A survey conducted by CareerBuilder dot com found that 1 in 4 hiring managers say they have used the internet to screen candidates applying for jobs. 1 in 10 say they have used social networking sites in researching potential hires.

51% of the time, the applicant did not get the job based on an internet investigation and when social networking sites were accessed, it cost the applicant the job 63% of the time.

Divulging personal information on the net can be a risky business for your career. Everything from unprofessional screen names to bad-mouthing former employers were cited as reasons a candidate did not get hired. 31% of the time the company was able to determine that the candidate did not have the qualifications claimed on a resumé.

“While sharing information online can have a potentially negative impact on your job search or career plans, it can also be leveraged as a tool to differentiate yourself to employers,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com.

“Highlighting professional and personal accomplishments and showcasing your creativity can help a candidate make a positive lasting impression on employers and validate why he/she is the right person for the job,” she added.

Read the do’s and don’ts in the full article at Consumer Affairs

Email Scams and More

A new email scam has an interesting twist. The scammer claims to be a dying KGB agent with previously unpublished documents regarding the assassination of JFK in 1963. He promises to send the documents to the intended victim, documents that will make that person rich and famous. The intent, of course, is the same as any other email scam: money, identity theft and the sensitive personal information of the victim.

But scammers are in for a bit of scamming themselves. A website called 419eater.com (419 refers to the section of the Nigerian penal code that covers such scams) enlists “scambaiters” who engage these email scammers in long dialogues, wasting the scammer’s time and resources. Calling it a great “cyber-sport” the website offers tips on how to bait the scammers and raise awareness of internet scams from all over the world.

The internet still poses significant risks for the consumer in 2006, with the number of fraudulent sites increasing. Internet “phishing” incidents cost consumers $630 million according to Consumer Reports.

Spyware was even more costly at $2.6 billion, causing replacement of computers in nearly one million homes. Viruses were the most expensive internet hazard. 1 in 4 internet users had some incident involving a virus and the total cost was $5.2 billion.

See the full report at State of the Net 2006

Remember the days when AOL ruled the internet? Millions of free CDs in mailboxes, millions of computer neophytes installing the guiding hand that was America On Line. But the heyday of AOL is over, it seems.

AOL seems to be getting the picture that most computer users no longer want a program that acts as a nanny. The majority of users are net savvy and getting more so all the time. Dial-up is slow and plodding compared to DSL and cable modems, and no dial-up service can compete when its prices near those of the much faster and more convenient DSL providers.

In order to stay competitive with frontrunners like Google and Yahoo!, AOL is going to start offerring more services free, such as web-based email. The changes could cut a former $26 package down to a price closer to $10 per month. I believe in having a back-up dial-up ISP installed on the PC in case the DSL goes down. I can’t afford to be net-less for long periods.

There are free dial-up ISPs out there, but they usually are even slower than regular dial-up and put the user through so many ads that even if you had the time to wait for the page to load, you find the barrage of pop-up ads to be more than you can take. So $10 would be a reasonable amount for something that, let’s face it, is really only necessary to get you online.

AOL will still have its devoted fans. They are the ones who use AOL’s browser (much inferior to even IE) and have not really learned much about the internet beyond AOL email and chat. But the changes will give AOL a chance to nab some other customers, those who are just searching for a reliable dial-up ISP. At least that is what they are hoping will happen.

AOL will cut some 5,000 jobs to balance out the cost of providing these services free. I hope they are the employees who argue with you for two hours when you try to cancel the service.

Now if someone could just figure out how to successfully cancel AOL…