Overview/What You Will Learn

Afraid to Tweet?  Don’t be. Learn why Twitter is social media guru and author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies Joshua Waldman’s favorite networking tool and find out everything you need to start using it.  Waldman takes you through the ins and outs of Twitter and demonstrates exactly how and why it will give you a tremendous advantage in your job search.

Key Points

Why You Should Tweet:

• 89% of companies will use social networks to hire.  Hiring managers increasingly rely on Twitter and other social networks to recruit.

• Networking is the primary means of securing a job. Candidates with referrals are 20 times more likely to get a job than candidates applying through job boards. 

• Twitter levels the playing field, giving you access to experts and well-connected individuals in all industries.  

• Twitter jumpstarts relationships. It can get you in the door and help a hiring manager know you better before you meet in person. It is a relationship-builder.

• Twitter happens in “real time.” You participate in live conversations about topics you’re interested in, and you could be a first-responder to a job posting.

• Tweeting gets you “followers.”  And followers give you credibility.

How Twitter Works / Twitter Jargon:

• Twitter is a short-messaging service. Users post (tweet) messages up to 140 characters long.
  • Tweet = a post you send to your network
  • Retweet = to send someone else’s post to your network (RT) – a compliment
  • @Reply = a public tweet which mentions someone’s name. You use it to alert a specific person to your message or to start a conversation with someone.
  • Private Tweet or Direct Message (DM) = a message sent only to someone who follows you.

• Friends vs. Followers
  • Following someone means you like what that person says.
  • When you follow people, you see their posts. When they follow you, they see yours. If you are followed, you call that person your friend.
  • You can follow the tweets of friends as well as companies.

How to Make the Most of Twitter:

• Be concise – no more than 140 characters per tweet.    

• Be professional and be consistent, but be human.

• Use Directories such as Listorious, Tweet My Job and Twellow.  It’s the easiest way to find others and it makes it easier for others to find you.

Your Next Steps / Getting Started on Twitter

• Establish your profile, including your full name, username (or Twitter handle), bio and photo.
  • Your username has an @ in front of it – e.g., @JoshuaWaldman – and is attached to every twitter you send.
  • The ideal Bio describes who you are, what makes you unique, how you excel in your field and what you are looking for. Humanize it with a hobby or passion.  Keywords are critical. It must be fewer than 160 characters.
  • Upload a photo and use a professional-looking image, preferably the same one as your LinkedIn photo.  Consistency is important.

• Tap into Volunteer Job Posting Accounts. Type in your geographic area and keywords or your field of interest to access job listings posted on Twitter channels.

• Spend just ten minutes a day.  Login, post something original, respond and listen. Share news questions, insights and experiences or retweets. Again, tweeting attracts followers and it raises your visibility.