Job seekers may be beseiged by their online past

Norwalk (CT) - Recruiting and hiring managers are increasingly eliminating job candidates because of negative online information found on social networking sites, blogs and forums. ExecuNet, a job search and recruiting company, polled 100 executive recruiters and found that more than a third of recruiters have eliminated a candidate based on dirt they dug up online.

According to ExecuNet's data, 77% of the recruiters used search engines to find out more information about the candidates, while 35% eliminated a candidate based on online information. You should be aware of what information you put online, as Dave Opton, ExecuNet's CEO and founder, explained: "First impressions are being formed long before the interview process begins," adding that everyone should manage his or her own online image.

Humphrey Cheung was a senior editor at Tom's Hardware, covering a range of topics on computing and consumer electronics. You can find more of his work in many major publications, including CNN and FOX, to name a few.