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We came across a really insightful infographic that demonstrates how recruiters use social media to screen job candidates. The data revealed that 90% of recruiters and hiring managers have checked out a potential candidate’s social media profiles … and 69% have rejected a candidate because of what they discovered.

These are large percentages! Check out this infographic by clicking on the link below, then decide if you may need to reconsider how you manage your social media profiles online.

How Recruiters Use Social Media

Today, Obama is going to be holding the first Twitter Town Hall where he will be answering questions related to the economy and the job market. Questions can be directed to the President via @BarackObama on Twitter.

Mashable plans to submit at least one question and is taking a poll to determine what to ask. Here are the options they are asking readers to vote on:

How do you plan on fostering the growth of tech innovation in the United States?

As social media becomes a popular job-searching tool, how will the government help people understand these new platforms to help them find work?

What changes will be made in education to better prepare students for a heavily tech-based job market?

Great questions and we look forward to hearing from President Obama. You can cast your vote here.

On Tuesday, Google chairman Eric Schmidt openly took responsibility for “screwing up” when it came to social networking. He said he saw the threat Facebook posed years ago but because he was so busy handling the day-to-day at Google he didn’t do anything about it.

We’ve been watching Google try to play catch up and break into social but, for the most part, they’ve been comparatively unsuccessful. In Wired’s post by Sam Gustin, we learn that Schmidt said, “I clearly knew I had to do something and I failed to do it,” … “CEOs need to take responsibility. I screwed up.”

I think Schmidt’s message is clear. I also think his honesty is respectable. The message is two-fold.

1) Don’t miss bigger picture opportunities because you let yourself get bogged down in day-to-day tasks.
2) Be able to distance yourself enough from your role or your project to be honest about what is working and what has failed.

I want to talk about the second point. It’s not directly related to the issue at hand, but it’s in the same vein as taking responsibility when in a position of authority. And responsibility can obviously equate to humility.

In the past, I’ve seen CEOs or managers birth a special project they think is going to be an easy win. For whatever reasons (it was not well thought out, it just wasn’t of quality, it targeted the wrong demographic, the product launch was ill-timed or there was no marketing plan in place) — the special project fails. The CEO isn’t sure why and when he/she asks for feedback from the team, he/she puts up a shield, chalks it up to something out of his/her control and fails to really consider his/her role or the team’s input and hence, misses yet another opportunity to come up with tangible solutions. Whether the CEOs was directly involved in the project or he/she failied to delegate effectively – the level of responsibility is still the same.

The timing of Schmidt’s “confession” is interesting – right as Google’s +1 is released as well as Google Offers. +1 is the equivalent of Facebook’s “Like” button and will be used in determining personalized search results. Google Offers are daily deals like Groupon or Living Social. Both offerings fit into the social realm. Whatever the motives, I appreciate the honesty.

In times of economic downturn, you would think that the flood of talented potential employees would make finding the right person very simple. It can be, for sure, but you should still make sure you are tapping in to every available recruiting resource, much like we do at Outrank.com.

Although Facebook has been around for some time, many people are still unfamiliar with the social media hub’s immense recruiting potential. Many people, especially those in the younger generation, constantly use social media sites and are fully aware that recruiters do as well. Creating an active social media presence for your company, and more importantly, your recruiting department, can help attract this important demographic while promoting your company at the same time.

It is important to have social networking as a part of your recruiting strategy. Keep your Facebook page up-to-date and you’ll be able to connect with candidates seeking a company just like yours.