Twitter Job Search Strategies

September 26, 2013Christy Schutz

Agenda

• Intro to Twitter• 4 Ways To Use Twitter for Job Search• Remembering the Goal of Twitter• Brief Overview of How to Get Started• Q&A

My Background

• Advertising, Marketing and Communications Professional for past 15+years

• Last 13 years with the recruitment communications firm, Bernard Hodes Group

• Co-published book on Women-Owned Businesses in the Tampa Bay Area called CRAVE Tampa Bay

• Author on career management, telecommuting, women in the workplace, and more

• On Twitter: @ChristyKSchutz

Intro to Twitter

What is Twitter?

• Information Source• Noise• Celebrities• Contacts• What people had for lunch• Showcase of Best Practice business ideas• Meaningless & overwhelming• Another tool in your job search arsenal

All of the above!

What is Twitter?

“Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting. Simply find the accounts you find most compelling and follow the conversations.”

What is a Tweet?

At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters long. Tweets can contain photos, videos and conversations – all in a glance.

Learn the Lingo:Twitter Terminology• Feed: the stream of tweets that shows all the Tweets from the users you are

following on Twitter• Handle: your username on Twitter• Retweet: when you repost another Twitter user’s Tweet• Mention: tweets can include mentions of other Twitter users by using their

@name/handle• Reply: when you respond publically to a specific user• Direct Message: when you correspond privately with a specific user (both have to

be following each other) • Hashtag #: hash tags are words or acronyms used to make your content more

searchable• URL Shorteners: bit.ly, tinyurl, ht.ly, etc.

Ways to Use Twitter for Job Search

#1: Twitter Handle & Professional Profile

• Take care when creating your Twitter handle• Twitter profile is your online business card• Describe your skills and experience• Use terms recruiters would search for when looking

for talent• Link to your online resume, website, blog, or

LinkedIn profile• Forces you to be brilliant and brief• Powerful personal branding tool

#1: Twitter Handle & Professional Profile

• Twitter’s culture makes it acceptable to “follow” companies you are not plugged into or people you don’t personally know

• Start following these users and grow the number of individuals/companies you follow slowly to avoid looking “spammy”

• When you follow them, you will see their posts, but they won’t necessarily see yours (unless they follow you back)

• Listen and learn about the topics they are tweeting about (excellent way to prep for an interview, identify new career paths or learning opportunities, etc.)

#2: Connect with Key Players/Organizations

• Find jobs before they are stumbled upon by your competition on the job boards or company websites (results are usually more timely than Google or other search engines)

• Use hashtags like #Jobs, #JobSearch, #JobOpening, #JobListing, #HR, #Recruiting, #Hiring, #Employment, #ApplyNow

• See “who” is broadcasting the tweet, and consider them as a potential “friend” for your network

#2: Connect with Key Players/Organizations

Use Twitter’s search or Twitter directories to start following people in your industry, companies you are interested in working for, etc.

#2: Connect with Key Players/Organizations

#3: Contribute Valuable Content

• Ask/respond to questions• Join Twitter chats• Share news articles that are relevant to your industry• Retweet links or tweets from other industry leaders

you respect

What to Tweet?

• Take a multi-channel approach that blends industry content (news, articles, advanced in the industry, subject matter expertise) along with inspirational quotes, point-of-view comments, conversational dialogue, and a taste of your personality.

What NOT to Tweet?

• Sex, politics, religion, jokes or disparaging remarks about race, ethnicity, or geographic location

• Trash talking your employer or colleagues• Other things that are going to position you negatively

during your job search (be cognitive of your personal brand)

#4: Make a Personal Connection

• Establish contact, build a relationship, then take it offline

• Be bold enough to suggest meeting for coffee or trading ideas on a quick conference call

• Attend Meetups, tweet n’ meets and industry conference events, etc.

That one’s worth repeating!

Don’t lose site of the fact that the end goal in all of this is

to develop relationships that will transcend the

computer screen and help you land your next great job!

Overview of How to Get Started

Register (or Login)

Create a Profile

• Include a picture

• Professional, searchable, and impactful

• Link to your own website or your LinkedIn profile

Start Tweeting!

Managing Your Time

• Know what you want to accomplish and track your progress (@replies, DM and follows offer instant feedback)

• Set limits by establishing amount of time/frequency• Utilize social media management tools like Hootsuite,

Buffer, Socialoomph, Tweetdeck, etc.• Set filters up front that will help you later (e.g. lists,

searches)• Create a content calendar that outlines the types of things

and topics you are going to tweet each week

Q & A

Resources:

• Twitter 101: What is Twitter Really About: http://socialmediatoday.com/node/1371811

• Twitter YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AN4_N5N52U#t=12

• 10 Best Social Media Management Tools: http://dashburst.com/best-social-media-management-tools/

Ways to connect with me:

• Twitter: @ChristyKSchutz• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christyvalienteschutz• Facebook: www.facebook.com/christy.schutz