The description of Twitter as a microblogging service that utilizes instant messaging might sound like an odd job-search tool, but before you toss it aside, consider this: Twitter is serious business.
Just to give you an idea of how important Twitter has become on the social media front, consider that over a billion tweets are published each month. A billion tweets every month makes Twitter a powerful tool to be considered.
To a job seeker, information and connections are the key building blocks of a successful search, and with that many people using Twitter, you might need to take a serious look at it.
Ideally, a job search is composed of numerous activities rather than leaning on one tried-and-true approach. Compared to traditional job-search methods, social media is relatively new, but it is changing the way jobs are discovered.
If you find yourself experiencing a lull in your job search efforts, consider using Twitter. You might be surprised at the amount of information you can generate using a few simple techniques.
What if you don’t feel technology is your strength? Here’s the good news: You don’t have to be highly technical to use Twitter, you just have to start.
One good way to start is by following people who are on Twitter. It helps you become familiar with the format using short messages.
As with any new job-search activity, there is a learning curve. Be patient, and give yourself time to learn. The more you observe and practice different methods of job searching the wider you cast your job-search net.
“The Twitter Job Search Guide” is a good resource for Twitter beginners. It helps break down misconceptions and gives good advice on how to use Twitter to find work.
One of the most notable misconceptions is the idea that Twitter is used for sharing things like what you ate for breakfast. If you want to try broadening your job search, leave that perception behind and focus on the business side of Twitter.
“The Twitter Job Search Guide” authors Whitcomb, Bryan and Dib, offer this simple formula you can try to increase your job-search activity with Twitter.
First, set up a Twitter account at twitter.com, if you don’t already have one.
Then, log on to advanced search and you will see a screen that asks for various search options. For an example, if you were looking for jobs in accounting then follow these instructions:
In the words section, choose “Any of these words”, enter “accounting”.
Next, go to the “hashtag and enter “jobs.” Using “jobs” rather than “job” will glean more results.
Next to “near this place” enter your city. You can change the number of miles in the “within this distance” feature. Then select enter and see what information you receive.
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I’m on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/careerrescue with tips and ideas to get your career headed in the right direction. I hope to hear from you soon.
