Introduction to Twitter
Twitter has become a phenomena alright and it is not just for geeks, those social networking types and tech savvy enthusiasts. Everyone is Twittering now – especially job seekers. Forget about the update feature – and do not be concerned about needing to “Tweet” when using Twitter.
Twitter is much more than updating “what you are doing.” …. Twitter has many uses for both personal and business reasons. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about anything from where you are and what you’re up to.
This is a networking tool that has completely changed the rules by instantly connecting you with a large group of people. You can ask questions, gain information, follow people in your field, look for work, post a job, share news, share thoughts, post photos, tell jokes, speak your mind, and just about anything else you want. All in one stop!
When you first join Twitter you can choose to “follow people“. You can follow the news world; photography, movies/TV, whatever interests you … but you are looking for a job right?
So why don’t you “follow” the San Francisco Business Times, or the recruiter from Hotwire? Yes, you can get people to reply to your messages / updates; but why not use Twitter to network into your next job?
Check this short video from Commoncraft: Twitter in Plain English
Twitter as a key social medial tool for job seekers. It is a phenomenon of real time search and the ability to capture this stream of ‘tweet’ discussions is an important development for job seekers – largely because folks can seek information on job opportunities that might not be available in traditional job search sites.
I advise you to consider using Twitter to build relationships, exchange information, uncover job opportunities, and all within the posting and receiving of concise 140 character messages.
Twitter is a “branded online exposure” for your professional online presence; for searching for work, make your Twitter presence “employer-friendly” by:
- Put your job pitch in your Twitter bio (which is 160 characters)
- Use a professional looking picture (also known as an “avatar”)
- Tweet about your job searching
Use Twitter just like you would use instant messaging. Your Twitter messages (know as a “Tweet”) will be sent to professionals (and recruiters) whom you may or may not know.
Job Searching on Twitter ( Overview)
Twitter is a great place to start your job searching – remember that it won’t happen the day you begin to tweet, but over time, as you build up your “Followers” and those who “Follow You” – you will have something going for yourself.
You can raise visibility with recruiters in your geographic search area by sending out your “brand” statement or “elevator speech“; or, you can post comments on current marketplace issues, deliver subject matter expertise, and show that you are on top of current trends by linking to your blog site.
As those who follow you on Twitter become interested in your content, when employers are looking at you, you’ll have more than just your resume to back up your knowledge and experience.
Utilize your Twitter background screen to promote yourself
There’s lots of space you can use to promote yourself. Use this link http://www.twitterbacks.com for ideas on creating a professional-looking Twitter background, including side bar identification information. You may also want your online resume or blog to be listed as a link.
Job search accounts for search tools & resources
There are many new Twitter tools and applications to assist with a proactive job search. A variety of Twitter accounts are dedicated to providing job listings by field, company, region, and more. See what works for you to obtain a match for your job searching.
TweetMyJobs – this is a tool for Twitter job seekers and recruiters. Follow the hashtag #Tweetmyjobs and visit the website. This is a very simple (and free) tool for job seekers. You can subscribe to desired job channels and even have new openings automatically sent to your mobile phone. Even better? You can specify which cities you want notifications from.
TwitterJobSearch.com - a job search tool that matches context with semantic tools to look at what was said; then it looks at what was said before; then it looks at who was saying it. Its a very clever approach to searching and is recommended for getting started with job searching on Twitter.
Recruiters on Twitter
Recruiters use Twitter also to look for potential candidates. Use the #recruiting tag; or follow sfbayjobs Before contacting a recruiter via Twitter, check out:
• Their background on Twitter
• Their Follower/Following ratio (Have they been around a while? Do they follow people back?)
• Check the link to their website – are they connected to their company website?
• You may inquire around to determine if the recruiter is a credible source for leads
Post a Job Tweet – used by Recruiters
TwitHire – free job board service for Twitter
This site is a free job listing service whose mission is to help employers promote job opportunities and reach out to candidates by simply tweeting.
http://www.twithire.com/
Twitter – The Home Page of Twitter has a Search box; merely enter one of these classifications into the window and observe the results. Just type in a few keywords such as “job openings,” “looking for a job,” or “health care career.”
Or, use these hyperlinks below to go directly to the Tweeter:
By company
@attjobs – Jobs at AT&T
@salesforce – Jobs at Sales Force
By field
@alldevjobs – Developer jobs
@ArtDirectorJobs – Art director jobs
@cwjobs – Copywriter jobs
@journalism_jobs – Jobs in journalism
@medical_jobs – Medical jobs
@media_pros – Jobs for media professionals
@narmsjobs – Retail marketing jobs
@reflectx – Physical Therapy jobs
@socialmediajob – Jobs in social media
@travelmaxallied – Healthcare jobs
By job type
@findinternships – Internships and entry level jobs for college students
@freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs
@heatherhuhman – Entry level jobs and internships
@Project4Hire – Freelance and temporary jobs
By region
@chicagowebjobs – Web-related jobs in Chicago
@ChicagoTechJobs – Technology jobs in the greater Chicago area
@ITJobsLondon – IT jobs in London
@ITJobsSydney – IT jobs in Sydney, Australia
@JobsBoston – Jobs in the greater Boston area
General
@JobAngels – Helping the unemployed find jobs
@indeed – One search. All jobs
@jobshouts – General job postings
@simplyhired – Job search site
@StartUpHire – Jobs at VC backed companies
Check these Twitter job-hunting applications too
Twellow the Twitter Yellow Pages
Just tweet it find other Twitter users, just like you
TwitterTroll the coolest real-time Twitter search engine!
Your next job could be just a tweet away.
Reference: Sarah Evans is the director of communications at Elgin Community College (ECC) in Elgin, Illinois. She also authors a PR and social media blog and is the founder of #journchat
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Still not convinced? …then check these links:
15 Twitter Applications for Your Job Search
http://blog.bincsearch.com/?p=1258
20 tips to Twitter job search success
http://jobmob.co.il/blog/beginners-guide-find-a-job-with-twitter/
Using Twitter to Network and Find a Job
http://thetalentbuzz.com/2009/02/find-a-job-using-twitter-and-networking-twitter-job-search-strategies/
Use Twitter for Your Job Search
http://www.keppiecareers.com/2008/11/23/use-twitter-for-your-job-search/?0414ace0
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More about….. TweetMyJobs
Interview with the Founder of TweetMyJobs – Gary Zukowski. He created a service that connects employers and job seekers in real-time using the real-time text messaging service Twitter. Employers can immediately notify job seekers of any new openings, thereby speeding up the recruiting and hiring.
What is TweetMyJobs?
It’s a service that connects employers and job seekers in real-time using the real-time text messaging service Twitter. Employers can immediately notify job seekers of any new openings, thereby speeding up the recruiting and hiring process. There is no cost to job seekers to use this service.
What was the genesis for TweetMyJOBS, and what kind of background do you come from?
I am a 21–year technology veteran of corporate America. I have worked as a developer, manager and consultant in IT organizations such as MITRE, GE and SeaLand, and has been following Twitter’s tremendous growth over the last couple years. Having read about Twitter assisting doctors in hospital operating rooms and even being a valuable communication tool during the Mumbai terrorist bombings, I realized that in this down economy there was a great opportunity for yet another creative use of Twitter.
I also owned an IT consulting firm, EasySoft Solutions, Inc., for the last 13 years, so the business of bringing job seekers and employers together is something I’m very fluent with.
How does the application work?
It is very easy. First, a person signs up for a free Twitter account or uses his or her existing Twitter account. Then, the person goes to TweetMyJOBS.com and signs up for our free service.
Once the account is established TweetMyJOBS job seekers subscribe to “job channels” for the cities and job types they have an interest. Instantly they can begin receiving text messages when positions become available on the job channels they have signed up for. In less than 4 minutes, a user can be getting new job postings on his or her cell phone. In addition, a job seeker can upload a resume and profile onto TweetMyJOBS, and we will tweet it for potential employers to find.
From an employer or sourcing approach, the process is very similar to many other boards. The difference is that the job posting is not only available on TweetMyJOBS for searching, but is sent out on a Job Channel on Twitter, which is then available for anyone on Twitter to see. We also use hashtags for each posting, which helps for searching. Employers can even re-tweet their job postings, which will refresh the listing on Twitter.
What has the response been so far?
Without any advertising, we already have over 4000 members, and close to 50,000 job postings. The jobs being posted on Twitter are getting view traffic, and we’ve even heard from a customer who actually found a job in an hour on TweetMyJOBS, after being unemployed for 6 months and exhausting all the traditional hiring avenues.
We’ve also gotten requests for international job channels, so we’ve turned on Canada, UK, Irelena, and India. We’ll keep expanding as the demand grows.
Why would a job seeker use TweetMyJOBS instead of other job posting services like Monster.com or Hotjobs?
As opposed to sites like Monster.com and Hotjobs where people can sign up to receive email notifications for jobs on a daily basis, TweetMyJOBS subscribers receive notification of a posting immediately. In this economy that could be the difference between getting a job or remaining unemployed. Also, we’re a lot more affordable. Our posting prices range from $.99 to $9.99 per job, depending on the duration, compared to $395 for a 30-day Monster posting.
Most sourcing specialists are very budget conscious today, which makes this type of package even more attractive.
There is a revolution going on in the employment marketplace moving more and more towards social media to source candidates, not only from a financial perspective, but from a quality perspective as well. Social networking sites such as Twitter makes it very easy to refer jobs openings to friends and collaborate about current employment opportunities. Why not integrate the function of job searching to their platforms of choice, rather than make them go to a separate site? This revolution should be putting companies like Monster and CareerBuilder on notice, because I see this trend continuing.
What are the plans for the future and what are the company’s long term goals?
Our immediate plan is to continue expanding the functionality of TweetMyJobs to further enhance the experience for job seekers and job posters.
Our goal is to become the number one social media job site in the world. We want to revolutionize the way employers and candidates connect the same way more traditional web based services transformed this process in the 1990’s. We are confident that based on the tremendous growth of Twitter, coupled with our proprietary software application, we are well positioned to be the market leader.
Source: Gary Zukowski, the founder of a new Twitter application called TweetMyJobs.com
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7 ways to use twitter
Here are 7 ways to use twitter to network your way to an interview or to land your next job.
- First things first! Be creative and selective with the 160 characters you use in your bio. People find you this way, and Recruiters search using keywords.
- Follow @JobAngels. What started just 3 days ago is quickly gaining traction. What is it? Job Angels is a grass-roots movement to help people find work.
- Connect with Recruiters. Look for those within your industry and with connections. You can use sites like TweepSearch that searches twitter profiles – which currently lists over 350 HR Professionals and over 900 Recruiters. Use other key words (talent acquisition, sourcing, executive search, etc.). TweepSearch also shows when their last status update was in the search details so you can get a quick feel how active they are before making a decision to follow. Another recommended tool to search profiles and locations is Twellow.
- Get listed in justtweetit. After listing yourself, search for other tweeps that might be in the same industry or share the same interests. Look for additional ways to broaden your network.
- Follow @jobshouts and @TwitHire. Visit their sites, and job listings that are published on twitter – or sign up for a RSS feed.
- Think like a detective. Use Summize to search terms / hashes like job, hiring, employment, haj (have a job), or naj (need a job).
- Tweet appropriately, and be yourself. When you start following Recruiters and others within your industry and get followed back, remember you are building your brand. A tweet like “Looking for an opportunity in SEO and open to relocation” might go over better than “Being lactose intolerant just sucks”.
Whether or not you get an interview or land that next job via twitter depends on a variety of factors including how much time you invest in it, who you connect with, the content of your tweets, and more. A multi-faceted networking and job search strategy that includes elements of social media and networking is key.
NOTE: It has been said the finding a job with social networking is simple if you are already living the web 2.0 lifestyle
Source: Jason Buss, a Talent Management executive and strategist
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The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter
I found that this site http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/the-ultimate-guide-for-everything-twitter/ has an alphabetized glossary of everything you need (or did not know) about Twitter.
I recommend you check this link t to see a listing of the most popular Twitter applications and instructions for incorporating Twitter into your website and blogs.