Twitter as a job search tool

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I ran across a very nice resource recently, 20 simple Twitter tips for your job search.

I know, I know – you’re saying that Twitter is such a waste of time and, besides, what would you possible want to tell the universe?  Fair enough.

But Twitter, Facebook, and other tools can be valuable assets.  Here’s why:

  1. You can create and maintain relationships with people using these tools.
  2. You can learn new things, because there’s different conversations going on in these social media.
  3. You can easily find out what’s being said about your target companies.
  4. 98% of employers check you out on the web.

I was rather shocked to find out that my kids don’t particularly pay any attention to e-mail.  After running my life almost entirely by e-mail for 20 years, it’s hard for me to imagine how to get by without it.  I guess this is the same experience that my parents had, switching from telephone to e-mail, or their parents, switching from letters to telephone calls.

But why should you care about Twitter specifically?

  • You can monitor conversations going on around any topic.
  • You can find out what’s hot – NOW – minute by minute (that can be very important if you want to find out about job openings quickly!)
  • Group “conversations” are formed on a somewhat ad-hoc basis and disappear just as rapidly.
  • People don’t just stick to work-related issues, to varying degrees they also talk about other aspects of their lives.

In my previous job I was monitoring Twitter to do competitive analysis, because it allowed me to see what was being discussed about other companies and my own.  For this I used TweetDeck, but there’s lots of tools out there.  I like TweetDeck because it monitors my Twitter friends, my Facebook connections, and other conversations of my choosing.

For job searches it’s ideal, because you’ll instantly (OK, within a minute) find out if there’s news about job openings, target companies, or target industries.  Since people have to keep it within 140 characters, it’s usually quite short and sweet – but often includes the direct pointer to more information.

Interested?  Read the 20 tips above, and then connect with me:

I finally broke down and checked out Second Life last week, but that’s a whole different opportunity I need to learn about!

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