Our View: Don't be held back by web history

The power of the internet in our everyday lives has once again been highlighted with news that recruiters and employers are searching social networking sites when screening job applicants.

Gone are the days of CVs and preferentially selected referees. In the United States, businesses are set up exclusively to conduct internet background checks on job candidates.

And the

Bay of Plenty Times Weekend

reported that the practice is also happening here.

It is a smart move on behalf of employers and recruiters. Candidates can often put on a good performance in job interviews and it is not until they have settled in the workplace that their true colours shine.

By scouring sites such as Facebook and Twitter, those hiring can identify areas of concern such as heavy drinking and drug use before they become an issue in the workplace.

Now more than ever, internet users need to be sensible and sensitive with what the post online.

Young people in particular are often unaware of the future implications of their online activities.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce recommends job hunters "clean up" their online profiles before sending out CVs - but they also warn that not everything that goes online can be easily deleted.

At the same time, employers need to accept that workers are allowed a private life.

As 1st Call recruitment managing director Phill van Syp points out, there is a difference between party photos and having fun and "opinions that would hurt a company's reputation".

Employers must also taken into account that the younger generation - those most likely to use social networking sites - also change and mature.

The boundaries between work and play have been blurred and Saturday's story is a timely reminder for all internet users, not just job hunters, to check their online profile settings and remove any information that may come back to haunt them.