Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsRecruitment & retention

Employers use ‘internet reputations’ to make decisions about job applicants

by Mike Berry 28 Mar 2007
by Mike Berry 28 Mar 2007

A growing number of UK employers are judging job applicants on their internet reputations, according to a report released today by business social network Viadeo.


The survey of more than 2,000 consumers and 600 employers found that one in five organisations have searched for and found personal information about candidates on the web.


A quarter of HR decision-makers have actually rejected applicants on the basis of dubious personal information found online.


Employers gave a variety of reasons for discarding candidates based on their internet reputation – or ‘NetRep’ – including:




  • “His website showed a negative side to him including excessive alcohol abuse and disrespect for his job”


  • “We found that the candidate was on the local police wanted list”


  • “We found that the candidate was personally into some activities which did not fit ethically into my company.”

The largest number of respondents placing information online are 18- to 24-year-olds. Just under half say they have posted personal information on social websites such as MySpace or Facebook, and 17% have also posted material on YouTube.


More than half of people between these ages said someone else had posted pictures of them online with or without their permission.


But the research did show that information found online can also work positively for job applicants, if the content is appropriate and presented in the right way.


About one in seven HR decision-makers have been affected positively by information found online about a candidate. Examples of positive findings included:




  • “Found achievements that I might not have known about otherwise”


  • “Showed internet skills through his own website”


  • “Found out that the candidate had more to offer than she was revealing with an inadequately designed corporate application form.”

“These results should act as a wake-up call to anyone who has ever posted personal information online,” said Peter Cunningham, UK country manager of Viadeo.


“Millions of people are inadvertently contributing to their NetRep every day by leaving personal information online, much of which is cached and remains available via search engines even after the author has removed the web page.


Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“When people who are not the original intended audience – such as potential employers – find this information, it can have a major impact on their decision-making process,” he added.


“The rise of search engines such as Google means that potential employers are never more than a few clicks away from information about you.”

Mike Berry

previous post
Public sector faces shortfall of IT specialists
next post
Work and pensions secretary John Hutton sets up review of the health of the nation’s workers

You may also like

Number of Neet women rises but figures fall...

23 May 2025

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

23 May 2025

Unions ponder strike action after public sector pay...

23 May 2025

Personnel Today Awards 2025: Three weeks left to...

23 May 2025

Sighing in frustration at colleague was discriminatory, judge...

23 May 2025

Flexible working for teachers initiative extended

23 May 2025

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

Six ways to kickstart conversations about team stress...

22 May 2025

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+