Tweeting Your Way to A New Job

Twitter is no longer just updating your network about your tasty breakfast or what café you just walked into.  The rapidly growing social network has become a place where people share interesting news and connect with industry insiders. And yes, that includes recruiters. Still not convinced? Here are some ways Twitter can help you land your next job.

Set up your account

Twitter is the fastest-growing search engine, with 800 million search queries per day, says its cofounder, Biz Stone. Yahoo by comparison, handles 9.4 million searches per day. As someone looking for work, why wouldn’t you want to have a presence on Twitter?

Go to Twitter and set up your account. Include part or all of your given name in your Twitter name. Make sure to include a professional-looking photo. This will make you seem approachable. Remember, Twitter is all about building relationships. Make your bio snappy. You have 160 characters to characters to promote yourself.

Find people to follow

Click on the Find People tab on the homepage. If you already know people on Twitter, type their names into the Find on Twitter search box.  Many corporations run Twitter pages. If you have target companies in your job search, look for them too. Following companies will let you stay on top of the latest business developments.

You can also Browse Suggestions. The categories listed here, like business, news, and politics, provide good recommendations for finding the Twitter pages of large corporations, major media outlets, and the government. Following pages like this will let you stay on top of breaking news

Twellow is like the yellow pages for Twitter. If you work in IT, for example, click on the category Information Technology. You’ll get a list of recommended Twitter pages connected to IT. Be sure to check out the Recruiting category too for access to recruiters and job search experts.

One of the best resources to find people to follow on Twitter are the people you currently follow. Look through their profiles and see who looks interesting. Every new connection will open you up to more and more potential.

Hashtags and chats

Once you’re on Twitter, you need to expose your personal brand.  Sharing relevant content is a great way to get your name out there. If you read an interesting blog post or article, post a link so your followers can learn from it too.

Many times, you’ll see hashtags in tweets. Hashtags are # followed by a topic. If you work in publishing, for example, type #publishing in the search box on the Twitter. All tweets tagged by their writers as relevant to publishing will show up. This also could help you find more people to follow.

Some hashtags are good for job seekers. #tweetmyjobs lists job openings.  With #hirefriday, job seekers post what they do and where they’re located.

Twitter chats are real-time conversations centered around a specific topic, punctuated by hashtags. Moderators post questions, and lively discussions ensue. One of the best for job seekers is #jobhuntchat on Mondays at 10 p.m. EST. To find chats for your industry, see this online calendar.

Success story

A British study reveals that Twitter users are more likely to get interviews. This could be because Twitter teaches users to be concise, direct, and eye-catching in their communications, traits that are great for resumes and cover letters.

One Twitter user who had job success with the site is Brian Alkerton. Brian had “meaningful interactions” with someone he never met in person. That person referred him to a client. Another person he interacted with only on Twitter also referred him to a client. He says, “The thing is, passive monitoring won’t get you the job. You need a credible reputation you can point to.”

If you’re willing to engage with others, as Brian did, you’re more likely to succeed on Twitter.  Not every Twitter user may get a job offer. But, everyone will build their network, make some friends and learn a thing or two.  And that’s nothing to scoff at.

This guest post was contributed by Danielle Bullen who is a member of the fastest growing online education communities and writes on topics like education.