Companies, HR professionals, and recruiters all value and leverage the access to Twitter’s nearly 200 million users. 63% of Twitter users are less than thirty-five years old and, 58% of Twitter users have a total household income of at least $60,000. Learning how to leverage Twitter is an important component of the overall online branding and job search process.
Here is what participants learn from a “how to” perspective:
- Search for job specific keywords and how to follow those people associated with them in the search. Specific search criteria yield relevant results. The folks who use those terms (in the right context) are folks you’ll need to know follow more.
- Follow industry leaders – Who do you know that’s a thought leader in the industry you are in or want to be in? Follow them to listen and learn from them.
- Follow local leaders – Are there any local folks in the industry you want to get to? See if they are on Twitter, and follow them to see what they are talking about and see what you can learn from them.
- Follow folks at a specific company or companies and learn what the culture is like – Maybe you know a few folks at the company you want to work at. If they’re on Twitter, follow them. If you don’t, use Twitter search to look for them, or look on their corporate site for some names and search those out.
- Follow groups like @jobangels and follow the hashtag #jobangels – Job Angels mission is simple: they ask you to simply help one person find a job! If you have a job to offer, share it by sending a direct message to them, or by tagging it with the hashtag #jobangels They will do the rest.
- Share relevant links and Re-Tweet when applicable – There’s no better way to show you are on top of trends than to share what you’re learning with the folks in your network. Add in a Re-Tweet (click here to learn what a re-tweet is and how to do it right) and you’re not only sharing good information but sharing good people too.
- Create your own content about your specialty and link to it – This is a bit of a combo tip, as it also requires you to write a little bit of your own content, and not just use Twitter.
- Look for hashtags that talk about upcoming conferences in your functional area of expertise.
- Ask for help connecting to the decision makers – Do you see any of your Twitter friends connected to folks you want to get in front of? Make a specific ask, best by DM (Direct Message but public may work too) for an introduction and see what happens.
- Alert your network you’re looking for a job at least once a week – Throw out a Tweet at different times of the day, asking for help finding a job. Include your location, your desired position, a link to your resume or LinkedIn profile, and a request to share this with others who can help.
- Picking different times of the day means you’ll hit different parts of your network, and different folks in your network will re-tweet to folks on their network, thus expanding your reach.
We feel Twitter is a terrific tool for landing your next job, but it is certainly not the only one available. We offer similar programs for those that are interested in leveraging LinkedIn, BeKnown, and GooglePlus and even QR codes for job search their needs.
Founded in Knoxville, OPI has trained thousands of job-seekers with cutting-edge strategies. We are the only local career-transition company known for continually learning and sharing strategies that work since 1999. Call us today to schedule your session at 865.531.9154.