This is a guest post by Terri Lee Ryan,  a Chicago career coach whose blog, Get Employed, is part of the Tribune’s ChicagoNow blog network.

According to Jobvite, (leading recruiting platform for the social web), 2/3 of companies now recruit via Facebook. Over one half use Twitter and almost all companies are using LinkedIn to find employees. That’s a whole lot of recruiting going on in the social media space. According to Jobvite’s recent annual survey, social recruiting has become an essential HR practice.

92% of U.S. companies are using social media networks and media to find talent this year. This is up from 78% five years ago. LinkedIn remains the number one choice for company recruiters, but Facebook and Twitter are being used more frequently then in the past to find job candidates.  Nearly 3 out of 4 hiring managers and recruiters check candidates’ social profiles – 48% always do so, even if they are not provided.

Social Recruiting gained momentum because of the results. It’s an effective way to take a comprehensive look at a large candidate pool and quickly bring in high-quality talent.  More than 7 out of 10 employers have successfully hired a candidate through social media (73%). This is up from 63% in 2011 and 58% in 2010. Of those social hires, 89% of respondents have hired from LinkedIn, 25% through Facebook and 15% through Twitter.

Since implementing social recruiting, almost half (49%) of the companies received more candidates to choose from. More than 4 out of 10 (43%) say the quality of applicants has improved. 1/3 of respondents see more employee referrals, which tend to lead to the most valuable hires. 20% reported it takes less time to hire when using social recruiting.

Conducted in June, Jobvite’s Social Recruiting Survey 2012 polled more than 1,000 human resources and recruitment professionals on their social recruiting activities and intentions. Now in its fifth year, the survey has revealed social recruiting usage trends since 2008, providing insights into how popular it has become, who is using it effectively and the results social recruiting produces.

Here are some tips to take into consideration when using social media:

Employers Frown on Drinking and Sex

Any reference to using illegal drugs (78% negative) and posts about alcohol consumption (nearly 50%) were frowned upon. Posts of a sexual nature (67% negative) were clearly negative.

Using Profanity is a big mistake

Using profanity in posts and tweets garnered a 61% negative reaction.

Employers loathe poor grammar

Worse than drinking are using poor grammar or spelling mistakes (54%) on social profiles.

Employers like candidates to belong to professional organizations. 80% of HR respondents reacted positively to seeing memberships to professional organizations, while 2/3 likes to see volunteering or donating to a nonprofit.

“The rise in social recruiting has allowed both candidates and employers an easier way to find the best match,” said Dan Finnigan, president and CEO of Jobvite. “We continue to see social recruiting gain popularity because it is more efficient than the days of sifting through a haystack of resumes. It also increases quality referral hires, which our own data on Jobvite proves are hired faster and last longer.”

It’s time to clean up your Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter pages; no more close up’s of your lobster dinner or looking like you’ve consumed five martinis! Also, watch what you upload to your You Tube channel. These social media sites are now the number one resource for hiring. So whatever you post on these media sites is a direct reflection of who you are and whether you are “employable.”

For more information on the study, visit www.jobvite.com.