LinkedIn, smartphones and video interviews gained ground as key job search tools, according to a survey by ManpowerGroup Inc.’s (NYSE: MAN) Right Management division. Ninety-four percent of job candidates reported LinkedIn was their top social media site for job hunting, while hiring managers chose LinkedIn by two to one as their top social media site for sourcing candidates.

“The increased use of technology, especially advances in social media related technologies, has been relentless,” said Monika Morrow, senior vice president of career management at Right Management.

Among findings of the survey of job search candidates:

• In addition to LinkedIn, job searchers were more likely to use Google+ than Twitter, although Gen X candidates ranked Facebook, Google+ and Twitter about evenly.
• Sixty-two percent of candidates used a smartphone, up from 43 percent a year ago; among just Gen X candidates, 71 percent do so compared with 61 percent last year.
• Twenty-two percent of all respondents and 24 percent of Gen X job hunters used smartphone job search apps, about the same as a year ago.
• Eighteen percent have experienced a video interview in the past year, more than double a year ago; among Gen X candidates, one-quarter have done so. Skype is the interview platform most often used and webcam use has also increased.
• Emerging as a new job search tool in the past year, about 3 percent of respondents have done pre-recorded interviews.

Among findings of the survey of hiring managers and recruiters:

• Cited by 74 percent of respondents, social media sites such as LinkedIn were still the top method for sourcing candidates. In addition to social media, company websites and employee referrals remain among the top three sources of job candidates among recruiters and hiring managers. 
• Job boards and recruiters have declined slightly in importance, while print media barely registers.
• Among social media sites used by hiring managers, LinkedIn ranked first, Facebook second, Google+ third, and Twitter a distant fourth.
• Over 50 percent of respondents use social media sites to post jobs and 76 percent to find candidates.
• While 74 percent of respondents rely on social media, over 65 percent also use generalist job boards. Company websites ranked third.
• Awareness of video resumes increased, and 45 percent of respondents expect them to become more common in the next three years.
• Nineteen percent used video interviews, about the same as year ago, and more than two-thirds expect video interviews to be used more in the next three years.
• Telephone and face-to-face interviews are expected to remain about as frequent as they are currently.
• Eighty-two percent of hiring managers have used Skype, and 6 percent have used pre-recorded platforms.

The survey included more than 300 job seekers and more than 100 hiring managers, recruiters and human resource executives throughout North America.