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Twitter was created as a micro-blogging service with the idea of sharing and communicating in 140 characters. But as the website continues its exponential growth with more than 44.5 million unique visitors worldwide in June 2009, it is becoming a hot-spot for job seekers as well.
Formulate a Twitter job hunting strategy to effectively build your professional network and personal brand to get you your dream job.
Below are 12 tips to help you get started!
1. Create a separate professional Twitter Account
Personal and professional tweets normally do not mix well together. My recommendation is to have two separate accounts: one personal and another professional. If you have a personal account, beware of what you share and try to keep your profiles as private as possible. Click here to see why!
2. Choose the right username
Choose a username that makes your profile easy to search for. It should contain your full name or at least your first name. You can also include your industry or area of expertise. For example, Sebastian_Tech or JonWebDesigner. You have up to 15 characters to define yourself!
3. Design your profile to impress
Create a “killer” job pitch in your Twitter bio (You have 140 characters). Try to use a tag line that reflects your professionalism. Be smart, provocative and innovative. Also, include a link to your online CV or resume in your bio. Use tools like VisualCV for a strong visual impact. Choose a professional-looking avatar and utilize your Twitter background to promote yourself (as seen below).
4. Build your personal brand as an expert in your field
Twitter is a great space for sharing your experience and knowledge. Displaying a consistent level of expertise could help recruiters look beyond your CV to evaluate your qualifications.
5. Use the best tools for your tweets
You can use Twhirl from your PC and m.twitter.com from your mobile. Other tools worth trying are TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop, which let you categorize the people you follow.
6. Search if companies of your interest are on Twitter
Follow them on Twitter, especially if they have a local account. Also remember to check out their followers. Connect with their current employees who can recommend you for job openings.
7. Follow recruiters that are actively looking for candidates
Companies like Starbucks, Intel, and MTV already have separate accounts for job seekers. Besides, there are a variety of Twitter accounts dedicated to provide job listings by field, company, region, and more. Enable mobile alerts to receive timely updates from these accounts.
You can follow proactive Twitter job search accounts like @Microjobs and @hashjobs. It brings job seekers and recruiters together through tweets. Recruiters begin their tweets with “@Microjobs” to notify it of job openings and it will automatically tweet out these offers to registered job seekers.
8. Use the Twitter search function
Through simple search, you can find additional Twitter job resources. Try searching for keywords such as “looking for a job”, “job openings” or “mobile career”. You may also find people who have tweeted job offers in the past.
9. Twitter from time to time about your job search
As your network grows, your new followers need to know that you’re looking for a job. An occasional reminder is enough to make them aware of your job hunt and refer you when the opportunity arises.
10. Use #hashtags
Tag your tweets with relevant keywords to make them easily searchable (e.g. #techadvice). You never know who are searching for them!
11. Expand your network further
You need to build a network that have high affinity with your job seeking interests. Use directory tools like TwitDir and Just Tweet It to find industry professionals to follow.
Tools like Twubble also allows you to easily track who your followers are following. Visit their profiles and see their starred favorites to get to know them a little bit more.
12. Link your Twitter profile to your CV
With an impressive profile and consistent personal branding on Twitter, don’t be afraid to let potential employers know. You can also include a link to your Twitter profile in your email signature when responding to and inquiring about job offers.
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