12. Anatomy of a Profile Profile statement Link to book site Balanced follow ratio, active tweeter Following these folks Optional Background Profile Photo Tweets promote book & publishing
All posts are limited to 140 characters – can be sent from either an internet or mobile phone connection No introductions required , you see any twitter stream and follow anyone You can use it in the way many people think of it, as a diary, a menu or a playlist, but it can also be a very effective networking tool Sharing: Insights and News Connecting: with people with shared interests Promoting: your business, ideas and yourself!
Twitter has added over 25 million visitors in the US alone in the first seven months of 2009, counting nearly 27 million visitors in July according to online measurement vendor Quantcast
Locating jobs Job Boards, Recruiters (internal and external) tweet jobs you can use search functions or follow targeted tweeps Establish credentials – tweet about topics that showcase your expertise and interests Networking – follow industry leaders and well-connected people in your locality or profession Intelligence Gathering – search on company or topical tweets, look for seminar/conference tweets using hashtag # searches
You can search Twitter to find people working at or talking about specific companies as well as job postings TweetBeep can be set up to send you alerts when key phrases appear There are quite a few job posting feeds, but the filters don’t seem to work well, looking for industry and/or area specific feeds and searches are a better bet
Tweet about relevant articles and observation, link to content you’ve created, like blog entries and articles Follow thought leaders in your field and people at companies of interest Follow local connectors, they often mention networking events and jobs – MotorCity and its founders Terry Bean and Charlie Wolberg - This can also be used to connect to people in other geographies Because it’s an OPEN network, you can use Twitter to reach out to people of interest; I have found people are open to establishing relationships this way
You can have more than one account, some people have separate ones for personal, business, blogs, even their dog! But let’s start with ONE Profile: 160 characters allowed to mention your professional and personal strengths Link: use your Linkedin profile, a business website or online resume Background: Select from several Twitter default backgrounds and colors. Creating a custom background is an option, formatting can be tricky, but illustrates graphic capability. Photo: I recommend a professional photo, suitable for Linkedin Notifications, you can be notified by email when someone starts following you or sends you a direct message if you don’t constantly monitor the service Devices: use to set up your phone to send/receive tweets
# Hashtag To identify a tweet as belonging to a special category, such as #jobs Social Media Manager, Raleigh NC RT re-tweet To broadcast someone else’s tweet to all your followers RT @careerexaminer Hiring good talent - find it first -- http://bit.ly/ruk0g @ at reply To send a message to someone that everyone can see @cleoparker interesting blog, cleo thanks for the link http://bit.ly/Kfay DM - Direct Message To send a private message between two people D cleoparker You won a free dog training clicker/whistle for following HBH Pet Products! Send your mailing address via DM and watch for your prize
Job Posting Services Some will be more relevant than others; look for targeted industry, area or customization Recruiters Specific to your industry, area or HR within a target company Target Companies Find online discussion, employee postings to gather intelligence Job Search Advice Curt and other authors and aggregators of job search information # topics http://wthashtag.com/Main_Page
NOT: Your diary, menus, playlist unless you’re a teenager, chef, or DJ Twenty things job seekers shouldn’t say on Twitter Should be Obvious, but EVERYTHING you say is available, don’t talk about drinking on the job, lying on your resume, or call your former boss names Links – brief comment, and use URL shortening service Professional relevance Your own website, articles or blog pos Original observations, breaking news, job leads RT Content of interest Tweets of professional relevance Valuable job search advice (@careerexaminer)
The basic Twitter interface is simple, but can be difficult to navigate because everything feeds into the same column. Fortunately there are several free applications that allow users to better manage their experience: Tweetdeck – most popular, what I use Also well-regarded: Hootsuite Twirl Categorize people you follow; jobs, advice, professional, personal, etc. Unique columns for @replies and DMs
Job Shouts – nationwide postings, mostly requiring college ed, also job search tips and freebies Startup Hire – jobs at VC backed companies, various skills Zulu Jobs MI – Lots of jobs, few require college Job Angels – tweets about specific people looking for specific positions
There are MANY tweeps posting job hunting advice, here are some that I like Follow Motor City Connect for news about local networking events and occasionally, jobs CrainsDetroit tweets about business news, that can help you target growing companies These are two recruiters I follow because they work in HR at local ad agencies; with some detective work you can find people who will tweet new opportunities at companies of interest
Here are links to articles with more information about searching for jobs on Twitter, some of the tools designed to aid in finding jobs The Twitter Workbook by local author/publisher David R Haslam is also an excellent educational resource