Office Christmas party pics being vetted by employers

July 23, 2010

Watching your behaviour at the office Christmas party is becoming more important than ever, after it emerged that 70 per cent of all prospective employers now customarily check the social networking profiles of potential employees.

The days of the worst lasting image of a Christmas party came from the ill-advised trip to the photocopier are long gone. Incriminating photos on Facebook or Twitter are increasingly likely to scupper your chances at a dream job, as monitoring the sites has become a routine part of vetting a candidate.

The research, carried out by the Aziz Corporation, showed that the vast majority would be put off by pictures of would-be employees whose appearance doesn’t come across well.

Office Christmas parties can often be the venue for some of the more embarrassing occupational mishaps, with the Christmas spirit subduing customary inhibitions.

Research by the vocational tuition provider Home Learning College, showed that nine per cent of men said being caught in an “inappropriate situation” with a colleague at an office party had been their most uncomfortable work moment. This compares with just seven per cent of women who say a social office dalliance with a workmate had been their most uncomfortable work experience.