... A new study reveals that one in five hiring managers utilize the Web and social networks to screen new potential applicants.

The study, reported by Reuters, found that out of 3,169 hiring managers, 22 percent of them (about 698 managers) used social networking sites to find out information regarding potential candidates. This is up from 11 percent, or 349 managers, since 2006.

Even though 22 percent may not seem like a huge number now, one can only expect that number to continue to rise. The study revealed that 9 percent surveyed were currently not using social networking sites for screening purposes but plan to in the future.

Here's the kicker: About one third of the applicants screened online were dropped from contention after inappropriate content was found on their profile. Yikes.

So, who should be wary of these statistics?