Networking sites are not career suicide – they can actually be used to nurture career progression, recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash has said.

In its recent survey, it found that 90% of senior players are increasingly turning to professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to progress their careers. It’s a figure that compares to just half posting their CV on a job board.

In addition, 93% of executives claim investing time and effort into developing a strong personal brand is important to them and their career.

Whilst 74% of respondents believe actively building a personal brand offline is the most popular method for progressing their career, social and professional networking sites take second place with over two thirds of senior executives actively using their network to develop their personal brand.

When searching for a job via a social networking site, most senior executives would look to LinkedIn first (57%) and Plaxo second (16%) with Facebook only coming in at fifth place (6%).

Cristina Hoole, european marketing director at LinkedIn, said: “As competition in the global job market intensifies, it has become essential for executives, at all levels, to build and strengthen their personal profiles online. Harvey Nash’s research reaffirms our own understanding that professional networking sites already play an increasingly important role in helping candidates stay well connected and career-informed.”