Job Seeker Training Series – Part I: Twitter for the Job Hunt

Over the past few months, I’ve had many requests to teach people how to use social networking sites, Twitter being one of them. Armed with the new label “Twitter Tutor”, I have coached some folks on what Twitter is, why it’s so important. Now more than ever, my training sessions are being geared towards the job seeker.

Based upon the number of request, I decided to capture the information in three part blog series aimed at training the job seeker on how to use the major social networks for job hunting. For part I of the series, I’d like to introduce Twitter.

What is Twitter?

Simply stated, Twitter is a social network with a single focus: to communicate in real time with people in less than 140 characters. What can you say in less than 140 characters? Plenty!

Being pointed about your message is important. Being interesting is vital to building your following. Twitter is very community based. Showing a personal side, while sharing information is key to building relationships with your Tweeples (people on Twitter).

Getting Started

So how do you get started on Twitter? First things first. Sign up for an account at Twitter. Here’s a few pointers when getting started.

• Choose a Twitter ID that is professional (@starwarsgeek is probably not a good idea)
• Choose a Twitter ID easily identifies you to others (using your name is a good plan)
• Got a blog, online portfolio or website that tells your professional story? Put that in your profile.
• Keep your Twitter bio fun, but pointed. Think of words that describe you personally/professionally.
• Create an eye popping, but professional Twitter background

Once you’ve gotten your Twitter ID and page set up, you are ready to start establishing your Twitterverse (Twitter community). Remember, the point of using Twitter is to find your next great opportunity. The people you connect with can potentially help you land your dream job. Keeping that in mind, let’s move on.

Let the Tweeting Begin

So, we’ve got our Twitter ID and Twitter page looking good at this point. What comes next? Now it’s time to start tweeting. It may sound simple, but with a strategy in mind and a communication protocol put into place, you will have a powerful job hunting tool at your disposal. Here are few tweeting tips:

• Tweet to establish an influence, not to simply gain followers. Numbers are good, but not everything!
• Share useful information, something that represents who you are professionally. Don’t forget to compress web addresses. You’ve only got 140 characters!
• Engage others in a tweet thread. Building relationships is what it is about.
• Share some things that are personal, like “Going to Disney this weekend with the kids. Do you have big plans for the weekend?” People like it when you show a human side.
• Retweet (RT) people’s tweets. If you see something you like that someone posted, send out a RT! If you are using Twitter on the web, type RT, then copy and paste the tweet of choice. The Tweeple will like the recognition!

While these are great suggestions, there are many other ways to communicate using Twitter. Why not simply aks your network a question? Tweeples can be most helpful, especially in a time of need. The job market today certainly qualifies. Which leads us to our next lesson, using Twitter Search for the job hunt.

Using Twitter Search

Currently, Twitter Search is the most powerful method you can use in your job hunting efforts. While Twitter is awesome all on its own, there are additional sites that compliment Twitter nicely. Twitter Search is one of those sites.

There are organizations using Twitter and Twitter Search to aid the job seeker in finding the right

opportunity. One that popped up seemingly out of nowhere is JobAngels. JobAngels is a non-profit

organization whose aim is to help a person a day find employement, at no cost to the job seeker. JobAngels

Twitter Search - #jobangels Search

is a fantastic example of how social networking, especially Twitter, is so crucial in job hunting.

• On Twitter Search, use the #jobangels tag to search for JobAngels activity
• When you tweet in relation to JobAngels, add #jobangels to the tweet for it to track in the JobAngels tweet threads

Using Twitter, JobAngels has transformed how the job seeker and “JobAngel” interact. You can be connected with opportunities, professional resume writers, career coaches and all sorts of amazing resources that can assist in job hunting. Surprisingly enough, JobAngels would not be possible without Twitter. It all got started with one little tweet. Click here for more on their story.

What Comes Next?

Now that you are on Twitter, have a following, know how to use Twitter Search, you may be asking yourself “what comes next?”. Like anything in life worth having, it will take some dedication and effort. Growing your network, on Twitter or any other social networking site, takes time. Make sure:

• You tweet meaningfully a few times a week.
• You truly connect with other.
• You are willing to help as much as ask for help.

While Twitter is a great start to social networking for the job seeker, it does work well when paired with other sites. In part of this three part series, we will take a look at how to incorporate LinkedIn into the job hunting strategy. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account yet or need some guidance on getting started with your profile, check out this helpful post.