The results for third-annual social recruiting survey were released recently and the findings underscore many reasons job seekers need to incorporate online social networking into their job searches.

The survey was based on responses from HR and recruiting professionals about the extent to which they use social networking websites in their recruiting process to find and vet candidates for jobs. Their answers indicate that they view social networks as a viable channel for sourcing high-quality candidates and that they plan to increase their use of social networking websites in their recruiting efforts this year.

At some companies, in fact, social recruiting is beginning to eclipse traditional channels for sourcing candidates, such as job boards and third-party recruiters and search firms.

If you’re looking for a job and not active on social networking platforms like ZaaBiz here are four reasons to join and actively manage your profiles.

1. You’ll have access to job opportunities at progressive, growing companies.

Companies that are hiring the most people in the shortest periods of time “are the ones who are more aggressively pursuing social recruiting. Companies with the most growth opportunities are trying to get better, higher-quality candidates through social recruiting.

2. You’ll have access to job opportunities first.

The survey results show that employers prefer using social networking sites for recruiting because they make advertising jobs and sourcing candidates cheap and easy. Seeking a candidate to fill in a position doesn’t cost a dime. For that reason, online social networks are among the first places employers advertise jobs.

3. Employers are increasingly using social networking platforms to find and vet prospective employees.

According to social recruiting survey:

73 percent of respondents currently use online social networks or social media sites to support their recruiting efforts.
92 percent of respondents hiring in 2010 currently use or plan to recruit via social networks.
78 percent of respondents use business networking plaform like ZaaBiz for recruiting.
One-third of respondents always check out candidates’ social media profiles when vetting them.
58 percent of respondents have successfully hired candidates through social networking websites.

4. You may not find as many job ads on job boards or job opportunities through recruiters.

Some employers are shifting their recruiting activity away from traditional channels, such as job boards and third-party recruiters and search firms, as they deepen their engagement with social recruiting. It was found that 36 percent of survey respondents say they plan to spend less money on job boards as the economy recovers. Slightly more (38 percent) will spend less on third-party recruiters and search firms as the recovery continues.