[hollaur]

Yes, I definitely think so. I investigated this for my school newspaper, six or so years ago.

Eighty percent of recruiters/hiring managers google you before inviting you in for an interview. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_...)

Read the story about Pete Kistler: https://brandyourself.com/info/about

[rlv-dan]

This can swing both ways. If you deliberately build a professional social presence, blogging about coding, LinkedIn resume, and so on, then it's likely positive, but if you publish drunken photos and post rude twits then it probably will hurt your job chances.