My most recent job that I found was on Craigslist, but I met several people in the Orlando area connected in the social media marketing industry through Twitter beforehand. They helped me navigate through my decision to take the position. I spend hours upon hours tryig to convince people like my wife, friends, and family that Twitter isn’t just an application to check out what Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are doing. It has endless ways to be utilized, and finding a job or networking with people to help you find a job are just a few of Twitter’s capabilities.
Sign up for a Twitter account if you don’t already have one.
Use your full name or first initial and last name if possible. If you have a really common name, get creative, but try to incorporate as much of your full name as possible. Just make sure it’s a semi-professional username. Remember, potential employers might be looking at your profile. You don’t want to be @xboxstud or @barbiedoll69.
Download a free Twitter management desktop application.
There are a lot of great applications out there to manage your Twitter account, but I like Tweet Deck and Seesmic the most. You can use whatever you want, but I have found that these two have the most features. Also, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, download a Twitter mobile application. Tweet Deck for iPhone is currently free, and most people use Twitter Berry for the Blackberry.
Start tweeting about your job hunt.
Be very specific, because recruiters and employers could be searching for certain keywords. Don’t just tweet, “looking for a new job”. Say something like, “just got done revising my resume in social media and internet marketing”. Describe your skills, and tweet about anything you are currently doing that has to do with your desired profession.
Start Searching For Keywords and Hash Tags
Use your desktop application to run searches for certain keywords and hash tags related to the industry you are looking to land a job. You can look up pre-defined hash tags at Hashtags.org. You can run real-time searches with Tweet Deck and Seesmic or at Search Twitter. Start following anyone that is tweeting something interesting about the keywords you are following.
Be Interactive
If you are only creating new tweets and reading other tweets, you are being one-dimensional. Social media is called “social” because it encourages conversation and community. People that only view facebook profiles and read twitter profiles are not engaging in social media. They are just reading conversations. Participation is key. Make friends, and reply to tweets. Re-tweet something really interesting from someone you are following. Use a direct message only after you have already struck up a conversation with someone.
You may not find your next job on Twitter, but you could meet the person who helps you get your next job. The job market is tough right now, so stop wasting time on Twitter, and start putting it to good use.
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