How To Use Twitter For Job Hunting

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Twitter is one of the fastest-growing social networking sites, and it might be your key to finding a new job ASAP. Job hunting 140-characters at a time presents unique challenges, so make sure your Twitter account is ready before you begin your Twitter job hunt.

Maintain an Online Presence

If you’re looking for a job, Twitter provides ways to make contact with employers, but Twitter’s short 140-character format doesn’t give you room to tell employers about yourself. If you want to find work using Twitter, you’ll need to maintain an online presence to tell employers about your experience, and to serve as a resume. You can set up a simple website with a resume, or even a blog containing information about your background and experience. Provide a link to your online presence in your Twitter profile. Mashable has a great article on How To: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume.

Make Your Connections Work for You

One of the biggest benefits of using social networking to find a job is to make your connections work for you. Tweet to your followers that you’re looking for work. Ask them to pass your info on to employers who might be interested in your services. Get your name out to as many people as possible in order to find your new job.

Use “Job Search” Tweets

Several Twitter accounts and hashtags exist exclusively for job searching. @microjobs is a Twitter account where employers can Tweet open positions, and microjobs retweets the information to followers. Hashtag #tweetmyjobs is another Twitter job-posting destination, which enables Twitter users to see all Tweets containing that hashtag. #careers, #jobs, and #job are other popular Twitter job-search hashtags. Check often to see new jobs.

While you’re at it, take a look at the people Tweeting about jobs. If you see recruiters, headhunters or employers with multiple openings, you might want to check them out to see if they have any other qualified jobs.

Make your Twitter Account “Employer Friendly”

Many people use Twitter to share personal status updates that have nothing to do with their work, job experience or professional life. If you’re planning to use Twitter to find a job, make your Twitter account “employer friendly.” Use a professional-looking avatar – not a picture of you drunk on St. Patrick’s Day. Delete references to non-work activities that might offend or put off employers. Avoid Tweeting things that don’t refer to your job search or professional life; at least for the duration of your hunt. Also, make your 160-character ‘bio’ on Twitter a very short elevator pitch of your skills, expertise or job search information.

Twitter Job Hunting is a Give and Take

Job hunting via Twitter isn’t all about what people can do for you. Ultimately, it’s the connections that count, but being a good member of the community can get you more than a take-take-take attitude. If you’re helpful and interact with people, you can grow your network. If you’re constantly self-promoting, people will be much less inclined to follow you, and you’ll actually hurt your chances of finding a job. Remember to keep your Tweets professional, even when interacting with friends. You never know when a potential employer might find you and pass you by.