The use of Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter and other internet networking sites for recruitment is a growing trend worldwide, says Nritika Singh, MD of Isilumko Staffing.

"The extraordinary popularity of Facebook in South Africa, for example, has created a revolution in social networking and its use is quickly expanding to supplement business functions such as brand building and recruitment. This new generation networking tool means users can share quality content and information more rapidly and effectively than before."

She says recruiters are making the most of the interactive social media, which have the potential to discover new talent, can be short or long term, have a focus on the company showcased and career destination, and a closer match between candidate and prospective employer.

"You can also use social networks as sourcing tools to reach passive candidates and for hard to fill positions. It's not that the current or traditional model does not work and should be discarded.

"Recruiters should use the methods that best suit their business, incorporating all the advantages of available media."

Facebook has more than 200 million active users globally, and it has caught on in SA very quickly with more than 1.6 million South Africans using it. Singh says about one-third of users are between the ages of 25 and 35 and just over a third are between 18 and 24 years old.

"Based on these statistics, companies need to ensure that Facebook plays a role in their sourcing strategy when it comes to the hiring of Generation Y and even Generation X candidates.

"With the Seacom data cable now online, it will no doubt spur an increased SA online presence.

"Blogs can be another useful recruitment tool for building relationships with potential new candidates and clients. They can provide a source of valuable industry and company specific information, promote working through a recruitment company featuring various divisions and highlighting key vacancies.

"But most important, blogs allow readers to offer opinions and give feedback. This is essential to create that two-way conversation to build customer loyalty and have an accountable and strong brand."

The new IOL Jobs is free for jobseekers and features include: state-of-the-art search functionality; instant job matches to thousands of print and online ads; job alerts; career and interview advice; and instant profile alerts for recruiters. Jobseekers will be notified if jobs that match their profiles comes up and employers will be notified if jobseekers' profiles match their requirements, says IOL general manager Peter Rhoda.

Mark Gray, head of online recruitment specialists, Graylink says Twitter is the latest buzz on the hiring scene as employers are turning to social networking platforms to supplement their traditional methods of searching for talent.

"This social networking platform allows people to post quick, short text updates of up to 140 characters on what they are doing right now. People can select other Twitterers to follow, and others can in turn follow them. This ability to quickly learn from and share information enables powerful relationships to be built, providing employers with a great way to connect and network with passive job seekers."

He says by integrating Twitter with other social media platforms, for example embedding it in a blog or LinkedIn profile, job alerts can be extended to even wider audiences.

"Employers need to get connected and understand how social media platforms relate to recruitment to develop strategies that work."