Professional prizes and awards -0,29 8

10 Concerning the elements which may negatively affect the web reputation of a candidate, it may be observed that they all have a relatively low index of attendance (well below 0). In particular, candidates seem to avoid publishing informal selfies (-0,67) and pictures in controversial contexts, such as drinking alcohol (-0,82). They also tend to view activities, such as commenting on controversial topics or posting content that violates University or workplace policies (-0,89), to be particularly negative, which is a strong observation since these are also instances that recruiters tend to view in the most negative connotation (tab. 8). Tab. 8 - Elements Posted on Social Media Profiles: Index of Attendance. Note: Index value from -1 (very unlikely) to 1 (very likely). Rank Elements on Social Media profile Index 1 (Most present) Informal selfie or tagged photo (e.g. wearing a swimsuit) -0,67 2 Comments on controversial topics (e.g. illegal drugs) -0,74 3 Controversial selfie / tagged photo (e.g. drinking alcohol) -0,82 4 (Least present) Comments on participation in activities which are in violation of university or workplace policy -0,89 Finally, we may also highlight the presence of a minor, but still relevant percentage of candidates, who were required to provide their Facebook password, or any other social media access credentials (2%) to their recruiter during a job interview. Among the candidates who declare having had their password requested, 33% had opted to provide the password to the hirer (tab. 9). Tab. 9 - Have you ever been asked for your password for Facebook or another social media platform during a job interview? Did You reveal it?. Note: of "Revealed the password" calculated on cases "Been asked for your password". Been asked for your password 2,2 Revealed the password 33,3 9

11 A number of researches have demonstrated how the most effective channel for the matching of supply and demand is wordof-mouth. Therefore, it is important not only to study the configuration of the personal social networks of the candidates, but also the role played by social media to enforce or diversify these relationships and to facilitate access to new information. To do so, we have utilized the position generator, one of the tools that is widely advocated throughout their research that consents to estimate the wealth of the social capital of an individual. This is done by first assessing professional figures that belong to their social network. A proportional weight relating to the prestige status of the occupation, as it is commonly classified by professional class structure, is then attributed to each of the professions. This consents to rate social networks based upon their wealth in social capital, namely weak (low social capital), medium, or rich (high social capital). To refine the analysis, we have adopted also a slight variation, asking whether contact was more often based on offline, online, or multiple (both) interactions. From this question, we have been able to reconstruct the wealth created by the offline and online social capital of the individuals involved, and the most frequent relationship based channels they use. Candidates appear to have strongly integrated networks made-up of a combination of offline and online relationships. The online network also tends to be weaker than the offline network in 10% of cases (superior cells in light grey) and richer in only 12% of cases (dark grey cells) (tab. 10). Tab Strength of the Candidate's Online and Offline Networks.. Note: the network was calculated by attributing the weight ISEI (International Classification for Professional Prestige) to each professional figure acknowledged by a candidate and then dividing the distribution of the networks into weak, medium, and rich categories using the tertile observed for each of respondents at an international level. Offline network Online network Weak Medium Rich Total Weak 35,1 1,8 2,4 39,3 Medium 7,1 22,6 5,4 35,1 Rich 4,2 0,6 20,8 25,6 Total 46,4 25,0 28,6 100,0 The use of social media for job search purposes is less common among those with a weak network (both online and offline), and increases with the richness of the network. Candidates with the richest networks generally use social media more often for all job-search related activities, are contacted more often by recruiters, and are more likely to receive an offer. This shows that those who integrate and make use of both offline and online networks, and have richer networks are generally more effective in the job search (tab. 11). Tab Indicators Regarding the Use of Social Media by Level of Offline and Online Networks.. Indicators about use of Online network Offline network Social Media Weak Medium Rich Weak Medium Rich Total Use of Social Media for job 42,4 67,8 74,4 47,4 66,7 72,9 51,9 searching Distributing CV 16,7 45,6 60,5 26,4 37,5 58,3 30,8 Contacted by a recruiter 18,2 45,8 62,8 29,5 35,7 58,3 38,4 Get the job 0,0 12,3 18,6 2,8 11,9 16,7 8,9 1 To differentiate between concepts, we speak about social media to refer to social platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc..) and social networks to refer to the relationships (online and offline) of the candidates. 10

12 Tab 1.A - Generally speaking, which social networks do you use? Do you use them for job search? No Yes Yes, for job search Total Facebook 32,3 57,3 10,3 100,0 YouTube 51,2 47,4 1,4 100,0 LinkedIn 40,1 19,5 40,4 100,0 Twitter 69,1 23,5 7,4 100,0 Google+ 47,0 32,8 20,3 100,0 Blog 89,8 8,1 2,1 100,0 Tumblr 89,8 9,9 0,4 100,0 Pinterest 74,6 25,1 0,4 100,0 Instagram 75,7 23,2 1,1 100,0 Viadeo 98,9 1,1 0,0 100,0 Xing 97,2 2,1 0,7 100,0 Tab 2.A - How often do you look for jobs on social media? Every day 39,0 Several times per week 31,5 At least once a week 13,0 At least once a month 16,4 Tab 3.A - Use of social networks for job search, activities? No Yes Total Personal branding 60,8 39,2 100,0 Distributing my CV 69,2 30,8 100,0 Professional networking 44,6 55,4 100,0 Searching for jobs 32,7 67,3 100,0 Submitting applications 43,5 56,5 100,0 Researching potential employers' pages 38,0 62,0 100,0 Check what other say about potential employers 44,2 55,8 100,0 11

13 Tab 4.A - From 1 to 5, how effective are these social networks for job search? 1 (very ineffective) (very effective) I don't know Facebook 29,6 12,3 15,3 7,9 9,4 25,6 100,0 YouTube 40,6 8,4 7,9 2,5 3,0 37,6 100,0 LinkedIn 16,9 5,5 11,9 19,9 24,9 20,9 100,0 Twitter 25,6 7,0 19,1 4,0 3,5 40,7 100,0 Google+ 22,2 6,9 15,8 7,4 11,8 36,0 100,0 Blog 30,3 7,5 9,5 3,5 2,5 46,8 100,0 Tumblr 34,7 5,9 8,4 0,0 2,0 49,0 100,0 Pinterest 39,9 5,6 8,1 1,0 1,5 43,9 100,0 Instagram 38,0 6,5 7,0 1,0 2,5 45,0 100,0 Viadeo 32,7 5,0 6,4 0,5 1,0 54,5 100,0 Xing 32,3 5,0 6,0 1,0 2,5 53,2 100,0 Total Tab 5.A - From 1 to 5, what career-related information does your social media profile contain? 1 (not at all) 2 3 (neutral) 4 5 (a lot) Personal information (e.g. marital status, gender...) 27,5 9,8 24,0 19,6 19,1 100,0 Personality emerging from profile 25,5 11,3 22,5 23,0 17,6 100,0 Pictures 29,4 9,8 18,6 24,5 17,6 100,0 Professional experience 24,0 4,9 15,7 20,6 34,8 100,0 Number of contacts 24,5 6,9 16,7 25,0 27,0 100,0 Hobbies and personal interests 29,4 13,7 20,6 21,6 14,7 100,0 Professional prizes and awards 43,1 10,8 18,6 16,7 10,8 100,0 References and comments posted by others 29,9 9,8 22,5 20,6 17,2 100,0 Content posted 28,9 8,3 26,0 19,6 17,2 100,0 Total Tab 6.A - From 1 to 5, how likely are you to post the following items on your Facebook profile? Informal selfie or tagged photo (e.g. wearing a swimsuit) Controversial selfie / tagged photo (e.g. drinking alcohol) Comments on controversial topics (e.g. illegal drugs) Comments on participation in activities which are in violation of university or workplace policy 1 (very unlikely) 71,7 82,9 76,1 90,3 2 8,0 4,8 8,5 2,7 3 (neutral) 8,0 8,0 6,4 3,2 4 7,5 2,1 5,3 2,2 5 (very likely) 4,8 2,1 3,7 1,6 100,0 100,0 100,0 12

14 Tab 7.A - From 1 to 7, indicate to which extent you agree with the following statements in regards to your Facebook profile. My profile can I assume my It is important to I work hard to My online image only be profile is only maintain a maintain a is important to accessed by my viewed by my professional professional image my future friends friends image online on my profile 1 (I strongly disagree) 13,0 16,9 9,2 10,8 10,3 2 2,2 8,7 2,2 3,8 2,7 3 2,7 4,4 1,6 2,7 3,3 4 (neutral) 18,9 24,0 16,2 18,9 21,7 5 11,4 9,3 10,8 9,7 9,2 6 8,1 10,4 15,1 14,6 11,4 7 (I strongly agree) 43,8 26,2 44,9 39,5 41,3 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 Tab 8.A - Have you ever been contacted by a recruiter through your profile on a social media platform? No 61,6 Yes 38,4 Tab 9.A - Did you get the job? Note: Statistic calculated only for "Yes" answers of Tab. 8.A. No 76,8 Yes 23,2 Tab 10.A - Have you ever been asked for your password for Facebook, or another social media platform, during a job interview? No 97,8 Yes 2,2 Tab 11.A - Did you reveal it? Note: Statistic calculated only for "Yes" answers of Tab. 10.A. No 66,7 Yes 33,3 13

15 Tab 12.A - Do you think companies use social media to recruit? No 9,3 Yes 57,4 I don't know 33,3 Tab 13.A - From 1 to 5, how much do the following attract your attention on a company s social media page? 1 (not at all) 2 3 (neutral) 4 5 (a lot) General company information (e.g. about, contact...) 14,9 2,9 18,4 26,4 37,4 100,0 Pictures 17,8 7,5 28,2 24,7 21,8 100,0 Number of followers (e.g. fans, group members...) 25,3 11,5 36,8 15,5 10,9 100,0 Firm popularity (likes, reviews...) 19,5 4,6 29,9 25,9 20,1 100,0 Company's interaction with users 17,2 5,7 20,7 32,2 24,1 100,0 Content posted by the company 13,2 5,2 24,7 26,4 30,5 100,0 Comments posted by other users 17,2 5,7 24,1 31,6 21,3 100,0 Job Postings (and ability to search for jobs) 12,6 2,9 17,2 20,1 47,1 100,0 Recommendation on this company by relatives or contacts 18,4 5,7 23,6 23,6 28,7 100,0 Total Tab 14.A - From 1 to 7, please indicate how certain you are that you can perform each of the following tasks. I can be very effective at using social media I can have a positive impact on the lives of others through social media I can offer other people important and interesting information by posting on social media I can find important and interesting information by reading other people's content on social media I can use social media as an effective way of connecting with others I can communicate very effectively using social media 1 (not at all confident) 11,0 12,7 12,7 12,1 12,1 12,1 2 1,7 3,5 5,8 2,9 3,5 5,2 3 2,9 2,9 4,0 5,7 3,5 2,9 4 (neutral) 16,8 17,3 16,8 14,9 13,9 14,5 5 17,3 12,7 11,6 21,3 12,7 10,4 6 15,6 17,9 17,3 14,9 21,4 23,7 7 (very confident) 34,7 32,9 31,8 28,2 32,9 31,2 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 14

16 Tab 15.A - Does your online or offline network include the following professions? Online Offline Both online and offline No Don't know or don't remember Insurance agent 6,5 11,9 19,0 53,6 8,9 100,0 Nurse 7,1 11,3 27,4 45,8 8,3 100,0 Lawyer 7,1 12,5 20,2 51,8 8,3 100,0 Book-keeper or accountant 7,1 8,9 22,6 48,8 12,5 100,0 Construction worker 6,0 8,9 17,9 54,8 12,5 100,0 Policy maker 9,5 3,0 16,1 59,5 11,9 100,0 Police officer 6,0 10,7 15,5 56,5 11,3 100,0 Unskilled laborer 7,1 8,9 26,2 46,4 11,3 100,0 Director of a company 12,5 3,6 30,4 41,7 11,9 100,0 Engineer 8,9 4,2 31,0 45,2 10,7 100,0 Cleaner 6,5 9,5 16,7 52,4 14,9 100,0 Estate or Real-estate agent 9,5 8,3 28,0 42,3 11,9 100,0 Total Tab 16.A - Gender. Female 63,7 Male 36,3 Tab 17.A - Year of birth. Before , , ,9 After ,6 Tab 18.A - What is the highest level of education you have completed? Less than High School 0,0 High School 17,8 Some College 27,6 2 or 3 year College Degree 12,3 4 or 5 year College Degree 23,9 Master or Doctoral Degree 18,4 15

17 Tab 19.A - Field of study. Education 11,0 Art and humanities 9,0 Social sciences, journalism and information 13,5 Business, administration and law 30,3 Natural sciences, mathematics and statistic 2,6 Information and Communication Technologies 9,0 Engineering, manufacturing and construction 7,7 Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 0,6 Health and welfare 11,0 Services 5,2 Tab 20.A - How many years of work experience do you have? 1 year or less 6,7 2 years 3,1 3-5 years 8, years 18, years 19,0 More than 20 years 44,2 Tab 21.A - Employment status. Employed 43,0 Unemployed and looking for work 51,5 Unemployed but not seeking work 1,2 Temporarily redundant 2,4 Looking for my first job 1,8 I have never worked and I'm not looking for a job 0,0 16

18 Tab 22.A - Business area. Note: Statistic calculated only for "employed" answers of Tab. 21.A. Oil & Gas 1,6 Chemicals 1,6 Basic Resources 6,5 Construction & Materials 4,8 Industrial Goods & Services 9,7 Automobiles & Parts 3,2 Food & Beverage 9,7 Personal & Household Goods 3,2 Health Care 11,3 Retail 9,7 Media 8,1 Travel & Leisure 1,6 Telecommunications 4,8 Utilities 1,6 Banks 1,6 Insurance 1,6 Real Estate 0,0 Financial Services 3,2 Technology 16,1 Tab 23.A - What is your position? Note: Statistic calculated only for "employed" answers of Tab. 21.A. Non manager 71,4 Middle manager 15,7 Manager 7,1 Senior manager and above 5,7 Tab 24.A - Which department do you work in? Note: Statistic calculated only for "employed" answers of Tab. 21.A. Controlling, Accounting & Finance 9,8 Purchasing 1,6 Manufacturing 16,4 Research & Development 1,6 Information Technology 6,6 Logistics 9,8 Sales 14,8 Marketing 6,6 Corporate Communication & PR 1,6 Human Resources 23,0 Quality Management 8,2 17

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