Among executive recruiters, 90 percent say they've researched job candidates through Google to find out information beyond their résumés, and 50 percent say they've cut executive job candidates after finding certain information, a jump from 26 percent in 2005, according to a new survey by ExecuNet.

Some of the reasons respondents have eliminated job prospects are because of a criminal record, tweets about management style, an online profile not matching a résumé, previous trouble with workplace sexual harassment, and inappropriate Facebook pictures or posts.

"Recruiters are not online looking for 'digital dirt' to disqualify candidates; they want to find information that helps draw a complete picture of a candidate and ensure a great hire," says Robyn Greenspan, editor-in-chief of ExecuNet. "It's important to know what is online about you, but it is equally important to stack the Internet with positive information that you can control."