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Digital Baggage, the sixth instalment of AVG’s Digital Diaries study, features responses from 230 HR Professionals in the UK and US and 4,400 18-25 year olds in 11 countries to AVG’s questions on managing social network profiles.

Alarmingly the research also found that the majority of 18-25 year olds had never reviewed their online profile, which could potentially impact on their career prospects. Recruiters can verify that young adults are not managing their profiles effectively, with nearly half concluding that this age group are unaware of the need to act responsibly online.

However, in contrast, over two thirds of HR Professionals had actually been positively influenced by the online presence of a job applicant. Nearly three-quarters of HR Professionals state that they rely on LinkedIn to conduct their online searches. Within a competitive job market, there are major advantages for savvy-candidates to differentiate themselves by proactively managing, and contributing to their online profile.

Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist for AVG Technologies commented: “AVG’s latest research shows that the Internet, and social networks in particular, has changed the way that HR professionals approach the recruitment process. Nowadays, online content posted about, or by a candidate, has become the modern day equivalent of a first interview. Our research emphasises that our digital brand is potentially just as important as our CV. AVG encourages consumers to take control of their online privacy and more than ever, young adults need to proactively manage their online brand to avoid missing out on career opportunities.”

Other key findings to the UK include:

HR Professionals

– Range of social media platforms used to vet candidates: UK recruiters are accessing potential candidates using a range of social media platforms, Facebook (85 per cent); Twitter (47 per cent); You Tube (23 per cent); Instagram (16 per cent); Flicker (15 per cent)

– 72 per cent of recruiters rely on LinkedIn to conduct their searches

– Profiles on LinkedIn deemed unreliable by recruiters: Only one in three recruiters fully trust the information candidates post about themselves.

– Over half of recruiters have turned down a job applicant because of their online profile

– 65 per cent also view the content they find online about a candidate as very important

– US HR Professionals stricter than UK: HR Professionals in the US are much more likely to discount applicants due to online discoveries than UK counterparts, with 84 per cent turning down those with drunken pictures – compared to 70 per cent in the UK, and 91 per cent turning down those with nude photos – compared to 75 per cent in the UK.

Other key findings pertaining to the U.S. include:

– More than 90 percent of human resources managers also consider posting nude photos online a reason to not interview candidates. Other reasons include: evidence of obnoxious behaviour (91 percent); a negative or derogatory comment about a previous employer (nearly 95 percent) and extremist views about topics such as race (93 percent).

– A range of social media platforms are used to vet candidates: Recruiters/human resources managers in the U.S. are accessing potential candidates using a range of web and social media platforms, Google (85 percent); Facebook (81 percent); LinkedIn (71 percent); Twitter (39 per cent) and Instagram (18 per cent); Flicker (15 per cent)

– A majority of recruiters/human resources managers, 62 percent, consider information they find online about prospective job candidates important or very important

– In the U.S., 40 percent of human resources managers somewhat trust what interview candidates post on LinkedIn

– Nearly 50 percent of recruiters/human resources managers have turned down a job applicant because of their online profile

– More than 40 percent of human resources professionals think that young adults are not aware of the need to act responsibly online and not post content that may embarrass them

– Nearly 60 percent of study respondents in the U.S. have not conducted an online audit of themselves to clean out information that may not be appropriate