According to recent figures, 50 million new users joined Twitter this year alone; making it one of the most prominent social networks around. Although popular, it can often be overlooked as a job searching tool compared to the other networking sites such as LinkedIn.
More and more companies are turning to Twitter to source new employees and it has a lot to offer candidates as well. Twitter can be an effective tool for your job search for a number of reasons; it can guide you to new jobs leads, connect you with industry professionals and help you to conduct vital pre-interview research about a company.
If you are looking to get more out of your job search, take a look at how you can tweet your way to a new career...
1) Create A Personal Brand
Twitter is a great way to create a personal brand that will attach the eye of any recruiter regardless of the sector you are in. Treat your Twitter account as an ‘online business card’ by selecting a suitable photo and by writing a bio which gets the balance right of illustrating your best professional and personal traits.
2) Follow Suitable Accounts & Interact With Others
The majority of businesses now have a Twitter account so it’s important to identify key companies who you would like to connect with. Also don’t forget to follow any news and business profiles which will help you generate content for your own account. To keep in the loop with key contacts on Twitter, utilise ‘the list’ function which will help you to organise your users in one place.
3) Generate Content
By tweeting good content, you will be able to demonstrate your polished communication skills and it help you to gain more exposure to those in your desired field. But remember to stay clear of any controversial topics and to screen your tweets for any spelling errors.
4) Don’t Underestimate The Power Of The Hashtag
The humble hashtag or '#' as it’s more commonly seen, can be your best friend when it comes to job hunting on Twitter. Identify common hashtags recruiters use when advertising vacancies online. Some hashtags to consider are: #jobs #recruitment or #careers. Also keep an eye out for any ‘local hours’ in your area, as companies maybe tweeting about potential job openings.
5) Don’t Be Afraid To D.M.
Direct messaging or ‘DMing’ is when you send another user a private message which is hidden from others. The advantages of direct messaging a potential employer includes the ability to go incognito, so other users can not see your job searching efforts. Direct messages will also let you further expand on the normal 140 character limit, which will allow you to communicate more effectively.
Being active on Twitter should be an on-going process which should further help your relationships with employers. Here are some actions you should consider doing..
Every Day
Each day, it’s important to interact with other users to demonstrate that your Twitter account is active. Good ways to communicate with others can including; liking or retweeting their posts and by following any new accounts.
Every Week
Each week, try to create some interested content for your Twitter account, if you’re struggling to find anything suitable, take a look in the news pages to see if there is anything suitable to retweet. If your struggling for time to share content, use a handy scheduling tool such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to schedule posts for the future.
Every Month
Set aside a time each month to do a quick audit on all of your social media accounts, this will ensure that no unsuitable content slips through the net. View your profile on a 'public setting' to ensure that no private content is available for others to see.
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