Resumes For Dummies. DeCarlo Laura

messages far and wide: “The majority of Twitter users never post anything … but they are definitely reading and clicking.”

      Twitter offers a stable of techniques to make a successful job search materialize for you, including bumping up your visibility and connecting with employment targets.

      One of the techniques – inspiring a friend to tweet for you – is illustrated by the case of a young Chicago woman who told a pal she hoped to find an internship in public relations but was having zero luck. Her friend tweeted a marketing pitch: “Anyone hiring for a PR internship? I know a well-qualified candidate on the hunt.” A follower of the tweeter immediately responded with an offer. An internship was born at a start-up PR firm in Chicago that, after graduation, morphed into a full-time job.

      Direct pitching for yourself on Twitter is another way to go. When a woman was laid off from an Idaho-based computer company, she packed up her desk and on the way out tweeted: “Just been laid off from XYZ computer company.” By the time the newly minted employment seeker left the parking lot, she had a job offer from a friend who ran a local web-development company.

      Sampling the Twitter benefits buffet

      “Short is sweet” describes Twitter’s ability to communicate big ideas in a few words, a feature increasingly appreciated by job searchers and those who advise them. Here’s a taste of Twitter:

      ✔ Speeding toward jobs. In a job market where every opening attracts unbelievable numbers of resumes and often closes application within the first 24 to 48 hours, speed counts. Through Twitter, you can get new openings sent to you before most recruiters get them by following the right tweeters.

      ✔ Getting tweets from job boards. Monster reaches out to job seekers in its database to encourage them to apply on Monster for jobs matching their qualifications. Other job boards that tweet jobs announce the collaboration on their websites.

      ✔ Following recruiters and hiring managers. You can seek out and follow recruiters and get early dibs on breaking job opportunities.

      ✔ Tweeting for help. Here are examples of tweets you can send to kick-start a job search:

      ● I’m looking for a sales job. Not retail. Here’s resume link. Can anyone push it around?

      ● I’m trying to get hired in accounting by XYZ corp. Know anyone inside who could walk my resume to HR or acct. mgr?

      ● Will you set up meeting, or can I call using your recommendation?

      ● Have you seen any great job postings for insurance claims adjusters? Pls advise.

      ● Hey, 300 pals: Who’ll rehearse me for big job interview?

      ✔ Researching with hashtags. A hashtag is any word in Twitter immediately preceded by the pound symbol (#). Examples: #marketing, #healthcare, #engineering. Hashtags corral all tweets that contain the same hashtag, letting you easily track down a topic.

      ✔ Teaming up with Twitter sidekicks. Twitter Search (www.twittersearch.com) is a Twitter-operated service that searches the service for jobs. Additionally, legions of third-party ancillary websites have appeared to cash in on the enormous volume of data Twitter generates. The third-party sites are free. Examples:

      ● JobShouts.com (www.jobshouts.com) tweets job openings to Twitter-users.

      ● Twitjobsearch.com (www.twitjobsearch.com) is a job search engine that scrapes Twitter for the jobs that match keywords you enter, and you can apply if the particulars are right for you.

      ● TweetMyJobs (www.tweetmyjobs.com) compiles open positions from thousands of companies worldwide.

      ● Listorious.com (www.listorious.com) lists people of interest in your target companies or profession.

      Twitter upshot

      Twitter is a great channel for quickly sharing news, asking questions, and connecting. At a basic level, it’s simple to use. You can find helpful insider employment news by following the right people. Unlike LinkedIn and Facebook, you need not ask for anyone’s acceptance – you just click “follow” on a Twitter user’s name and you’re in the game.

      Making Sure Online Profiles Capture Your Best Side

      Social networking is an A-team option in today’s job market because job seekers want to be where recruiters and hiring managers can find them. But the truth is that online profiles on networking sites can help or harm your job search. I discuss the upside and downside to online profiles in this section, and suggest tips to gain the best of all possible outcomes. (For more on representing yourself professionally online, see Chapter 5.)