I know hearing about my travels is more fun than me going on about social media, but I wanted to share a blog post I wrote for my company on how to use Twitter to find a job.  Enjoy!

ImageI will admit I finally signed up for a Twitter account a few months ago.  I know; I know I am behind in the times.  Since I’ve joined I’ve been asking myself, and others, what Twitter is all about.  Why tweet?  What should I tweet?  And what is all the commotion about using Twitter to find jobs?  The article, “How Social Media is Reshaping the Job Search,” listed what I think are some fascinating statistics.  According to them…

  • 8,000,000 Americans say Twitter got them their current job
  • 25% of job hunters in 2011 used Twitter to look for a job
  • 65% of job hunters using Twitter are Male and 35% are Female

I figure if 8 million Americans can use Twitter to find a new job, why can’t you?  Signing up for Twitter is as easy as it comes.  Username + password and you are set to embark on the social phenomenon of Twitter.  You can tweet links to articles you like, song lyrics, quotes, what you ate that day, anything you want!  But the questions remains, “How do you use Twitter to find a job?”  Here’s how: 

1.  Maintain a professional image on Twitter by posting a professional profile picture and describe the type of employment you’re looking for in your bio.  You can also link your Twitter to your Facebook; Blog and LinkedIn pages (remember to keep them all professional). 

2.  Post information and relevant resources that potential readers (and employers) might find helpful or interesting.  You can establish yourself as knowledgeable in your field by posting the most recent news, articles and research and discussion topics.  Make sure to keep your tweets professional and relate them to your industry.  Your friends may be entertained by your tweet stating you got home at 2 am so you can’t keep your eyes open at work, but a potential employer won’t. 

3.  Now to become a more active job searcher, start following businesses, companies, and recruiting agencies so you can keep updated on all of their open positions.  For example, if you are interested in working for Company A, you can follow them and read the job postings they tweet.  They will also be able to see that you are following them which shows your interest in the company. You can also follow career coaches, career advice sites, etc.