New research has shown that interviewers in the UK are least likely to check the social networking pages of their candidates.

A study conducted by DDI, revealed that 12 per cent of interviewers claim they would look on a jobseeker's Facebook or MySpace profile, while Germans are twice as likely to.

It was also discovered that candidates do not consider what they write on their social networking sites as less than a third think this will affect their chances of securing a position.

Steve Newhall, vice president for Europe at DDI, said: "It appears that jobseekers are quite nave about how personal information on social networking sites is used."

He added that "interviewers should also realise that much of what is put there is for fun".

Closer to home, a spokesperson for ClickAJob points out that if employers are not checking Facebook, it is a lost opportunity of their own making.

"By banning or restricting access to social networking at work, they have stomped on their own progress," he says.

"Facebook and Twitter are not toys, they are business tools as significant as phones or fax machines were when they were introduced."

"And look at what many employers are missing - with its highly personal focus, social networking is particularly useful in assessing likely motivation and people fit," he continues.

"If interviewers pass up the chance to see inside applicants' heads, they should not be surprised if their candidate choices are increasingly second-best."

Earlier this month, Kimberley Swann, an administrator in Clacton, Essex, was sacked for describing her job as 'boring' on her Facebook profile page.