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    Social media for selection : are New Zealanders prepared? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Psychology, at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) McPherson, Kirsty
    Personnel selection is a process which most people go through in their life. Job seeking is also a process which most people experience and there are many ways in which people are able to find new jobs as well as information about organisations they want to work for. Social media has a significant impact in many New Zealanders’ daily lives. As people are spending so much of their time online it is commonly believed among recruiters that one’s social media presence can be informative in terms of what people may be like as employees (Berkelaar, 2014; Berkelaar, 2017; Bogen & Rieke, 2018; Doherty, 2010; Jeske & Shultz, 2015; Kashi, Zheng, & Molinaux, 2016). This study aimed to explore New Zealanders’ perceptions of the use of social media as both a job seeking tool and as a selection tool. Through conducting individual interviews and one focus group, a thematic analysis was conducted to explore New Zealanders’ experiences with social media in job seeking and selection. Overall, job seekers found social media a useful tool to find jobs and gather information about organisations they were interested in to curate their CVs and prepare to apply. However, many job seekers had negative perceptions of organisations in terms of organisational justice when social media was used for selection decisions. For recruiters, social media was a useful tool in searching ‘red flags’ in order to cut down candidate lists to the most suitable applicants. The results of this study suggest that job seekers should be aware of the potential for organisations to screen their social media and be prepared for it. For organisations, the results suggest that social media can be a good tool for advertising roles and presenting themselves positively, however they need to take into account the negative impression they may create if using social media during selection.
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    An evaluation of a job seeking skills programme for prison inmates : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1990) Young, Lucille M
    This research is concerned with the evaluation of a Job Seeking Skills (JSS) programme at Manawatu Prison. Three groups of four JSS participants responded to questionnaire measures of self-esteem, social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation at pretest, posttest and at a six week follow-up. Self-esteem increased but no change occurred on measures of social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. Subjects also took part in videotaped simulated job interviews at pretest and posttest. Subjects decreased their response latency, but no significant changes were noted on other behavioural measures. Despite this, subjects were rated as significantly more socially skilled and more employable at their posttest interviews. Improvements were also noted on ratings of appearance and question answering. Although subjects reported a decrease in anxiety in interview, ratings of anxiety by external raters did not indicate significant improvement.
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    Psycho-social correlates of employment amongst skilled newcomers to New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2004) Mace, Karen Alison
    This socially relevant research focused on immigrants and refugees who have arrived in New Zealand in the last five years and investigated the affect, behaviours and cognitions associated with trying to find work that matched their qualifications. While there has been a lot of research on immigrants and refugees from various perspectives, not much has focused specifically on the psycho-social correlates of under-employment that skilled newcomers to New Zealand face, in trying to find work that matches their existing qualifications. This research investigated how a) behaviours used pre-interview, b) behaviours used at interview, c) cognitive flexibility, d) acculturation style adopted by the newcomer to New Zealand, e) acculturation 'fit' between the acculturation styles of the newcomer and the employment community predicted (i) how close the newcomer came to finding a job that matched their qualifications and subsequent (ii) employment related emotional well-being. A sample of 70 newcomers (66% migrants, 17% refugees) filled in a questionnaire on these issues. Pre-interview behaviours, "here's what I can do for you" behaviours at interviews, cognitive flexibility and adapting to New Zealand culture all significantly predict how close the newcomer will come to finding jobs that match their qualifications and this in turn predicts employment related emotional well-being. Research of this kind may be used eventually to inform immigration policy and, more importantly, to assist immigrants with finding employment that matches their qualifications.