Social Influence and Technology Acceptance: The Use of Personal Social Media as a Career Enhancement Tool Among College Students

Abstract

While a growing number of hiring managers use personal social media (PSM) websites to screen job candidates, many students primarily use PSM websites to connect with friends and family. Little research has been conducted into how students use PSM as a career enhancement tool (CET). The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between college students who attended a workshop about the use of PSM as a CET and those who did not attend the workshop. This research study incorporated social influence theory and technology acceptance to examine behavioral intentions to use PSM as a CET. The results of this study revealed that students who attended the instructional workshop had higher levels of social influence and behavioral intentions to use PSM as a CET than students who did not receive this workshop.