Twitter has become a great resource for just about anything, including jobs. From industry chats to Twitter accounts dedicated to posting vacancies, there are a ton of resources for landing a gig.
We’ve already chronicled how to get a job through Facebook and YouTube, and now we’re taking a look at the job hunting process on Twitter.
We spoke with nine Tweeters who have landed jobs through Twitter to get their top tips for success on the platform. Below you’ll find a guide to their job hunt strategies on the microblogging service.
If you’ve also been successful in finding a position via Twitter, let us know about your experience in the comments below.
1. Tweet Like an Industry Expert
Words to tweet by: You are what you tweet. Keep in mind that everything you tweet lends to — or takes away from — your online persona. Whether or not you’re searching for a job, make sure your Twitter stream represents you as a professional individual that has important and unique thoughts to contribute. Your goal should be to become an industry expert — or at least tweet like one.
Share links that are relevant to your followers, adding commentary to the latest industry news. This shows that you’re keeping up with industry trends and gives potential employers a look into what you read and care about, which will help them to envision how you may fit into their company’s work environment.
If your commentary on Twitter is interesting enough, you may have employers knocking on your door. Christa Keizer, a recent intern at Cone, a strategy and communications firm, used Twitter during her job search to “[post] relevant, industry-related tweets on a daily basis to establish credibility.” After commenting on one of Cone’s blogs, Marcus Andrews, the New Media Associate at Cone, tweeted to Keizer, thanking her for her comment and asking her about her summer work plans. A few tweets and an interview later, Keizer was hired.
Kate Ottavio, an account executive at PR agency Quinn & Co., had a similar experience. Prior to working at Quinn, she ran her own PR firm. One day, Allyns Melendez, HR Director at Quinn, started following Ottavio on Twitter — she waited for Ottavio to follow back, and then asked her if she’d like to move to New York, where Quinn is headquartered. Little did she know, Melendez was looking for a new hire for the real estate division of the firm. Melendez had first searched for “PR” and “real estate” on LinkedIn, where Ottavio’s profile popped up.
Although Ottavio wasn’t looking for a job at the time, her Twitter strategy had always been to “represent myself as a knowledgeable and reputable PR professional. I tweet about 10-20 times a day about anything from personal experiences to Mashable articles to PR blog posts.” Loving the opportunity that Quinn presented her, she promptly accepted.
2. Use Twitter Hashtags
There are lots of ways to use Twitter hashtags to get a job. Here are a few types of hashtags to get you started:
- Job Listings: You can find general job advice and lots of listings through hashtags like #jobs, #recruiting, #jobadvice, #jobposting, #jobhunt and #jobsearch. To narrow it down, though, seek out more specific hashtags, such as or #prjobs or #salesjobs.
- Industry Conferences: Most conferences these days have their own hashtags — when a relevant industry conference is approaching, get active with attendees using the hashtag. Whether you’re attending the conference or not, you can contribute to the conversation. Many conferences also have live streams, so it’s as if you’re attending anyway! Live tweet panels and speeches that you’re interested in and connect with other tweeters along the way. By using Twitter for networking within your industry, you’ll increase your chances of getting hired down the road.
- Job-Related and Industry Chats: Getting involved with industry chats is a way to show your industry in a particular field and represent yourself as a knowledgeable person. Check out this Twitter chat schedule to get a head start. Also, if your search isn’t going so well, get involved in job-related chats, such as #jobhuntchat, #careerchat, #internchat and #hirefriday for friendly advice.
Liz (Pope) Schmidt, now the media and research manager at Sevans Strategy, attested to the power of industry Twitter chats: “I began participating in #Journchat, created and hosted by Sarah Evans [owner of Sevans Strategy, a public relations and new media consultancy]. Although I had known Sarah from a past virtual work experience, I was able to reconnect with her through Twitter. I mentioned her in several tweets and participated in her online discussions. Soon after, based on a direct message conversation with Sarah on Twitter, I came on board at Sevans Strategy.”
Besides scouring job search hashtags, job seekers can also follow Twitter accounts dedicated to posting job openings, use Twitter search to find postings or keep an eye out on the Twitter streams of companies they might want to work for.
3. Connect with Recruiters and Current Employees
Don’t be afraid to research the companies that you want to work for to find out who currently works there and who is involved with recruiting. After all, while you’re searching for a job, recruiters are scouring the web at the same time looking for pertinent information about job candidates. Interacting with current employees and active recruiters is an easy way to learn more about a company and its job opportunities.
Take Connie Zheng’s word — she’s already been hired for two jobs through Twitter. “I got my PR internship at Text 100 using Twitter, as well as my entry-level position at Burson-Marsteller using Twitter,” she explained. She advises job seekers, “Use Twitter as a research tool to identify who the appropriate HR person or recruiter is at the desired company.”
Shankar Ganesh, a student at the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy in India, recently landed a marketing consulting internship at business apps provider Zoho Corporation by connecting with a technologist employed by the company. “I wanted to spend my summer as an intern at Zoho, so I approached employees using Twitter,” he recounted. “I showed them what I had done previously and my website for credibility. My interest was forwarded to Zoho’s HR team, and we got in touch.” Soon after, he was offered the internship.
Even if a company isn’t hiring, it’s a good idea to stay in contact with recruiters and employees. When a position opens up, it’s likely that you’ll be one of the first to be contacted, said Alison Morris, an account coordinator at The CHT Group, a strategic communications firm based in Boston. Morris told us how she landed her current position on Twitter:
“In April 2010, Ben Hendricks, Senior VP at The CHT Group, and I began corresponding about corporate communications and social media’s role in the corporate environment. Much to my dismay, CHT was not yet hiring. In June, after a few months distance, Ben sent me an email to let me know the agency was hiring and that he wanted me to apply. Still looking for a job, I sent over my resume, and about a week later, I was employed.”
Keep an eye out for socially savvy companies like CHT — it also recently hired Marissa Green as an account coordinator through Twitter and is now looking for a spring intern, with Twitter being one of its main recruiting outlets.
4. Build a Relevant Network
A lot of successful Twitter job stories actually end with the punchline, “I wasn’t even looking for a job.” In many cases, these lucky new hires just found interesting opportunities serendipitously, which makes sense given that it’s Twitter we’re talking about.
Twitter is all about networking, so build a network that makes sense for you. You’ll find that a lot of the opportunities that are presented to you are simply organic. Here’s an anecdote along those lines from Marketing & Communications Manager for digital agency ChaiONE, Meghan Stephens:
“Through Twitter, I am connected to other marketing professionals, digital creatives, community stewards, and new media experts — simply because those are the types of people that I enjoy interacting with and learning from… When it came time to look for a job in the technology sector, all I did was turn to those who I already gained inspiration from. When glancing through my stream, I saw a job link posted by my now-boss that sounded immediately like what I was looking for. I read through the description, realized I already knew the company through another connection made on Twitter, and sent in my resume.”
5. Start a “Hire Me” Campaign
After seeing a job posting for HeadBlade, a men’s grooming company that makes products specifically for guys that shave their heads, Eric Romer immediately set up a website, Twitter page, Facebook Page and YouTube account all in the name of nabbing the job.
‘The posting for ‘Interactive and Social Media Marketing Manager’ was tweeted from the HeadBlade Twitter account, which I had been following for several months,” explained Romer. “I have been a die-hard ‘HeadBlader’ using their products religiously since 2005, so this was literally a dream job.”
“While there were several channels used, Twitter was by far the most effective getting on HeadBlade’s radar,” said Romer. “I received a call from a company rep within 48 hours of my initial blog posting, and flew from Indianapolis to L.A. within 10 days for an interview.”
While a full-out campaign of this nature may not be the best strategy for every job opportunity that comes along, this type of passion is what really stands out in the job recruiting process. If you encounter your dream job, go all out.
6. Take It Offline
Three simple words: “Let’s get coffee.”Once you’ve gained a certain level of dialogue with a potential employer, an in-person meeting can really boost the relationship.
DJ Waldow, director of community at Blue Sky Factory, said that he landed his job at the company through connecting with Blue Sky Factory’s CEO Greg Cangialosi on Twitter. After initially “stalking” Cangialosi on Twitter, Waldow began engaging with him. Eventually, all of the tweets lead to an in-person meeting, which Waldow feels really sealed the deal. He wrote of the experience:
“The transition from online to in real life is critical… All of the loose connections you’ve made with that person are suddenly solidified when you put the name/avatar/tweets together with a face. Nothing can replace this. Nothing.”
Your Tips
With the increasing popularity of Twitter, more and more job seekers and recruiters are turning to the social network to find leads. We suspect that a sizable number of Mashable readers have used Twitter in some way to find a job. If so, let us know about your experiences in the comments below.
Social Media Job Listings
Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!
More Job Search Resources from Mashable:
- 5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers
- HOW TO: Use Twitter Hashtags to Boost Your Job Search
- HOW TO: Land a Career in Digital Public Relations
- 10 Tips for Aspiring Digital Marketers
- What Companies Want in a Social Media Intern
Image courtesy of Flickr: alancleaver & chichacha
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