5 Tips to Find Your Next Job on Twitter
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Social media participation is increasing daily and sharing information via social networks is now part of everyday life for many of us. We use social media in a number of ways: to connect with like-minded people, to gather information and receive news, to crowdsource dilemmas and decisions and even find job opportunities. Though using social media in a job search is fairly common these days, many job seekers think of LinkedIn as the go-to network for job searching and networking. However, Twitter can be extremely useful in a job search, despite not being a professional social network. If you’re looking for a new opportunity, here are five tips you can use to find your next job on Twitter:
Tweet Like a Professional
I know what you’re thinking: didn’t I just say Twitter isn’t a professional social network? It isn’t inherently professional, but can be used in a professional way when seeking employment. What that means is: tweet as if your boss (or your future boss) is reading your tweets. Don’t post party pictures, swear or make inappropriate jokes. What you should share: industry-specific content, news and events (industry and non-industry), information about personal interests (music, sports, etc.) and educational or entertaining material. Don’t be afraid to show your personality, as you want people to know you’re a real person, but don’t get carried away.
Follow Recruiters and Industry Professionals
Many job seekers are on Twitter, which means recruiters are using Twitter to fill open requisitions. Additionally, countless professionals in a variety of industries participate in Twitter daily. Recruiters and industry professionals are great people to build relationships with, and a relationship can start by simply following someone on Twitter. Twitter users are notified when someone follows him/her, so you can let someone know you’re interested in what he/she has to say with the click of your mouse. Once you follow someone, strike up a conversation by replying to a tweet or asking a question and see how things go from there.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags are basically keywords used on Twitter to aggregate tweets about any given topic. If you search a hashtag, all tweets containing said hashtag would be included in search results. For example, when employers or recruiters post about job openings, many include the #job hashtag, so job seekers should search for #job tweets to see open positions. Other popular hashtags for job seekers to follow include:
Participate in Relevant Twitter Chats
Twitter chats are when a group of people all tweet about the same topic using a specific #hashtag. The hashtag is specific to the chat so people can follow along with chat questions and responses without other, unrelated tweets getting into the mix. Most Twitter chats are on a schedule: once a week, every other week or once a month. There are many specific job-hunt chats that people seeking employment can participate in to learn about the challenges other job seekers are facing and connect with potential employers, mentors and more. There are a few well-known chats that job seekers can join, such as #InternPro, #CareerChat and #JobHuntChat. To find other relevant chats, check this Twitter chat schedule.
Have Genuine Conversations
Social media is all about making connections. How do you make connections on Twitter? Have genuine conversations with other users. Talk to people about your interests, the news, industry knowledge, events and anything else that’s appropriate. Ask people questions, share your opinion and respond when others reach out to you. Relationships built on Twitter can lead to many things: new friends, new potential colleagues, new mentors, new bosses, etc. Your connections on Twitter may lead to a foot in the door when a position opens up at one of your followers’ companies, and strong relationships can be leveraged in your job search.
Have you used Twitter to find a job? What are your tips? Let us know in the comment section below.
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