READY to upload a graphic account of the weekend on to your online profile? Not so fast.

A leading recruitment firm has cautioned that online social networking could seriously damage career prospects, and urged those looking for a new job to be careful how much of their personal life was in public view, The Times of London reported on Monday.

Badenoch & Clark, an international consultancy that places thousands of professional staff in jobs every year, said that checking social networking sites was routine for recruiters, according to the newspaper.

Its research found that 62 per cent of British executives were signed up with Facebook, MySpace or some other social networking site.

One in five employers said that they used the sites to search for information on candidates and looked at
how they projected themselves, another survey by the networking site, Viadeo found, The Times said.

Almost two thirds in this survey said the information they found influenced a recruitment decision, while a quarter said they had changed their mind and decided not to hire someone because of what was online.

"More employers are taking note of 'net reputation' so it is right to be a bit careful," Mr Andy Powell, a director
at Badenoch & Clark, was quoted as saying.

Not all companies are delving into the sites. Some are even trying to make a virtue out of promising not to. Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has a policy of not checking profiles.

The Times listed some online don'ts for job-hunters:

• Complaining about your current job, boss or colleagues, or company;
• Detailing trysts or gossiping about your friends' love lives;
• Spending work time signing up new friends online or 'poking' old ones;
• Posting incriminating pictures and evidence. Compromising images could be cached or stored, making
  them almost impossible to get rid of.

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