Of all the tools available to HR pros and recruiters, which has the best shot of making it easier to recruit talented employees? The answer, according to HR:

Social networking Web sites.

Many HR managers think social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are the new tool most likely to lead to better quality hires, according to a recent survey by PBP Media and Standout Jobs.

When asked which new trend will provide the best improvement to their recruiting process, the HR managers surveyed answered:

• social networking (33%)
• candidate relationship management tools (26%)
• search engine optimization for job listings (20%)
• blogs (5%)
• online video (5%)
• Twitter (2%)
• pay-per-click advertising (2%), and
• other (7%)

One other recruiting tool more companies are relying on this year: their current employees.

When asked where they plan to increase spending and focus in 2009, the top two responses: 22% of HR managers said referral programs, and 17% said internal transfers.

Tags: Hiring, job listings, recruiting, social networking