Listen to this episode of Moms Gone Geek.

A Few Tidbits

• More than 80 percent of executive and corporate recruiters turn to the Web to research job candidates, and 43 percent say they have turned down a job seeker because of information they found, according to a study released August 2008 by ExecuNet, an online social network for business professionals.

• Hiring managers are increasingly using social networking Web sites to research potential employees. A survey of 3,100 employers released by www.careerbuilder.com showed 21 percent of managers searched for job candidates on sites such as MySpace and Facebook in 2008; only 11 percent did so in 2006. Another 9 percent said they planned to start using social networking sites in the hiring process.

• The study also revealed that 34 percent of managers screening candidates on social networking sites reported finding information that caused them to not hire the candidate. The top reasons included information posted about alcohol and drug use (41 percent), inappropriate photographs (40 percent) and poor communication skills (29 percent).

• But some experts in the field of social networking and online job search believe this survey understates the current trend. While the Careerbuilder survey is less than six months old, the exponential growth of Web sites similar to Facebook makes them an attractive destination for managers and Human Resource professionals.

• "The recent case of Michael Phelps shows that students need to be mindful of what they put or allow to be put on Web sites in their name," said Jim Brasfield, professor and chairman of the WU Management Department. "A good rule might be don't put anything on Facebook that you would not want to read on the front page of the local newspaper."

Resources

300+ Online Reputation Management Resources

We Live in Public

We Live in Public - The Trailer

DigitalFanGirl's PodCampNYC Experience

Growing Up Online – PBS Documentary