I hear it over and over, “Twitter is stupid.” When some people find out I teach social media they tell me how dumb twitter is. They know almost nothing about twitter and have never even seen it, yet they are convinced (based on something they’ve read or heard) that it’s a waste of time. When I explain it, some people still argue with me and announce,”I’ll never use twitter.”
To that I reply, “You don’t have to.” If you can grow your company, find a job, network effectively or accomplish your other goals without it, then good. If however, you’re looking to inexpensively reach new contacts; you may want to have an open mind. I encourage people to learn what twitter is and how it might help them. I agree Twitter isn’t for everyone but only make that decision after its capabilities are understood.
If you are unfamiliar with Twitter you may think that you have to follow people and have followers and that is what it’s all about. The power of twitter is in REAL TIME SEARCH. All the information that is attached to a ‘tweet’ is there because a person thinks it’s worthwhile.
Here are just a few facts about twitter for job seekers. Did you know that:
- There are a minimum of 180 recruiters on twitter?
- There are over 50 companies who regularly post jobs on twitter?
- You can find jobs by searching on a profession e.g. @engineering
- You can find an internship by searching @findinternerships
- You can research jobs by geography
- Check out 50 Terrific Twitter Tips for Job Seekers
Companies post jobs to twitter because:
- It’s free
- It can easily reach passive and active candidates
- People who find jobs there already ‘get’ the power of social media and don’t need to be trained
I regularly teach social media for job hunters, my next session is on October 29 at the Pittsford Library, Rochester, NY. Let me know if you’d like to join us. The sessions are free, fun and you can network at the same time as you learn. I am looking forward to meeting you.
Arthur
October 5, 2009Deb,
Great blog about Twitter! Thankfully, you are one of the smart people on Twitter who I follow!
I also follow experts in my industry, companies I’m interested in for employment, and employees of those companies to learn more about them and their corporate culture. In fact, Twitter just might be more valuable to me right now in my job search than LinkedIn!
What time is the session on Oct. 29th?
Regards,
Arthur
http://twitter.com/acatalanello
http://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurcatalanello
Deborah
October 5, 2009Arthur, thanks for the comment and compliment. I follow you too. The session is Thursday, October 29 at the Pittsford Library starting at 7pm. I’m sure we’ll have a great discussion . People always ask such great questions.
I agree that twitter is surprisingly useful in the job hunt. Real time search can reveal all kinds of interesting things. Regards, Deb
Sue Schnorr
October 13, 2009Deborah, I couldn’t agree more. It’s been a huge help for me with my current research project. I have connected with several thought leaders around the world and have found an immense amount of information. Thanks to twitter, I have been pointed to relevant articles in well respected trade publications, to blogs of the ‘guru’s
in the field. I was able to interview one such person who actually lives here in Rochester. Can you imagine? Without twitter and the power of networking to share information, I would have had an expert in my backyard and not known it!
Deborah
October 13, 2009Hi Sue, thanks for the comment. Yes, I love twitter and can spend a short amount of time there and get so much out of it. Like you, I am privileged to be meeting all kinds of people. I have been able to meet key influencers in health care (one of my verticals) and learn a great deal about the changes in electronic medical records. There are some amazing experts right here in Rochester. we’ll get to know them more and more through twitter.
Banjes
October 26, 2009I’ve noticed that one messages are posted to Twitter they only seem to remain “searchable” for about a day (if that, depending upon volume of traffic to the site). Seems like employers are going to get tired of posting the same job(s) every day to keep them “visible” to searchers. Although Twitter is amusing, I suspect that work to support posts on the portal is too rigorous and this vehicle may not maintain long-term intertia.
Banjes
October 26, 2009Oops, I meant to say “once that messages are posted to Twitter…”
Deborah
October 27, 2009Hi Banjes, Yes, I realize that jobs do not ‘stay’ but there are tools that make reposting automatic (tweetlater maybe called social oomph now) so this isn’t as much of a problem as it might seem. The job seeker does need to keep searching but there are also tools to keep a search open on your desk top (tweetdeck/seesmic) that allow the search to “run” in real time. I hope this helps. Thanks for your comment.