Nearly 28% of college Students plan to seek employment using Linkedin, up from 5% last year, according to a survey out today from employee recognition provider i Love Rewards and career-services network Experience.Slightly more than 7% plan to use Facebook, up from 5%.     No longer do students just wait for visiting campus recruiters to learn about job possibilities.Instead they're using digital tools to find their dream jobs, says I Love Rewards CEO Razor Suleman.Companies need to know their online image, then update anything that is outdated, inaccurate or not inleractive .     'The recruited have now become the recruiters," Suleman says."They are now going out and finding the companies they want to apply for."     Students learn about employers by viewing their websites, reading Facehook and Twitter updates and perusing Linkedln profiles.Another information source: Comments by past and current employees on job-oriented websites.     A strong digital presence is one way for employers to stand out as the search for the best and brightest gets competitive.     Slightly more than four in 10 employers say they will use "different" recruiting tactics to reach Generation Y, according to a survey by job-search site Monster.com to be released today.Of those respondents, almost 60% say social-networking sites are popular tools to reach Gen Y candidates.     "Our reason for using social media is because that's where we think the candidates are," he says.     The company posts updates and videos on topics such as job opportunities and the benefits of being an employee.It also created a mobile-friendly site for those who want to apply via smart phone.     "Younger people want to attach to you in a different way than the past," Lavery says."They want to interact with you.They want to learn about you."     The updated recruitment techniques take effort, but they work, he says.     In 2010, UPS used those tactics to  _ 955 employees.The year before, it hired 29 employees through those means.     "It's a time investment that you have to be willing to do," he says."You can't just have a page up there and not have content.In social media, you have to have a give and a take, or people won't be a part of your community." Why do many companies use social-networking sites to recruit graduates?
Because they have no other way to get in touch with graduates. Because graduates tend to learn about employers through social media. Because companies want to post advertisements for their products. Because companies like to post videos and updates about their products.