Three-quarters of hiring managers check LinkedIn to research the credentials of job candidates, according to a Jump Start Social Media poll* on how social media is being used in the hiring process. Of the hiring managers surveyed, 75 percent use LinkedIn, 48 percent use Facebook, and 26 percent use Twitter to research candidates before making a job offer.

"Social media is not only a great networking tool, it's also a way for employers to perform reference checks on job candidates," said Veronica Fielding, president of Digital Brand Expressions and its social media service for consumers, Jump Start Social Media. "Because LinkedIn is the most professionally oriented of the three, it tends to attract hiring managers who are doing due diligence."

The folks at Jump Start Social Media offer these tips for using social media in the job-hunting process:

• Become familiar with the popular social media sites so you can participate in important dialogues, including opportunities to network for jobs.
• Start with one service, get comfortable with it, and branch out from there. One of the easiest, safest choices is LinkedIn because it has always been 100 percent business-focused.
• Share links to interesting news stories combined with a sentence of insight, and join groups (your alma mater, former employers, industry associations, etc.) in order to participate in online discussions with the other members.
• Ask people in your network to introduce you to the people they know. It's these dynamic group interactions that help shape perceptions of you and your business acumen.
• Make sure you finish your social media profiles and keep them updated.
• If you are "tweeting" on Twitter, share links to stories, reports, interviews, etc. to which you add your insights.
• Don't overlook Facebook's value as a way of keeping in touch and staying top of mind with the business connections you've made during your career.

* The Jump Start Social Media survey polled 100 hiring managers at small, mid-sized and large companies. Polling was done by Digital Brand Expressions and InterBiznet.