What Social Networking Sites Do The Pros Use?

Jobvite recently conducted a survey of HR and recruiting professionals to see which social networking sites they use. The results?

95% LinkedIn

59% Facebook

42% Twitter

11% My Space

10% Ning

In recent years LinkedIn has charged ahead of the social networking pack. If you don't already use this site to network professionally, you should.

Waiting until you lose your job (which seems almost inevitable these days) is a BIG mistake. Building an online network is a lot like building one offline, it takes time and dedication. There's a lot of value placed on "you pat my back and I'll pat yours" style participation. Just like in real life.

Harvey Mackay, author of Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, said it best ten years ago. He said, "If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I've met over a lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts."

Computer use has closeted a huge portion of the population from others. But the surge in social networking and offline "Meetups" is getting everyone out of the cubicle and away from the computer screen to, well, mingle and meet in person.

THE SURPRISE IN SOCIAL NETWORKING.

Perhaps the big surprise is how much personal social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are scrutinized by hiring executives. It's important to manage your online presence on these sites as much as it is on a professional site like LinkedIn, Plaxo, or Ryze.

And since you're known by the company you keep, be careful about who you allow into your Facebook network. If your nephew likes to party hearty and then posts photos of his drunken escapades, it doesn't reflect well on you.

Ning is another surprise. It's not well know yet among most job-hunters. Yet fully 1 in 10 HR execs and recruiters looked at candidates on Ning.

KEEP IT SIMPLE. KEEP IT CONSISTENT.

Make sure that your profile and online presence are synced up across sites. A discrepancy between one or more can be a red flag. Also, don't sign up for every social networking site offered. You'll spend all your time maintaining them and none on anything else.

At some point you just have to draw a line in the sand. The prevailing advice is to do LinkedIn, Facebook and one other site that you feel particularly drawn to for personal or professional reasons. Keep it simple---always good advice.