Twitter for Jobs Searching: Top 10 Tips

by Phil Gerbyshak on June 15, 2009

I can’t find the link or the e-mail, but if memory serves, Julie recently asked me how to use Twitter for the job search and how you might do this most effectively.

I’m not looking for a job, so I did some research into how folks are using Twitter for job searching, and I came up with what I think are 10 top tips. I’d love to hear your feedback after you’re done reading.

Search for job specific keywords and follow some of those people – The more specific you can make your search, the more relevant results you’ll get. The folks who use those terms (in the right context) are folks you want to know more. Follow them and you can use Twitter to get a job.

Follow industry leaders – Who do you know that’s a thought leader in the industry you are in or want to be in? Follow them to listen and learn from them.

Follow local leaders – Are there any local folks in the industry you want to get into? See if they are on Twitter, and follow them to see what they are talking about and see what you can learn from them.

Follow folks at a specific company and learn what the culture is like – Maybe you know a few folks at the company you want to work at. If they’re on Twitter, follow them. If you don’t, use Twitter search to look for them, or look on their corporate site for some names and search those out. You may not find anyone…or you just might find the one person who’s willing and able to help you find a great job!

Follow @jobangels and follow the hashtag #jobangels – Job Angels mission is simple: they ask you to simply help one person find a job! If you have a job to offer, share it by sending a direct message to them, or by tagging it with the hashtag #jobangels They will do the rest.

Share relevant links and Re-Tweet when applicable – There’s no better way to show you are on top of trends than to share what you’re learning with the folks in your network. Add in a Re-Tweet (click here to learn what a re-tweet is and how to do it right) and you’re not only sharing good information but sharing good people too.

Create your own content about your specialty and link to it – This is a bit of a combo tip, as it also requires you to write a little bit of your own content, and not just use Twitter.

Look for hashtags that talk about conferences in your specialty – If you’re follow someone you admire, and you see a #hashtag, click the link and see what they are talking about. This will help you find upcoming trends in your specialty, and find other folks who may not yet be leaders in their industry…or they may be folks that are not yet known as leaders in their industry but who are up and comers.

Ask for help connecting to the decision makers – Do you see any of your Twitter friends connected to folks you want to get in front of? Make a specific ask, best by DM (Direct Message but public may work too) for an introduction and see what happens.

Alert your network you’re looking for a job at least once a week – Throw out a Tweet now and then, at different times of the day, asking for help finding a job. I’d recommend incluing your location, your desired position, a link to your resume or LinkedIn profile, and a request to share this with others who can help. Here’s an example: “Help needed: MKE based social media guy looking for new role. Know anyone who can help? Resume at http://is.gd/10VWQ Pls RT” might be all you need to get someone’s attention and assistance. Picking different times of the day means you’ll hit different parts of your network, and different folks in your network will re-tweet to folks on their network, thus expanding your reach.