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Ive written several times about how an unprofessional social network profile can harm your career. Citing privacy concerns and other issues, I still have some (mostly baby boomer) acquaintances who proudly declare that they dont participate. No Facebook. No LinkedIn. No Twitter. Turns out, that may not be such a good idea, either.

Recruiters and hiring managers have had a complicated relationship with social networks. On the one hand, they worry that peeking into a candidates online profile is crossing a line. What should matter is how they conduct themselves on the job, not in after-hours activities online. Online profiles can also reveal information its not legal to ask in an interview, like marital status, sexual orientation and political or religious affiliations. On the other hand, if theres something that would make the candidate a bad fit (or an actual liability), shouldnt we try to find out about it sooner than later?

Weve officially reached a tipping point in social networking. According to statista.com, 81 percent of the U.S. population has at least one social network profile, up from 24 percent in 2008. So it might not be surprising to learn that more than half of employers surveyed are less likely to hire someone they cant find online.

A recent article in the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reports: A national survey conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder found that more than 57 percent of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they cant find online. The majority of companies will dig through social profiles, but find it even more suspect if they see nothing at all.

Reporter Kara Driscoll writes, More than 70 percent of employers will use social media to screen candidates before hiring, a significant increase from the 11 percent of companies who practiced cyber-vetting in 2006. Its become so important to employers that 30 percent of human resource departments have an employee dedicated to check social media profiles.

IT recruiters are most likely to cyber-vet candidates (76 percent) followed by sales recruiters (65 percent), and finance (61 percent.) According to CareerBuilders 2016 survey, 53 percent of these hiring managers want to see if the candidate has a professional online persona, 30 percent want to see what other people are posting about the candidate, and 21 percent admit theyre looking for reasons not to hire the candidate.

Nick Morelli, writing for recruitingblogs.com, says companies take a risk when cyber-vetting, and a company should have clear guidelines about what a recruiter should be looking for. He writes, A company will generally check for three things. The first is to see whether there is anything on a candidates social media profile which contradicts his resume and interview statements. The second is to see whether the candidate has a history of badmouthing his employees. And the third is the candidates character, whether it is a history of discriminatory statements or one of drug or alcohol abuse.

But a recruiter will also have access to all posts and photos that are public, which is problematic. You cant unlearn what you have learned about a candidate, Morelli says, so you could open the door for discrimination lawsuits.

If youre in a job search, my advice is to make sure your privacy settings are tight on more personal and social networks like Facebook. That means your LinkedIn profile will provide most of the information a recruiter sees. But abstention from social networks is no longer an advantage if you want to be competitive in the 21st century labor market.

Candace Moody is vice president of communications for CareerSource Northeast Florida. Her column appears every Wednesday in the Times-Union, and she can be reached at cmoody@careersourcenefl.com.

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Work Wanted: Not on social networks - Florida Times-Union