Fleet careers: Beware internet’s traps for unwary

EMPLOYEES have been warned about posting comments on internet sites or chatrooms as it could jeopardise thier career prospects.

Firms are starting to vet potential employees by searching the internet and the warnings come as major groups such as Google, Microsoft and Starbucks have fired staff for writing blogs that they thought were inappropriate.

A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management has shown that 3% of firms claim to read candidates’ blogs before deciding whether to hire them.

The study also showed that 3% of companies have disciplined bloggers, while almost half of the 270 companies polled had fired or disciplined an employee for using the internet for personal use without permission.

Gerry McGovern, author of marketing book Killer Web Content, says companies have become wary of people using blogs and some have even resorted to firing employees for comments made in their personal online diaries.