Employers use internet searches of social networking sites to filter out unsuitable job candidates

An overwhelming majority of recruitment consultants say candidates should think twice before putting information about themselves on the internet for fear of it affecting their chances of getting a job, a survey has found.

An online survey conducted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the body for the UK recruitment industry, questioned 298 recruitment consultants to gain a better understanding of how Web 2.0 is affecting recruitment.

Half of respondents believed that the MySpace generation has the potential to reduce the number of candidate placements through a recruitment agency, as workers use social rather than formal networks to find and apply for jobs.

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Tom Hadley, REC director of external affairs, said: “As more employers take interview shortcuts and rely on internet searches to filter out unsuitable candidates, it’s vital that job seekers take their online footprint seriously and keep in mind that it could affect their job prospects.

“Before posting any personal details, candidates need to think twice about how an employer might perceive them.”