Helping You Shape Your Future

About	Career Assessment	Articles	Links	Openings	Newsletter	Testimonials	Contact	Home

Seven Reasons Why Job Search on Twitter is Serious Business

By Susan Britton Whitcomb), Chandlee Bryan, & Deb Dib

You’ve likely heard lots of buzz about Twitter. You may even have visited the site, created an account, and dabbled with tweeting. But it wasn’t love at first sight, right?

If you are like most people, you’re not alone in wondering, “What’s the point? How can this cacophonous site, crammed with seemingly tangential, disconnected information be anything that can help a job search?”

Keep an open mind. Admittedly, there is a learning curve to Twitter (as there is for all good things); yet you can find value from Day One, whether just dabbling as a NOOB (Twitter shorthand for “newbie”) or committing to becoming a power user.

If you are in a job search or building your career, here are 7 reasons (among dozens) you should pay attention to Twitter:

1. Jobs Are on Twitter.

More than 1 million tweets about job openings go out every month from 6,000+ employers and 7,700+ job channels via TweetMyJOBS.com. You can specify that you want to receive targeted tweets for jobs in, say, the plastics industry in the Los Angeles area or publicity jobs in Atlanta. And the notices can come instantly to your mobile phone, giving you the opportunity to apply quickly. This is important because (with today’s 6-to-1 jobseekers-to-jobs ratio) employers are inundated with resumes. Some are even limiting the number of resume submissions they will receive.

Twitter Tip: Explore www.TweetMyJOBS.com and subscribe to relevant job channels. Or, check out www.TwitterJobSearch.com, which is similar to the Web aggregators Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com. The TwitterJobSearch.com site takes the fire-hose feed of all Twitter tweets and identifies which tweets are job announcements, then aggregates them into its database so you can search by job title, career field, and location.

There are hundreds of experienced career coaches, job search strategists, personal branding experts, and resume writers tweeting their insider secrets and deepening relationships amongst colleagues. Job seekers can search for hashtags such as #jobsearch #resume #interview or #personalbranding for career wisdom and advice.

3. Recruiters Are on Twitter.

The recruiters who are on Twitter are still in the minority (look for that to change!) but they are forward-thinking “early adopters” and they are looking for standout talent. A quick search at www.tweepsearch.com for the word “recruiter” brings up 11,000 results.

Twitter tip: Search sites like www.tweepsearch.com and www.twellow.com for recruiters in your area using keywords such as “recruiter” and “Dallas” (without the “and” and the quotation marks). Another variation would be “recruiter” and “IT” (substitute your industry for IT) since many recruiters are not limited by geographic location. Follow them, engage in conversation, and brandish your brand so they come to recognize you as both a pro and a person.

4. Employers Are on Twitter.

Any experienced job seeker knows that chasing postings at Monster.com is not enough to find a job. They must use the C.I.O. approach, which means they must target Companies, then Influencers internal and external to those companies, and finally Opportunities that materialize when talking with influencers and networking contacts.

Twitter Tip: Although you can use the search box on the right panel at your home page or the “Find People” text link at the top of your Twitter home page, you’ll likely have better results using Twitter’s Advanced Search Feature. Unfortunately, it’s not readily findable at the site. Here’s the direct link: http://search.twitter.com/advanced - use it to search for company names and influencers (employees, customers, consultants to the target companies, and so on).

5. Networking Contacts Are on Twitter.

Networking is the heart and soul of job search. Twitter gives job seekers a new, easy to use venue in which to create relationships that are real and authentic, where they’re sharing both professional and personal information (just make sure the personal information isn’t too personal!). And, most important, Twitter is the first platform that doesn’t require “permission” to follow, friend, link to, or engage another person. Actors and politicians aside, you can be connected to CEOs, influential hiring managers, venture capitalists, and more.

Twitter Tip: Engage in “agenda-less conversations” with people on Twitter. These conversations lead to trust, which leads to openings for face-to-face conversations, which lead to opportunities to learn about other people’s needs, which leads to openings to talk about how you could solve those needs, which leads to employment. Remember, in job search, the employer is usually “bleeding” somewhere with problems to solve and people to serve; the job seeker is the bandaid.

6. Research Can Be Done on Twitter.

If networking is the heart and soul of the job search, research is akin to the lungs. There must be air to keep the heart pumping. Yes, there are plenty of sites where job seekers can pump up their search by researching target companies and contacts (such as Hoovers, LinkedIn, etc.), but Twitter can give them an inside look at the company’s culture.

Twitter Tip: Sites like www.tweetfeel.com can give a feel for the positive (or negative) sentiments being expressed about a company, and www.monitter.com can give the inside scoop on what’s being said about the company, its product(s), its people, and more.

7. Career Brands Are Brandished on Twitter.

Employers don’t hire resumes; they hire people. Beyond the fit of competencies and compensation, they also want good chemistry and cultural fit. Twitter is a great place to convey that. A Twitter handle (username) that is on-brand can create attention, interest, and desire on the part of employers. For example @CIOintheKnow or @VisionMaker or @AdminExpert or @JaneDoeHRpro. On-brand tweets can confirm to hiring managers or recruiters that the job seeker is an “A” candidate. For example, “CIOintheKnow: My insights on latest trends in technology for green construction industry here: http://bit.ly/7x2hp3 or “AdminExpert: Key tip for time mgmt: ’Chunk’ time; commit to

10-15 min of uninterrupted time & watch your productivity soar“ or “JaneDoeHRpro: RT @SHRM shares top 10 trends for new year: http://bit.ly/7x2hp3 [I see tip #3 as crucial for our healthcare industry]“

Twitter Tip: On-brand tweets can include personal information. Be mindful to maintain an approximate 75:25 ratio for professional vs. personal tweets. And, make sure those personal tweets aren’t TMI (too much information) or OS (over-shares). Instead, personal tweets might be (again, using our example Twitter accounts above): “CIOintheKnow: Just upgraded to iPhone 4G network; frankly, I notice big difference in speed. What are others finding?” or “VisionMaker: My hi-sch teen is considering college major. Any coaches out there who work w/ this age to identify STRENGTHS and PASSIONS and VALUES.&lrdquo;

There are many other reasons for job seekers to take advantage of Twitter in their job search. If you are unsure, choose one of the items in this list and explore it further. You may possibly not like Twitter at first. For some, it can feel like moving to a foreign country and learning a new language-there will be some frustrations when they don’t immediately understand all the words or customs, but that will pass.

When you stay with it, you will find you’ve seriously broadened your horizons, knowledge, network, and options!

Back to Articles