Recruiters 'turning to social networking sites'

One-fourth of interviewers around the world look at candidates' pages on social networking websites to gather information on whether they will be suitable employees, new research has revealed.

The study by talent management firm DDI found that 52 per cent of recruiters who turn to Facebook or MySpace use their findings in the decision-making process.

However, less than one-third of candidates (32 per cent) believe that the information they enter on their social networking pages may affect their career development plans.

Steve Newhall, vice-president for Europe at DDI, said: "It appears that jobseekers are quite naive about how personal information on social networking sites is used.

"While job candidates should consider the sort of information they post online, interviewers should also realise that much of what is put there is for fun, and is unlikely to reflect a candidate's on-the-job demeanour or performance."

Last year, industry analyst firm Gartner noted that businesses were not utilising social networking websites to their maximum potential.