Reputation.com Blog ran across an interesting story from MSNBC today. According to a study conducted by CareerBuilder.com, the number of Hiring Managers who use social media to screen job applicants has doubled in the past two years. Currently, one out of every five bosses utilize sites like Facebook and Myspace for hiring best practices. Additionally, one third of professionals disqualify job applicants based on what they find online, usually drunken photos or drug abuse. Quoting from the page:

The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.

The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 percent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.

The second area with 40 percent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.

Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included candidate’s backgrounds supporting their qualifications for the job, proving they had good communications skills, and having a site that conveyed a professional image with a wide range of interests.

Reputation.com Blog has covered these types of stories before (see here, here and here) but this story is newsworthy because it shows that the number of HR people facile with web 2.0 is on the rise. It also points out that your online reputation can also help you land a job, not just be disqualified for one.

“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company,” said CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Rosemary Haefner in a statement.

“As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers.”

Reputation.com can help anyone, including students and job seekers, refine their online reputation and present a professional, employable image online. Check out the newly minted Reputation.com Testimonials Page, to see what others are saying about defending their online reputation.