This is for job hunters who have a social media presence -and for job hunters who don't.

The latter group needs to start.

The former should fine-tune their online images.

According to a new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, 56 per cent of employers are using social networking sites to find and evaluate job candidates. And 20 per cent plan to do so soon.

The attraction?

"Social networking websites allow an employer the opportunity to gather initial information about a job candidate before a single word has been exchanged," the report says.

The society, the world's largest association of hiring managers, found that 95 per cent of job recruiters who use social networking sites look at Linked-In to prospect for candidates.

Your profile should give a clear picture of your talents, your experience and your position. And it should include some recommendations from bosses, colleagues, clients and customers -the kind of references that corporate policies sometimes prohibit them from sharing.

Among hirers who use social media, the survey found that 58 per cent hunt for candidates on Facebook, 42 per cent check Twitter and 23 per cent look at professional association or industryspecific networking sites.

Trolling social networks is also a cheap way to recruit.