Putting your boozy pictures on Facebook could cost you your next job, warn employers

It used to be a simple Google search applicants had to fear but with the advent of online networks, there are far greater pitfalls.

Many employers now regularly search popular networking sites to see how an applicant presents themselves and will hire and fire depending on what they see.

A collection of boozy photographs taken on nights out might be the norm on Facebook where friends can view each others sites but a prospective employer is likely to be rather less amused.

One in five employers admit to using the sites to check up on candidates, according to a networking survey conducted by Viadeo.

The survey revealed that they look for information but also, more worryingly for applicants, at how they project themselves.

Almost two thirds said the details they uncovered online had affected their decision whether to hire someone. Only a quarter said it had not changed their mind.

Recruitment companies are also regularly resorting to Facebook and similar sites to scope out applicants before taking them onto their books.

Leading recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark, which places thousands of professional staff in jobs every year, said that checking social networking sites was now routine for recruiters.

Its own research revealed that 62 per cent of British executives were signed up to Facebook, My Space or a similar site.

This means they are well placed to trawl them for information to find out if a candidate is as ideal as they may appear.

Andy Powell, a director at Badenoch & Clark, said applicants easily forget that the internet was a public forum.

He said: "First it was a Google search, but more and more employers are looking at Facebook and My Space.

"There are 10 million British people on My Space so it's inevitable that there is a drift towards looking at these sites.

"Most people have many elements to their online presence but they don't all necessarily show us in the best light.

"More employers are taking note of 'net reputation' so it is right to be a bit careful."

But Mr Powell added people should not necessarily stop using the sites altogether.

"At its best, a good profile page can show a broad network of friends and interests, creativity and good internet skills", he said.

Not all companies are making use of the details available on the sites, with some even making it a policy not to use them for recruitment at all.

Sainsbury's reportedly has a policy of not checking profiles on Facebook.

And Donna Miller, European director at Rent-A-Car recently said looking up applicants online was "like going into someone's house and searching their cupboards".

Social networking sites have soared in popularity over the past couple of years and now also attract older users as well as schoolchildren and students.

Facebook launched four years ago and now has 62 million users worldwide, with 3.5 million in the UK.

My Space has 200 million accounts, 10 million of which are in Britain.