10 Ways To Use Twitter For Job Search

If you are in the middle of a job search or are passively looking, Twitter needs to be part of your overall effort.  There.  I said it.

The “who to follow” question has been answered, I think.  I included some of my favorites in a recent post: Job Search By Pay Phone and I recommend this job search article posted by Willy Franzen at One Day One Job blog.

I also recommend the post How Not To Let Twitter Become A Waste Of Time written by one of the blogging greats, Darren Rowse.  His site TwiTip is one of the best for Twitter.

But first I have to say that I am no expert on Twitter.  So what you are getting from me here is my own brainstorm.  Things that have worked for me so far and things I will be trying in the near future to make myself (hopefully) a more interesting and relevant contributor.

One of my biggest challenges early on was avoiding the trap of too much self-promotion.  It is easy to only focus your tweets on your ideas, your blog posts and your news of the day.  As you mature on Twitter you learn that, as in life, it is always better for someone else to toot your horn instead of you.

OK, so here are my suggestions on “what to say”:

1.  Before saying anything, be a good listener.  What I should have done early on was not say anything at all.  Had I spent a few days just reading the other posts, I would have seen that unselfish tweets win the day.

2.  Next, pick a few tweets written by others and reply to the author.  Compliment their ideas, thank them for sharing and add some new thoughts to what they said.  Start to get a feel for the conversational style of others on Twitter.

3.  As you start to follow people and begin to build your own following, you can pick tweets from others that you like and re-tweet them to your followers.  Use “RT” at the beginning (means “Re-Tweet”). Here you add value to your followers and help out someone you are following (a rub of the back).

4.  Post updates from your life that give people an insight into your situation.  If you are looking for a job, tweet good news or news of small wins along the way.  If you are struggling, it’s OK to share a frustration.  There may be a few people out there who can pick you up off the ground with a new perspective.

5.  Ask an interesting question or request specific advice from someone you are following.  This can either be done by replying to a related tweet or sending a direct message (dm) to someone with whom you’ve built a relationship.

6.  Share an article or a blog post that you found interesting.  Use TinyURL to shrink down long URLs (saves characters in this 140 character max environment).

7.  Create a short series of tweets to spread a multi-faceted idea over a 60 second time period.  This helps you get seen in what can become a very crowded environment.  But don’t overdo it.  Any more than a few tweets can feel like SPAM (unwanted content) to your followers.

8.  Create a daily idea or daily tip series.  One per day, numbered, so people know they can look at your tweet history if they catch it in the middle.  Pick an area of expertise and stay focused here.

9.  Be authentic and true to your style.  Don’t try to be obnoxious or glib if that’s not you.  People will follow you and become attached to your tweets if and when you establish a position in their minds.

10.  Avoid “Facebook style” random updates.  People don’t want to hear that you “just walked your dog” or “found a new fried chicken you like”.  Think relevance.

So, that’s my take.  I am still learning, but hopefully my learning can be your intro to what is quickly becoming an important tool in the job search effort.

Want to follow my tweets on Twitter?  To see how I do?  Whether I follow my own advice?

Follow Tim’s Strategy on Twitter.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• (I Am Tired Of) Generic LinkedIn Invitations
• Social Media And Your Job Search: Act Like a Company
• Is Your Personal Brand In Demand?
• 10 Ways To Build A High Value Network
• Using FourSquare To Manage Your Personal Brand