Cybervetting practices are witnessing an exponential increase in its application across industries, however, the scholarly literature on the concept is limited. The present qualitative study seeks to synthesize the definition and concept of cybervetting in the talent acquisition landscape. There is limited holistic understanding about the cybervetting process model and its various stages followed by organizations. Further, the study seeks to identify from recruiters the kind of information extracted from the Internet and social media platforms and the consequent positive and negative cues inferred to assess the suitability of job seekers. To address these issues, a longitudinal qualitative study was undertaken, involving two waves of data collection from recruiters (HR professionals) to understand these dynamics.

Cybervetting is an evolving phenomenon and has witnessed a significant surge in its application across industrial sectors. It can be regarded as the practice of scrutinizing the database of the digital footprints of job candidates found on the Internet and social media platforms for drawing inferences about the eligibility of a prospective employee. The deliberations and debates in the news articles and media platforms are a rich source of data that represent the real time views and thoughts of experts and public on a particular theme. The study intends to identify the various dimensions of the use of cybervetting by recruiters and job seekers, the two most important stakeholders in the talent acquisition space. Also, the study identifies the important motivators for the use of this practice, the pertinent concerns, and suitable remedies for resolving them. The findings of the study offer valuable insights and evidence for cybervetting from the perspective of a recruiter and the job aspirant, in comprehending the complexities and intricacies of the digital identities.