Do you tweet? If not, maybe you should.
Perhaps it would be misleading to say that as a job seeker you MUST be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social and business networking sites. But, assuming you use social media properly and professionally, staying connected and networking in this way can only help. And few people would argue that you shouldn’t take advantage of any advantage you can give yourself in a job market that is considered the most competitive in a quarter of a century.
Twitter, for those of you who don’t know it, is a service that allows you to communicate and stay connected with your colleagues, current and former co-workers, friends, family, and other contacts through the exchange of quick and easy responses (140 characters or less). to the question, “What are you doing now?” While the premise is simple—so simple that at first you might wonder how “Tweeting” (Twitter-speak to post an update on Twitter) could be helpful in your job search—I urge you to take another look. Twitter has become very popular, and you may be surprised how many of your colleagues, friends, and even top experts in your field or profession are on Twitter.
If you’re actively involved in managing your career or searching for a job, here are just a few of the benefits that will be worth the time you spend setting up your free Twitter account and learning how to use it:
1) Twitter can be a great tool to help you build, improve, and promote your personal brand. Briefly, your personal brand (as it relates to your career) is what sets you apart and makes you and your contributions exceptionally valuable in the workplace. As a job seeker, you can use Twitter to let your followers know about your experience, post links to interesting news about your industry, or post advice related to your profession. These are all brand-building activities that will make you memorable to your contacts, increase your credibility, and help distinguish you as a leader in your field.
2) Twitter is an extraordinary networking tool. Remember that networking is about building relationships. Twitter helps you stay in touch with the people in your network in a quick and easy way that has never been possible before. It will allow you to keep your contacts updated on your job search, it’s a great way to learn about unadvertised job openings, and it’s often an easy way to get referrals of people you should talk to. Of course, it’s important to remember that networking is also about helping each other, and Twitter gives you a quick and easy way to let people in your network know about job openings you’ve heard about, or provide other help or advice to your contacts when they need it.
3) Twitter gives you a way to connect almost instantly with recruiters and other hiring authorities in your field. More and more recruiters are using Twitter and other social media tools to find job candidates. Some companies actively encourage their employees to tweet (or discuss on LinkedIn or Facebook) about the openings they are trying to fill. If you regularly Tweet about your job search and make other Twitter posts about the brand, it’s only a matter of time before you start discovering and being recommended for attractive job or business opportunities.
Are you convinced? Even for the professional with little time (does that describe almost all of us?), Twitter is easy to use. You don’t even need to be sitting at your computer as Twitter is mobile and can be easily used on your iPhone, Blackberry or cell phone.
When you’re ready to get started, here are some quick tips:
1. Sign up for your free Twitter account and complete your profile. Remember that you will be using your account for networking and professional purposes, so please be discreet and only include information or a photo that you feel comfortable sharing with recruiters, your colleagues and the world. If you have a reason to keep your business and personal life separate, you should create separate accounts.
2. Find and “follow” people you know. Twitter provides simple tools and instructions for doing this. Consider friends, family, current and former co-workers, industry contacts, people you went to college with, etc. Once you are following these people, go through their contacts and selectively follow some of them. Even if you don’t know someone, if you have a reason to, follow them. This is a way to build new relationships.
3. As you start building your list of people you follow, many will start following you. When you’re starting out, try to Tweet daily, maybe twice a day. In addition to answering the basic question “What are you doing now?” (always keeping in mind that your Tweets should be appropriate and follow basic etiquette) try to regularly post useful, brand-related information and links.
4. When your contacts Tweet, reply if you can answer a question or if you have useful information or advice for them. Twitter offers you two ways to do this: direct messages and replies. Be selective about the method you use. A direct message will only be seen by the person you are replying to. An answer will go to everyone who follows you.
5. Search Twitter for keywords. This is a great way to find out what’s going on and what’s being discussed on topics of interest to you among people you don’t already follow. You can also find interesting people who you will want to follow. The place to do it is search.twitter.com
5. Do you have a Facebook account, LinkedIn profile, blog or other website? There are options to link them all and post status updates to all of them simultaneously. This can be a huge time saver, so it’s worth taking the time to learn how to link them. You might also consider including your Twitter username in your email signature files or on business cards. Doing so will quickly increase your following, and the higher your following, the more beneficial Twitter will be to your job search and career.
