The worker as politician: How online information and electoral heuristics shape personnel selection and careers

Abstract

Employers’ use of increasingly visible online information extends when, where, and in what role contexts personnel selection—and correspondingly career management—occurs. Data from 59 employers suggest the use of a new lens to evaluate workers: the worker as politician. By appropriating strategies from electoral contexts to “vote” on job candidates, employers are (unintentionally) reimagining personnel selection. Participants report seeking appropriately endorsed workers with electable personalities, who demonstrate commercially “sanitized” public images and reflect the “right” kind of private life and mainstream values. Results contribute to research on how new technologies and information visibility affect personnel selection, career management, and reputation management.