INTRODUCTION
The main objective of this paper is to explore the scope and usage of social media and social networking sites in recruitment and selection process. It primarily intends to provide an insight into good practices and usage of social networking services in HRM . In addition to this, it aims to identify if social networks can help in cost reduction of an organisation’s HRM activities . .“The Internet has drastically changed the face of recruitment. Employers must now actively market themselves by instituting a well-implemented e-recruitment program to find better quality candidates and improve hiring decisions, all in less time and at a lower cost.” (Smith and Rupp 2004)

social networking service (also social networking site, SNS or social media) have revolutionized communication methods, both privately and increasingly, at work. Communication through social media involves the use of an online platform or website (a social networking site) that enables people to communicate, usually for a social purpose, through a variety of services, most of which are web-based and offer opportunities for people to interact over the internet, e.g. via e-mail and ‘instant messaging’ (a form of real-time, direct text-based communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices).
Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) define social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0*, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content”.
One such set of applications are social networking sites (SNSs); the subject of a previous report for Acas by IES, which looked at their various implications for employment relations (Broughton et al 2011). Boyd and Ellison (2007) define SNSs as: “web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile