Employers Use LinkedIn® over Facebook® and Twitter® in the Hiring Process

Kingston, NJ (June 9, 2009) – Three-quarters of hiring managers check LinkedIn to research the credentials of job candidates, according to a Jump Start Social Media poll on how social media is being used in the hiring process. Of the hiring managers surveyed, 75% use LinkedIn, 48% use Facebook, and 26% use Twitter to research candidates before making a job offer.

“Social media is not only a great networking tool, it’s also a way for employers to perform reference checks on job candidates,” said Veronica Fielding, president of Digital Brand Expressions and its social media service for consumers, Jump Start Social Media. “Because LinkedIn is the most professionally oriented of the three, it tends to attract hiring managers who are doing due diligence.”

When it comes to sourcing job candidates, more hiring managers again prefer LinkedIn to Twitter and Facebook. Of the hiring managers surveyed, 66% of hiring managers visit LinkedIn, 23% visit Facebook and 16% use Twitter to find job candidates to fill openings.

“While social media sites are ideal ways of gaining more information on job candidates, hiring managers generally use job boards and more traditional methods of finding suitable resumes,” says Ms. Fielding. “Whether or not you are job hunting, you should be aware that your public profile is easily accessible so be sure to maintain a professional personal brand.”

“Social media tools offer hiring managers the ability to gain a broad picture of an individual,” says Rosina Racioppi, President of WOMEN Unlimited, Inc.  “I prefer LinkedIn because its focus is on business connections and it allows you to see the professional beyond their resume.  Utilizing social media tools enables hiring managers to assess whether a candidate is an appropriate fit for their organization. I mentor individuals to be conscientious of how they are representing their personal brand in this virtual space and to be certain that the statements they post support their personal brand.”

The experts at Jump Start Social Media offer these tips for using social media in the job-hunting process:

• Become familiar with the popular social media sites so you can participate in important dialogues, including opportunities to network for jobs.
  
• Start with one service, get comfortable with it, and branch out from there. The easiest, safest choice is LinkedIn because it has always been 100% business focused.
  
• Share links to interesting news stories combined with a sentence of insight, and join groups (your alma mater, former employers, industry associations, etc.) in order to participate in online discussions with the other members.
  
• Ask people in your network to introduce you to the people that they know. It’s these dynamic group interactions that help shape perceptions of you and your business acumen.
  
• Make sure to finish your social media profiles and keep them updated.
  
• If you are “tweeting” on Twitter, share links to stories, reports, interviews, etc. to which you add your insights.
  
• Don’t overlook Facebook’s value as a way of keeping in touch and staying top of mind with the business connections you’ve made during your career.

The Jump Start Social Media survey polled 100 hiring managers at small, mid-sized and large companies. Polling was done by Digital Brand Expressions and InterBiznet.

To learn more about using social media in the job hunt, visit www.jumpstartsocialmedia.com or www.digitalbrandexpressions.com.

Digital Brand Expressions is a high-end search engine and social media marketing consultancy and services firm that helps companies enhance their findability on the Web to drive business success. For more information, see www.DigitalBrandExpressions.com .

Jump Start Social Media is a service of Digital Brand Expressions that helps professionals accelerate their adoption of social media for personal brand management.

WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. is a nationally recognized organization that cultivates leadership in high-potential women through programs that companies sponsor for their noteworthy female employees.

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CONTACT:

Beth Brody, Brody PR, +1-609-397-3737, Beth@BrodyPR.com

Michelle Brusyo, +1-609-688-8555, MBrusyo@DigitalBrandExpressions.com both for Digital Brand Expressions.