Social media has become a secret weapon that many recruiting firms are turning to. While social recruiting is still foreign to a lot of staffing companies, there are some companies investing heavily in the new recruiting trend. In fact, recent survey from Jobvite, revealed 73% of hiring managers plan to invest in their social media presence in 2015.

Social recruitment is tough to ignore as most people are available on social media throughout the day. But the responsibility of learning the new technique goes both ways for hiring managers and candidates. This is the time were candidates should realize their online profiles need to reflect their professional experience and career goals while demonstrating a positive, put together person. Take time to clean up social media profiles so recruiters have a chance to get to know the professional behind the profile.

With that said, as social recruitment continues to see an increase, there are other areas that will change to meet the demands of the new trend.

Mobile Interaction: Mobile is the way to go as the increase in mobile phone usage continues. Mobile apps and platforms for recruitment will be an important part of the hiring process, where both candidates and hiring managers will use these mobile friendly tools to get results. There will be an increase in social media advertising with job postings and direct links for candidates to apply.

LinkedIn Productivity: The Jobvite survey mentioned above, showed nearly 80% of recruiters found a hire using LinkedIn and over 90% of hiring managers use the professional platform in their daily routine. These numbers are expected to increase in 2015 indicating LinkedIn is still the place to go for hiring needs.

The professional platform is a great way for candidates to interact with other professionals and even reach out to hiring managers. Keeping an up-to-date profile, joining groups that are of interest, and positing valuable content will all increase the chances of being headhunted.

The other social networks count: While LinkedIn is used most for recruitment other social networks like Facebook and Twitter will still account for a large chunk of candidate recruitment. One look at a candidate’s profile can tell a lot about them. Remember, you only have seven seconds to make a first impression, so you have to make it count.

In both social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook, recruiters will research candidates profiles and activities, including likes, tweets, posts and how they interact on the networks.

Job Searching on Facebook: Nearly half of recruiters claimed to post jobs on Facebook in 2014 and that trend will continue to increase in 2015 with the inclusion of Twitter. Companies will use their social platforms to build brand reputation and post relevant job postings for their audience.

This year will continue to be a game changer for the way people use social media. As the job market becomes more competitive, this social recruiting shift is happening to connect the right people with the right position.