Drunk Facebook photos killing your job prospects?

Who's poking around your Facebook profile? If you're looking for a new job, it could well be the HR boss considering your application.

A survey of HR and business managers has revealed almost a third (32 per cent) search the internet and check social networking websites to gather background and behaviour information on potential recruits and existing employees.

Meanwhile, a quarter (24 per cent) said they have been put off a new hire by what they found - with drunken photos and rude comments being the biggest turn-offs.

Use of Facebook et al as an informal resource on job candidates looks set to continue: of the 68 per cent of business people who had not searched for data on would-be staff online, almost half (44 per cent) said they are likely to do so in future.

The survey, which was commissioned by people search website yasni.co.uk, polled more than 950 HR people and business managers.

It's not just Facebook that can land a job-hunter in hot water: a significant proportion of Brits also appear to be willing to stretch the truth in an interview.

Research from jobs website Monster.co.uk has found close to a third (28 per cent) of people admitted lying in a job interview and a further 14 per cent said they have embellished the truth in the hopes of appearing better qualified. However more than half (58 per cent) of those polled claimed never to have lied or stretched the truth to get a job.