More than half (53 percent) of employers research potential job candidates on social networks such as Facebook, says CareerBuilder.co.uk.

Research by the job search website revealed that a further 12 percent said they were planning to start using social network sites to check out poetential employees.

Of those that do research candidates on the web, 43 percent said they relied on search engines, while 12 percent admitted to checking Facebook, and another 12 percent preferred LinkedIn.

CareerBuilder also said that two in five employers said they had found content on a social network that dissuaded them from hiring a candidate.