Social recruiting: an application of social network analysis for preselection of candidates

Purpose The paper aims to studiy social recruiting for finding suitable candidates on social networks. The main goal is to develop a methodological approach that would enable preselection of candidates using social network analysis. The research focus is on the automated collection of data using the web scraping method. Based on the information collected from the users' profiles, three clusters of skills and interests are created: technical, empirical and education-based. The identified clusters enable the recruiter to effectively search for suitable candidates. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a new methodological approach for the preselection of candidates based on social network analysis (SNA). The defined methodological approach includes the following phases: Social network selection according to the defined preselection goals; Automatic data collection from the selected social network using the web scraping method; Filtering, processing and statistical analysis of data. Data analysis to identify relevant information for the preselection of candidates using attributes clustering and SNA. Preselection of candidates is based on the information obtained. Findings It is possible to contribute to candidate preselection in the recruiting process by identifying key categories of skills and interests of candidates. Using a defined methodological approach allows recruiters to identify candidates who possess the skills and interests defined by the search. A defined method automates the verification of the existence, or absence, of a particular category of skills or interests on the profiles of the potential candidates. The primary intention is reflected in the screening and filtering of the skills and interests of potential candidates, which contributes to a more effective preselection process. Research limitations/implications A small sample of the participants is present in the preliminary evaluation. A manual revision of the collected skills and interests is conducted. The recruiters should have basic knowledge of the SNA methodology in order to understand its application in the described method. The reliability of the collected data is assessed, because users provide data themselves when filling out their social network profiles. Practical implications The presented method could be applied on different social networks, such as GitHub or AngelList for clustering profile skills. For a different social network, only the web scraping instructions would change. This method is composed of mutually independent steps. This means that each step can be implemented differently, without changing the whole process. The results of a pilot project evaluation indicate that the HR experts are interested in the proposed method and that they would be willing to include it in their practice. Social implications The social implication should be the determination of relevant skills and interests during the preselection phase of candidates in the process of social recruitment. Originality/value In contrast to previous studies that were discussed in the paper, this paper defines a method for automatic data collection using the web scraper tool. The described method allows the collection of more data in a shorter period. Additionally, it reduces the cost of creating an initial data set by removing the cost of hiring interviewers, questioners and people who collect data from social networks. A completely automated process of data collection from a particular social network stands out from this model from currently available solutions. Considering the method of data collection implemented in this paper, the proposed method provides opportunities to extend the scope of collected data to implicit data, which is not possible using the tools presented in other papers.