Weeks 5 and 6 - Writing Group Activity and Voice Thread

1Weeks 5 & 6: Writing Group Activity in VoiceThread EDUC 815Name: Tamara N.S. BrooksDate: February 18, 2018 1. Part A: Five Dissertations1. Dissertation #1Title: SOCIAL MEDIA AND SELECTION: HOW DOES NEW TECHNOLOGY CHANGE AN OLD GAME?APA Reference:Wade, J. T. (2015). Social media and selection: How does new technology change an old game? (Order No. 10159387). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1824700446). Retrieved from http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/docview/1824700446?accountid=10559Key Search Terms: Social Media and Job Selection

22. Dissertation #2Title: CYBER-VETTING: EXPLORING THE IMPLICATIONS OF ONLINE INFORMATION FOR CAREER CAPITAL ANDHUMAN CAPITAL DECISIONSAPA Reference:Berkelaar, B. L. (2010). Cyber-vetting: Exploring the implications of online information for career capital and human capital decisions (Order No. 3444477). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (858608200). Retrieved from http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/docview/858608200?accountid=10559Key Search Terms: Cybervetting3. Dissertation #3Title: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMPLOYMENT ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACEAPA Reference:Lawhern, B. (2016). A qualitative case study of social media and employment issues in the workplace (Order No. 10037462). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1775002264). Retrieved from http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/docview/1775002264?accountid=10559

3Key Search Terms: Social Media and Job Selection4. Dissertation #4Title: BRANDING MILLENNIALS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS UTILIZING HIRING PROFESSIONALS AND POPULARPRESS BOOKSAPA Reference:Sharp, J. (2015). Branding millennials: A thematic analysis utilizing hiring professionals and popular press books (Order No. 3718696). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1712374972). Retrieved from http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/docview/1712374972?accountid=10559Key Search Terms: Personal Branding5. Dissertation #5Title: DIGITAL SEMIOTICS AND DIMENSIONS OF STUDENT FIT: HOW ONLINE REPUTATION AND E-PINIONINFLUENCE COLLEGE ADMISSIONAPA Reference:Laanui, A., Jr. (2014). Digital semiotics and dimensions of student fit: How online reputation and e-pinion influence college

4 admission (Order No. 3644663). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1625053153). Retrieved from http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/docview/1625053153?accountid=10559Key Search Terms: Social Media and College Admissions 1. Part B: Two Strongest Dissertations – Alignment with Your Research Topic Dissertation #1 – Key InformationTitle of Dissertation: CYBER-VETTING: EXPLORING THE IMPLICATIONS OF ONLINE INFORMATION FOR CAREERCAPITAL AND HUMAN CAPITAL DECISIONSProblem Statement: Results of interviewing and surveying human resource professionals, hiring managers, recruiters, and job applicants suggestemployers use ad-hoc seemingly idiosyncratic strategies, incorporating new information sources to evaluate applicants.These processes often occur outside current standards for personnel selection and employment protection. Decisions often rely onstereotypical and iconic information, are affected by information noise and the absence of information, and typically fail toaccount for alternative perspectives. In addition, different, shifting, and contentious meanings of cyber-vetting shaped by identity,privacy, and perceived generational assumptions create boundary turbulence impacting career capital interpretations and

5impressions.Purpose: Addressing micro through macro practices, this research connects to work on privacy, work/non-work boundaries, corporateimage, personal branding, and uses of technology-provided information. Theoretically, this project contributes to career theory,particularly communicative constructions of career capital within a global information society. It extends literature on informationacquisition and use, specifically the effects of new ICTs in personnel selection and the transformative potential of socio-technicalsystems. Furthermore, this research identifies new forms of work. Pragmatically, it suggests the need to develop new standards forpersonnel selection, including an etiquette and ethics of cyber-vetting, a new media literacy, and associated communicative and socio-technical competencies. Moreover, this research informs broader social strategies to address implications of changing hiring practices.Research Questions:RQ1a: What sources of information do employers report using when cybervetting?RQ1b: Have the informational criteria used in organizational selection decisions changed with the introduction of SNS and otheronline ICTs?RQ2: What types of interpretations do organizational representatives make about information retrieved via cyber-vetting?RQ3: How does cyber-vetting work?RQ4: How do organizational representatives and applicants make sense of cyber-vetting?

6Measures – Qualitative, Quantitative or Mixed Methods (instrument, inventory, questions for interviews, focus groups, etc.): A qualitative approach offers an expansive way to examine how data about cybervetting converges and diverges aroundissues of employment, career, and social norms. Qualitative data proves particularly useful in early stages of inquiry or in exploratorysituations since it helps provide rich description of the context or topic under examination, and leaves open the opportunity to uncoverunexpected nuances or details (Lindlof & Taylor, 2002; Patton, 2002). Qualitative research, complemented with some quantitativedata, provides a foundation from which (a) to explore the potential dimensions and nuances of cyber-vetting‘s unfamiliar terrain, (b) toprovide a basis future research, and (c) to help explicate the rich details of cyber-vetting in the current hiring landscape, including itssources, criteria, processes, and meanings.Participants (population, sample, location, etc.): This study sampled two groups of participants. The first sample includes managers, human resource personnel, recruiters,career counselors, and other organizational representatives who participate in hiring decisions or work closely with those who do.Members of the second sample include individuals currently searching for jobs or who have sought employment during the pastyear. These two samples represent organizational and individual perspectives respectively, which together offer some insight into thecriteria, processes, and perceptions of cyber-vetting.

7 The researcher recruited participants (n=89) from two primary groups involved in employment decisions: (a)organizational representatives (n=45) and (b) prospective job candidates (n=44). Participants had to be currently working on orlooking for jobs in the United States, because of the importance of the legal differences in employment law. The 45 organizationalrepresentatives ranged in age from 23 to 61 years old (Median=36 years), primarily self-described as Caucasian (37 Caucasian, 1African-American, 2 Asian-American, 1 Hispanic, 1 Indian, 1 No Response), with slightly more men (n=24) than women (n=21). Twoorganizational representatives chose not to take the survey. In short, cyber-vetting is an important and emerging area of research thatremains understudied despite offering numerous theoretical and practical implications for individuals, organizations, and society.Communicatively situated, with interdisciplinary and social relevance, this project offers the opportunity to address issues ofindividual careers, organizational success, and the negotiation of personal and professional boundaries. It also initiates a rich line offuture research within organizational communication and reinforces and establishes connections across communication specialties andrelated disciplines.Literature Streams:(a) techno-material, (b) sense making (c) legal, (d) impression formation, and (e) careers

8Conceptual Framework (map or graphic):

9 Literature Review Critique #1 - Literature Review GridTitle: CYBER-VETTING: EXPLORING THE IMPLICATIONS OF ONLINE INFORMATION FOR CAREER CAPITAL ANDHUMAN CAPITAL DECISIONSElement Average Good Exemplary Content ComponentsFocus is consistent on research topic/all literature related XInclusion of literature streams (may two, three or more) XInclusion of a map or graphic of the conceptual framework XUnderstanding of literature pieces evident XSynthesis of literature pieces to illuminate the topic area (stream) XComparison and/or contrasting of pieces XCritique of literature piece(s) as warranted X Structural ComponentsIntroduction (topic focus and overview of the literature streams) XOrganization of mid-section into streams (“theme” headers from grouping of literature) XSummary section that recaps the review, literature streams X

10Use of transition sentences/ideas between major sections X Good ExemplaryEdD Writing Skills and Competencies Average Skills XFollowing the conventions of standard, written English (punctuation, capitalization, spelling,parts and forms of speech, plurals, possessives, italics, verb cases/tenses) XWord usage per conventions and for expression XUse of syntactical structures to create clarity of expression XUse of APA formatting in text and citations X Competencies XOrganization of ideas XUse of varied logical structures for design and emphasis XParagraphing per conventions and for emphasis XUnity of thoughts and focus throughout a document XUse of transitional devices across manuscript elements (paragraphs to chapters)Written expression that varies style, sentence variety, and tone per mode of writing –expository and argumentative

11Discussion of ideas through synthesis, compare/contrast, and critical analysis XCreating “argument” through use of supporting evidence, sub-argument, illustrations… XPreparation of manuscripts per instructions and models, to include insertion of graphics,quotations, and graphs XYour Notes: This research connects to work on privacy, work/non-work boundaries, corporate image, personal branding, and uses oftechnology-provided information. This project contributes to career theory, particularly communicativeconstructions of career capital within a global information society. It extends literature on information acquisition and use, specificallythe effects of new ICTs in personnel selection and the transformative potential of socio-technical systems. Furthermore, this researchidentifies new forms of work. The reference list will be helpful for my literature review and dissertation. Dr. Berkelaar is a majorcontributor to the research in the area of digital media.

12 Dissertation #2 – Key InformationTitle of Dissertation: BRANDING MILLENNIALS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS UTILIZING HIRING PROFESSIONALS ANDPOPULAR PRESS BOOKSProblem Statement: Today’s workforce is in need of qualified, professional, and prepared management employees to fill the vacancies of theretiring Baby Boomer Generation (AAC&U, 2007; Hulett, 2006; Richardson, 2009; Smith, 2012; Wilson, 2013). However, employersclaim that Millennial Generation employees embody characteristics that do not correlate with their needs and wants(AAC&U, 2007; Bell, 2013; Hanneman & Gardner, 2010; Hartman & McCambridge, 2011; Kauri, 2013; Meiling, 2014; Richardson,2009; Woodbury, Neal, & Addams, 2008). Although some research provides insight into how to best work with millennial employees(Berman, 2013; Hulett, 2006; Palmiotto, 2012; Pardue & Morgan, 2008; Smith, 2012), many researchers conclude that highereducation is not doing enough to adequately prepare millennial students for the workplace (Bushnell, 2012; Davidson, 2011;Hanneman & Gardner, 2010; Harris, 2010; Holliday & Li, 2004; Jacques, 2012; McGlynn, 2005). As such, it is well established thatobservable problems have arisen since the Millennial Generation entered both school and the workforce; in effect, academics havescrambled to find answers. Conversely, the problem this study addresses is the lack of professionalism and preparedness of recentcollege graduates regarding personal branding. Inversely, an opportunity exists within academic institutions to improve instruction forstudents preparing to enter the workplace, thereby offsetting the foreseeable labor shortage that lies ahead. The magnitude of this

13problem cannot be overstated as every millennial will be seeking employment, and every organization will be employingmillennials. Thus, if the generational gap can be filled, even slightly, with increased preparation for millennials, it can potentially meetthe professional workforce demands.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide educators with a personal branding model that can better prepare millennials for theworkplace. Subsequently, the model accomplishes this goal by combating the stigmas associated with their generation througheffective branding. Research shows a divide between the collegiate instruction millennials are receiving regarding branding and jobpreparation and what employers are looking for in an employee (AAC&U, 2007; Bushnell, 2012; Davidson, 2011; De la Llama et al.,2012; Delaney, 2013; Hanneman & Gardner, 2010; Holliday & Li, 2004; Richardson, 2009; Smith, 2012).Research Questions: The central research question for this project is, “How can millennials better brand themselves for the workplace?” To helpanswer this central overarching research question, the researcher posed the following questions:“What is the most relevant information on personal branding based on popular press books?” and“What branding elements are most important to hiring professionals?”

14Measures – Qualitative, Quantitative or Mixed Methods (instrument, inventory, questions for interviews, focus groups, etc.): This study employed a qualitative thematic analysis methodology. Thematic analysis was chosen for two specific reasons.First, the divide between the academic and professional realms regarding branding and job preparation (Bushnell, 2012) will not bemerged by additional academic research. It is pivotal to understand what is being taught from professionals in the field. Thus, athematic analysis of the most popular books on branding was an ideal canvas to study cutting edge concepts in branding. Thematicanalysis allows the researcher to pinpoint, code, record, and examine common patterns and themes within data sets, requires majorinvolvement from the researcher, and is an ideal method for large amounts of data (Guest et al., 2012). In addition to providing a thematic analysis of popular press books on personal branding, interviews with hiringprofessionals were also performed. These interviews provided additional data to ensure the personal branding model was covering allangles of job preparation. The participant criterion included hiring professionals who hire a minimum of ten millennial collegegraduates annually. In addition, all hiring professionals worked in different industries within Utah. Creswell, (2009) found that aqualitative method for interviews in some cases requires fewer than 10 participants. Furthermore, since the interviews were in additionto the core data collection method of thematic analysis of the popular press books, only seven interviews were performed. Biasesincluded any personal opinions on the hiring process and all personal sentiments regarding the strengths and limitations of millennialsand personal branding.

15Participants (population, sample, location, etc.): Although the majority of the data came from the thematic analysis of popular press books, personal interviews were utilizedas well. Participants provided an added layer of insight into personal branding and the hiring process. This section describes thesample size and sampling procedure of this study as well as the selection of participants and procedures used. Since the interviews arenot the main data-gathering mechanism for this study, the interview sample size was small. Creswell (2009) stated that in qualitativesampling the researcher purposefully selects individuals and sites that will provide the necessary information. Thus, purposefulsampling was utilized for this study. Creswell (2009) found that a qualitative method for interviews in some cases requires fewer than10 participants. The sample size for this research was seven interviews of hiring professional. The selection criterion for theparticipants hiring professionals lived in the state of Utah. Interviewed participants, which consisted of hiring professionals, included four males and three females living in the state ofUtah with a medium age of 38.3. The only requirement to participate in this study was that each hiring professional hired a minimumof ten millennial workers annually.Streams of Literature:Branding Online; Online Branding Management; In-person Branding; In Print BrandingConceptual Framework (map or graphic):A framework graphic was not provided.

16 Literature Review Critique #2 - Literature Review GridTitle: BRANDING MILLENNIALS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS UTILIZING HIRING PROFESSIONALS AND POPULARPRESS BOOKSElement Average Good Exemplary Content ComponentsFocus is consistent on research topic/all literature related XInclusion of literature streams (may two, three or more) XInclusion of a map or graphic of the conceptual frameworkUnderstanding of literature pieces evident XSynthesis of literature pieces to illuminate the topic area (stream) XComparison and/or contrasting of pieces XCritique of literature piece(s) as warranted X Structural ComponentsIntroduction (topic focus and overview of the literature streams) XOrganization of mid-section into streams (“theme” headers from grouping of literature) XSummary section that recaps the review, literature streams X

17Use of transition sentences/ideas between major sections Average X ExemplaryEdD Writing Skills and Competencies Good Skills XFollowing the conventions of standard, written English (punctuation, capitalization, spelling,parts and forms of speech, plurals, possessives, italics, verb cases/tenses) XWord usage per conventions and for expression XUse of syntactical structures to create clarity of expression XUse of APA formatting in text and citations X Competencies XOrganization of ideas XUse of varied logical structures for design and emphasis XParagraphing per conventions and for emphasis XUnity of thoughts and focus throughout a document XUse of transitional devices across manuscript elements (paragraphs to chapters)Written expression that varies style, sentence variety, and tone per mode of writing –expository and argumentative

18Discussion of ideas through synthesis, compare/contrast, and critical analysis XCreating “argument” through use of supporting evidence, sub-argument, illustrations…Preparation of manuscripts per instructions and models, to include insertion of graphics, Xquotations, and graphs XYour Notes: This research provided a framework to analyze current information regarding branding from both the media and hiringprofessionals in the field. The survey responses from the participants assisted in the development of the Personal Branding Blueprint:A Guide for the Millennial Job Seeker assists millennials in developing brands that focus on personal strengths and promotes personalbrands positively. However, the model was intended to be broad in scope, creating an all-encompassing guide that can be usedquickly and efficiently without the need to wade through extensive amounts of information and research. Therefore, The PersonalBranding Blueprint: A Guide for the Millennial Job Seeker serves as an effective guide to personal branding for any job seeker. I planto use this study in my literature review and dissertation as the area of study is very influential for the field of personal branding.