Michael DeSafey | Executive Recruiter and HR Professional
How To Use Twitter To Find A Job And Build A Professional Brand
Tweet Your Way To Your Next Job – In Less Than 140 Characters
Over last decade Social media has become a powerful networking tool, so much so, that many professional recruiters and human resource professionals are now utilizing it significantly to find exceptional job candidates.
Throughout the corporate world whether you are in the construction, engineering, environmental or any other industry, harnessing the power of twitter can help you gain visibility, feature accomplishments and even obtain your next exceptional career advancement opportunity.
To be effective with Twitter though, you need to plan out a long term strategy for using it as a professional; social media can help you accomplish great things, but it may also be your
worst nightmare if done incorrectly. Managing your profile, building your network and timing tweets are all important aspects to consider in utilizing Twitter to find your next career opportunity.
Your Profile
Your profile presents you to the world. It is the first thing that an individual will see when they look at your Twitter profile. So make sure it is professional and consistent with all your social media accounts.
Upload a professional headshot of yourself; describe your skills and occupation concisely. Your profile should lead the reader to want to learn more about you and direct them to a location where they will be able to get this detailed information.
Profile Consistency
Your online image should be consistent across all your professional social media accounts; whether Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.. you need to create a brand that sticks out in the viewer’s mind. So whether you are on Twitter or LinkedIn that branding needs to be the same.
Consistency when it some to social media is of prime importance. Your Twitter handle and other social media account user names should utilize your name. This will allow recruiters to find you quickly online through a google or social media account search, pulling up all the relevant information about you quickly.
It is suggested to use your name as a handle (ie..@Johndoe); if for any reason your name is not available you can always include your profession in your handle (ie.. @jobdoe_UrbanPlanner). This will add an additional level of credibility to your professional image.
As Twitter limits you to 160 characters in your profile you need to additionally describe your professional background precisely and lead the reader to either a personal website or LinkedIn profile where they can learn more detailed information about you and your qualifications.
Start Following People
As twitter is essentially an open network, it allows you to follow just about anyone you may want and communicate with individuals you may not have any relationship with currently. This is a great tool for building your professional networks; circulating your name among other professionals and leaders within your specific industry will get you noticed and recognized by others.
A good strategy is to begin following influential industry leaders; the Project Managers, Vice Presidents, Presidents of other firms you may want to work for. It will allow you some insight into their companies, projects, corporate needs. By utilizing a basic search on Twitter or any directory service you should be able to find these individuals rather quickly.
Make your tweets count.
So your profile is now complete and you have begun following individuals and building your network. Now is the time to begin tweeting, sharing your thoughts and presenting to the world your skills, accomplishments. Your objective now turns to building the reputation that will get you noticed by industry leaders.
You now have a platform that allows you to share your expertise, but you need to use if effectively. Present yourself as an expert in your field, tweet timely and relevant information that your followers will have some interest in. Utilizing current news, projects, industry developments, etc.. are all good things to tweet. The most effective tweets will be those that link your social media or personal websites together. Posting an article on LinkedIn and tweeting about it or placing a free document on your personal website that individuals can download will all garner attention and showcase your expertise.
Being perceived as an expert will greatly enhance your abilities to be found by recruiters. As today’s job market is very competitive you need to show the value you would bring to an organization; Twitter and other social media allow you an easy and free way to do this, impacting directly the most influential people to your job search.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com ). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com