Job hunters: What bosses could find out about you | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Rotorua residents are being warned their online footprint could prevent them from getting a job.

Recruiters and employers trawl social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to search for inappropriate behaviour before hiring people.

A sparkling CV, work experience and referees are no longer enough, with many employers conducting Google searches to gain an impression of job candidates.

In the United States, there are businesses set up exclusively to scour the internet for social media background checks on job candidates and Rotorua-based recruitment firms and employers confirm they are checking people's online interaction.

The Daily Post checked random Facebook profiles and found information about people who would otherwise be strangers. One man had a private wall, but his photos were available and showed an image of an indoor cannabis growing operation. Others showed their likes and interests, often with crude pages and activities.

Talent ID recruitment and human resources specialist Kate Hudson said it wasn't unusual for recruiters and employers to search Facebook for potential employees.

"It is not something which we carry out as procedure but other employers do. We have checked online profiles from time to time."

Mrs Hudson said people needed to be careful of how they promoted themselves online.

"It isn't just Facebook profiles, it can be personal email addresses and answerphone messages. It all provides a first impression to a potential employer. No one wants to hire someone who goes online and represents their company in a bad light."

One of the city's biggest employers, Rotorua District Council, does not currently check Facebook profiles in the recruitment process.

Rotorua District Council human resources manager Judy Holden said the company would be reviewing it's recruitment processes.

"I can certainly see the benefit of it but it isn't something that we do currently."

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Roger Gordon said he still preferred face to face contact with potential employees but said people should be aware employers could check online profiles.

"Some people do put silly things on their Facebook pages which can be easy for people to see so it would be wise for them to keep that in mind when they are looking for work."

Waiariki Institute of Technology social networking expert Narissa Bayler said she often warned students about what they put online but younger people didn't seem worried about it.

Mrs Bayler said people needed to decide what they wanted to use Facebook for and who they wanted to be friends with. Facebook often had a default where friends of friends could see personal information about people.

"You should seriously think about how you use your online profile."

Mrs Bayler said cyber footprints could be huge. "The stuff people can find out about someone online is quite amazing. Information can stay online forever and people don't realise just how much information about them is out there."