Recruiting and retaining top talent requires a keen understanding of the forces that drive your business as well as your potential hires. In today’s market, it’s simply not enough to go the traditional route to attract candidates. As Forbes recently reported, professional networking sites like LinkedIn are growing at an extraordinary rate. Ignoring social networking as a recruitment tool can mean missing out on a pool of young, eager, educated talent. But how do you successfully navigate various networking platforms and tie them in to your tried and trusted recruitment strategies?

For starters, you’ll need to differentiate between two of the largest social networking giants. While Facebook has traditionally been a site where friends and family connect to share informal insights into their daily lives, the site currently has 1 billion users, making it a major communication outlet for businesses looking to draw potential hires and customers to their brand. In addition, a recently released study by Facebook may urge its users to start using the site as a networking tool. Facebook researchers Moira Burke and Robert Kraut found that users with strong ties who frequent the site regularly recommend job openings via messaging and chat channels. These findings indicate that Facebook may be a valuable tool to spread job opportunities through an already established network or close friends and colleagues.

On the other hand, LinkedIn has always been geared towards professionals looking to network. Most recently, LinkedIn announced a new search feature that will allow businesses and candidates to search for their next professional connection. HR professionals looking to use LinkedIn can now search for specific attributes and qualifications, allowing them to target potential candidates in less time.

Social media is becoming an increasingly powerful tool in our personal and professional lives. With new features and growing insight into the workings of our digital identities, HR professionals have more leverage than ever before to make connections between talented professionals and growing industries.