Job-seekers cautioned about internet image

People who are seeking employment should be cautious about how they present themselves online, it has been claimed.

Anne Fairweather, head of public policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), warned graduates that many employers are searching for candidates' profiles on social networking sites during the recruitment process.

A recent REC survey revealed that 86 per cent of employers believed that job-seekers should be careful with how they portray themselves online.

"I think people have to be aware of what they put online about themselves as, depending on their privacy settings, they can be viewed by a lot of people," remarked Ms Fairweather.

"You should always be careful of how you present yourself to the external world."

She added that such sites as Facebook and MySpace can give employers an idea of how people "choose to advertise themselves".