Here are the five things potential employers look up about you online

SOCIAL media: It never goes away. Potential employers can determine five of your key personality traits by reading just TWO types of post you make.

social media

SOCIAL MEDIA: Remember, it never goes away.

It's a daunting prospect: When you arrive at a job interview, your potential employers may already have a very - very - good picture on who you are.

Pictures. Opinions. Attitudes. They're all there for everyone to see.

A recent study reveals how two simple categories of post can expose they key weaknesses - and strengths of your character.

That boozy binge you had six months ago. Those narky comments about your last boss. All can colour your chances even before you walk through that door.

Why? Because the perception is that your online behaviour on Twitter and Facebook will closely mimic your at-work behaviour, no matter how polished your job interview performance is.

"Employer screening of social media constitutes a form of electronic surveillance," the report warns.

The Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking study shows how your online approach to badmouthing and boozy behaviour can expose your potential performance on five key personality traits:

1. Openness,
2. Conscientiousness,
3. Extraversion,
4. Agreeableness,
5. Emotional stability.

The study sought to find just how much about each of these traits could be inferred from your public, online, social spaces.

The results are a warning to us all. It appears our online presence can be regarded as a reliable indicator of office performance.

Here's what to watch out for:

social media

• Badmouthing behaviour

These types of posts - and how you respond to them - reflect upon the agreeableness and conscientiousness of your personality.

Criticisms may have consequences. Any disparaging comments directed at superiors, subordinates and customers will come back to haunt you.

You've read reports of people being fired for lambasting their boss. Well, the effects also may flow through to your next employer and beyond.

"Badmouthing through social media may be particularly harmful, given its potential to reach wide audiences in a short period of time," the report says.

But it also promotes cynical attitudes among co-workers.

Whether or not you can keep your tongue under control will likely be seen as central to your employability.

Employers will be looking out for positive posts which can be characterised as courteous, flexible, good-natured, cooperative and tolerant.

Anything that implies the opposite will result in a definite red mark against your name.

social media

• Substance use

Want to be seen as an open, stable prospect without tendencies of being embarrassingly extroverted?

No matter how polished your interview performance is, employers will likely already have an idea of how you will perform at the office Christmas party.

No, they may not be allowed to test your urine. But bosses can get a pretty clear picture of your use - and abuse of alcohol and other mind altering drugs from your social footprint.

References to drinking and drug use are "red flags" to employers, the report says. Employers say they would be more likely to "screen out" job candidates who boast about such behaviour than those who demonstrate poor communication skills.

They'll also be scouring your accounts, leafing through photographs of social events and the content of personal exchanges for any signs that may help measure your degrees extraversion, openness and emotional stability..

And you may think that gregarious and assertive posts are just signs of an extraverted character; but that word - extraversion - has many negative connotations among potential employers.

They worry that you will end up being erratic and less conservative in your workplace behaviour than desirable.

More conscientious posters demonstrate a healthy degree of self-monitoring, the report says. Their guarded tones and tendency to be less open about their thoughts indicate they will be less problematic under the pressure-cooker that is office politics.

So, remember to restrain those alcohol-fuelled outbursts online in order to impress your mates. The big boss will be watching you for years to come.