Employers are turning to MySpace and other social sites to vet potential employees. And too many of them are being dumb about it.

One of Poolia’s city-based clients who wishes to remain anonymous says he regularly checks up on his potential candidates in this way: “Sometimes its easier to find out what’s going on behind the CV before you waste time in an interview, you have a clearer idea what to expect and can whittle down the process quite sufficiently. In the past I have simply Googled prospective candidates, whereas now I will type their name into My Space as well. I have found some interesting things on that site. One candidate declared in his personal profile that he was against religion and anyone who believed in it. Working for such a diverse company I dropped that application like a hot potato. Funnily enough he wasn’t so quick to admit to that on his CV.”

Would they have done the same with a Christian who said the same about atheists? Did the candidate say that they would rant about this in the workplace?

Most personal preferences and social experiences are unrelated to how well you can do a job, so employers should keep their noses out of our profiles.