Two in five human resources (HR) managers have turned down a candidate's job application due to their social networking profile, IT contractors have been warned.

Figures published by Microsoft UK reveal that two thirds of these staff members believe that this information is appropriate when considering an application.

Cliff Evans, head of privacy and security at the company, has claimed that ignoring this risk is no longer an option.

He stated: "Reputation and information sharing as a privacy issue should be a major concern for individuals, particularly in a challenging economic environment where jobs are scarce."

Mr Evans adds that IT contractors need to carefully consider the image they are presenting and both the benefits and disadvantages that profiles on online social media websites can provide.

Commenting on the research, Jobsite group marketing director Felix Wetzel added that this trend will become increasingly prevalent in the future as the number of ways for people to interact grows.