Drunk, Stupid and On Facebook Is No Way to Go Through Life, Son

The best thing about social networks is also the worst thing about social networks: They make it easy for us to share information about ourselves.

Of course, by making that information easier to share with friends and colleagues, social networks are also making it easier to share with less “social” entities. Among those are hiring managers, who are increasingly surfing social-networking sites for background info on job candidates. According to new research from online job venture CareerBuilder, nearly a quarter of hiring managers review the social-network profiles of potential employees–22 percent. And of those, 34 percent found material contentious enough to drop a candidate from consideration–discriminatory remarks, trash talk about former employers, and, of course, provocative or inappropriate photographs.

Makes you think twice about posting those “innocuous” pictures from Burning Man to your Facebook profile, even if you did look great in silver body paint.

It’s worth noting as well, though, that 24 percent of hiring managers surveyed reported finding information that impressed them or influenced their hiring decision favorably.