ReadWriteBiz

As anyone who's hired or been hired for a job in the last few years knows, social media is now a standard fixture of the recruiting process. We're constantly seeing data come out showing that sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook play an increasingly common role in hiring, and the numbers are only getting bigger.

About 89% of U.S. companies use social media for recruiting, according to new report and infograhic from JobVite, a company that makes social recruitment software. As one would suspect, LinkedIn is the biggest among social networking sites when it comes to finding and hiring new employees, a trend that's sure to continue ask LinkedIn rolls out its one-click job application button for employers.

By now you know that using social media is an essential part of running any-sized business, but how do you take those first baby steps towards learning about various services such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others? The mailing list provider Constant Contact has put together an excellent site called the Social Media Quickstarter here that is chock full of tutorials and step-by-step directions, along with blog entries on best practices, suggestions, a few podcasts, and other instructional materials.

Professional social networking site LinkedIn has published a series of retro-style videos introducing small businesses to the site and what it has to offer for business users.

LinkedIn's Timeless Guide to Small Business Success is edited with a faux 1980s TV commercial vibe, complete with rainbow-laden, early 1980s computer graphics and an old school Apple II-style desktop computer.

Professional network LinkedIn has just introduced the beta launch of a new feature LinkedIn Skills, a way for you to search for particular skills and expertise, and of course, showcase your own and in LinkedIn's words, "a whole new way to understand the landscape of skills & expertise, who has them, and how it's changing over time."

The new feature lets you search for particular areas of expertise and points to you to some of the key people within that community. It also highlights related companies and jobs, professional organizations you can join, and top locations where that skill is in demand.

Keeping up with every RSS feed item and tweet is hard enough for anybody, let alone someone trying to run a business. That's why each week, ReadWriteBiz rounds up the most important tech news and insights for small and medium-sized businesses.

LinkedIn hinted at its own vision of the future of business cards with its acquisition of CardMunch, an iPhone app that digitizes paper business cards by scanning them. The application, which previously charged users based on usage, was made freely available by its new owners.

On Tuesday, LinkedIn decided to sit us all down for an honest heart-to-heart. The buzz words we've been using in our LinkedIn profiles, they told us, are a bit much. The company released a list of 10 phrases that are overused across millions of profiles, such as "innovative," "motivated," "results-oriented" and "dynamic." Topping the list was the phrase "extensive experience." Our own Mike Melanson covered the announcement, advising readers that perhaps it's time to start avoiding these phrases.

Looking for a job? Need to fill a position? ResumeSponge, a Web app that enables professionals to build online profiles and connect with would-be employers just launched into beta and its creators want to help.

The fledgling site, which is free to use, is notably similar to LinkedIn, but with a few extra bells and whistles.