Unemployed and looking for work? If you don't use facebook then you might not be able to find any kind of job

One of Scotland's leading experts in the human resources profession, Glasgow University professor Graeme Martin, an adviser to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and the Scottish Government, said: "Scottish and UK employers' interest in social media hasn't yet reached the intensity demonstrated in America, but given the increasing use of Facebook and LinkedIn to make decisions on current and future employees, young people entering the market could very well find themselves significantly disadvantaged if they don't maintain some form of online profile.

"Some students are already being given training to prepare them for this, but as employers look to make more extensive use of the medium, more will need to be coached."

There is an increasing emphasis on using tools such as Facebook to rate and assess people. Last week America debated whether the fact that the man accused of the Illinois Batman shootings didn't have a Facebook page meant he was inherently suspicious because social media use is almost omnipresent among under 30s. Forbes magazine – the house journal of corporate America – suggested that with digital identities now being an integral part of public life, many US employers would be nervous of candidates without one, suspecting that absence or deleted accounts could indicate an attempt to conceal information.

With the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds in Scotland currently standing at 20.8%, competition for jobs is intensifying. A reported 23% of the country's 2011 graduates took up to a year to find entry-level positions, and in such an environment prospective employees are increasingly expected to withstand a higher level of public and professional scrutiny.

A recent survey by Eurocom Worldwide, a global PR and marketing agency specialising in high-tech business, suggested that a fifth of British IT managers have rejected applicants after seeing their social media profiles. Sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter carry a rich layer of information about an individual's background, and many recruiters believe the practice of checking this is becoming an integral component of the selection process.

Recruitment partner Tamara Lewis of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, an agency working with clients including Microsoft, Xerox, FedEx Express and Casio, said: "LinkedIn and Twitter are my first port of call whenever evaluating potential employees, because they offer a richer, more rounded picture of each person's personal presentation, interests and communications skills. Some 50% of our new employees this year have been hired via social media, and while they might not be relevant to every industry, in the service sector digital recruitment practices are seen as the way of the future."

Human resources departments can glean an array of information from a candidate's online profile, ranging from establishing the veracity of their qualifications to building a clearer view of their personality and ability to fit in. Negative characteristics such as a propensity to publish inappropriate or provocative statements can similarly be identified, as can any tendency to criticise previous employers or discuss sensitive workplace issues.

Johnny Mone of Glasgow agency Brightfire, which works with a range of Scottish companies to develop online recruitment strategies, said: "Any young person entering the market today without a credible online profile would be at a profound disadvantage. If you don't have at least a well-maintained LinkedIn page in modern business it's as if you don't even exist. I'd be suspicious of any candidate who didn't have some kind of digital footprint."

Business has a compelling reason to harness the power of the social media. In a recent pilot run from its Netherlands office, accounting giant Deloitte found that candidates sourced via social media can cost up to 86% less to recruit than those hired through traditional methods – awakening corporate interest in a nascent industry that has seen companies such as Fife-based social recruitment developer, Larosco, grow rapidly over the past 18 months.

With many companies now investing in online recruitment, the pressure is building on an emerging generation of career-hunters to develop the digital profiles they'll require to present the right image to, and engage with, potential employers.

Recent graduate Craig MacLennan, who landed a job with PR firm Porter Novelli in Edinburgh earlier this year, believes that without social media he would still be unemployed. Having missed several opportunities advertised solely on Twitter, it was only after upgrading his digital profile and using the net to reach out to potential employers that he secured the role he had been looking for.

He said: "The consequences of not being connected are that opportunities will pass you by. Graduates can't complain about not getting a job if they aren't using every channel possible to pursue them, particularly in such a competitive marketplace."

A spokesperson for the University of Glasgow's careers service told the Sunday Herald that it is about to publish online guides for graduates on how to promote themselves, track down job opportunities and protect their digital reputations using social media. The department is considering running training workshops later this year and expects such initiatives to play an expanding role in its activities.

Jamie Wightwick, the university's graduate attributes development manager, said: "Using platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter effectively can be a very useful way of demonstrating the value you would bring to a company, and students do need to prepare for this. They also need to be aware of the dangers of posting inappropriate content, however, and I believe we'll see the subject being widely taught at universities and secondary schools in the relatively near future."

At the University of Edinburgh's career service, Steve Norman has been running social networking sessions for undergraduates since 2009. He believes such skills have become a prerequisite in a range of occupations, and that graduating students need to improve their awareness of the possibilities they offer.

He said: "We frequently find that new graduates don't fully appreciate the value of professional networks like LinkedIn until after they've actually entered employment, and it's an issue that we're trying to raise awareness of. Companies in most sectors now regard social media skills as a highly desirable attribute."

While enthusiasm for the checking of Facebook and Twitter profiles in the hiring process is escalating, some commentators have urged organisations to exercise caution when implementing such policies. Pointing out that without proper training, information gleaned online can easily be misinterpreted, many experts believe that discriminating against candidates without social profiles could be a mistake.

Cary Cooper, distinguished professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School, said: "There are many reasons why people might not be visible online, ranging from a perfectly sensible desire to remain anonymous to a reluctance to follow the herd. It certainly doesn't mean that they're unemployable or have something to hide.

"Companies have to be careful about the weight they apply to such information. Many of these platforms are for entirely personal use, and using them to pass judgment on someone's career potential could be hugely inappropriate."

Student representatives voiced similar concerns. Robin Parker, president of NUS Scotland, said: "The idea that graduates should be disadvantaged because they choose not to maintain a online profile or use social media sites is ludicrous. If employers want a workforce with IT skills, there are plenty of ways to for them to judge their candidates without snooping at applicants' online family photos.

"Students who have spent years studying hard to complete their degree should be judged on their IT skills, not their Farmville scores."