Employers Can Tell How Good You'll Be At Your Job Based On Your Facebook Profile (And Those Drunken Photos Aren't All Bad)

For a prospective employee, the idea of a potential boss trawling through your drunken Facebook profile pictures can be a source of great fear.

But research has found that employers believe those photographs actually show that you're friendly - and could be a good addition to their workplace.

The finding is part of a U.S. study that found employers are able to tell how good you will be at a job based on your Facebook profile.

Researchers found that there was a strong correlation between someone's job success and certain characteristics displayed on a Facebook page.

These included a high number of friends, a wide range of interests and photographs showing far-flung travels, as these demonstrate agreeability.

Researchers also found that photographs of partying were overall seen to be positive as it showed the person was more sociable and extroverted.

The study, carried out by Northeastern Illinois University, the University of Evansville and Auburn University, asked a professor and two students to look through the profiles of 56 employed students.

They looked at each profile for 10 minutes and considered information such as pictures, comments, friends and interests.

They then answered questions about the person's personality, such as 'Is this person dependable?' and 'How emotionally stable is this person?', according to the Wall Street Journal.

Six months later, the results were compared with employee evaluations from the students' supervisors.

They found a strong connection between job performance and the scores for traits including conscientiousness, agreeability and curiosity.

Results showed that there was a connection between high scores in these areas and the person's success in the working world.

The findings come amid reports that employers could ask candidates for their Facebook passwords.

One application for a clerical position at a police department in North Carolina asked candidates to disclose any social network accounts - and their usernames and passwords.