Social media and applied psychological assessment: Key issues and future directions for test users and practitioners

Key digested message This special issue of Assessment and Development Matters considers the ways in which social media technology is relevant to the use of applied psychological tests and assessments. This article looks specifically at ways in which social media technology may influence practices in the area of organisational assessment. It addresses personnel selection and looks at the implications of social media on test use more widely, with five key issues explored: the widespread use of social media by applicants and recruiters in early-stage selection; the evidence around the reliability and validity of organisational assessments of social media information in selection; practices that add structure to the assessment of social media information, and the central role of psychometrics; ethical concerns and applicant reactions to use of social media in selection; and the future role of machine learning.