Social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are not only great web marketing tools, they can also help your company find top talent. Now more than ever, companies are using social networking as a recruiting tool. A recent survey conducted by The Society for Human Resources Management found that over 50% of those surveyed use social networking sites as part of their recruiting efforts. The most popular website used was LinkedIn, followed by Facebook and then Twitter.

So, why are recruiters using social networking websites? According to the survey results, recruiters have found that the sites help them find passive candidates who are not actively seeking a new job, but they possess a skill set that is a great match for the position the recruiter wants to fill. Recruiters also like social networking sites because they are relatively inexpensive compared to other recruiting tools and because they help companies increase their brand recognition.

The survey spanned a wide array of industries including healthcare, insurance construction and manufacturing. 12% of the respondents were from companies with fewer than 100 employees.