Research released by Telstra has revealed the extent to which Australian bosses turn to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to aid in assessing job candidates.
Twenty eight per cent of employers use social media tools to locate or screen potential candidates, according to the survey, which was conducted by Pure Profile on Telstra's behalf this month.
Forty per cent of employers surveyed have refused a job applicant based on content posted to an applicant’s Facebook or Twitter profile.
On the upside, more than a third of the employers surveyed have hired a candidate based on one or more of their social networking accounts.
"It’s not just prospective employees who should be considering what their cyber CV says about them," Telstra officer of internet trust and safety, Darren Kane, said in a statement.
"The research also shows that one in 10 employers use Facebook and other social networking sties as a means of keeping an eye on productivity."