Looking for a job? Try Twitter too!

What's the first place you think about when you're looking for a job? LinkedIn? Monster.com?
Well look no further than your typical social media platform that you use everyday! Twitter and NPR have been working together to come up with first live #NPRTwitterLiveChat aimed at helping job seekers use social media as a job search tool.

Now the question is: How do you do that?
Well think about it, why is it that you don't want to say any appropriate things on Twitter? You don't want futur employers to google your name and find these tweets. Well here it's the same concept, use your twitter account to build your personal brand and position yourself a professional in a specific area of expertise. According to the Mashable article entitled "How to Effectively Use Twitter as a Job Search Resource", some of the topics that came up during the live chat are the following:

• Follow the industry you are interested in, and participate in communities you care about.
• Don’t just retweet what others are saying; create meaningful content that people care about. Be a thought leader.
• Use Twitter as a jumping-off point to your more detailed online profiles — a personal blog or LinkedIn profile, for example.
• Many companies have job-related Twitter handles. Following those is a great way to keep tabs on job openings, rather than searching the company's website.
• Build your network before you need it; engage with people who do what you want to do.
• Don’t be overly professional. Twitter is a great way to showcase your personality and talk to people about your interests.
  
  
  
  
  

Now why would Twitter be more beneficial than any other platform? Twitter allows you to express yourself, show your personality so recruiters can have an idea of the type of person you are. Additionally, it is so easy for people to connect because of the hashtag or just even a keyword. Once a recruiter has found someone, he or she can just hit the reply button and engage in a conversation. See, so easy!!

Lastly one can ask: "how do I make myself noticeable on Twitter?" Well that part isn't too bad either. Show your personality, Tweet about topics that are relevant to your job search, use as many keywords as possible, and make sure to build your network appropriately!

I myself have started Tweeting more about what interest me and I am getting a LOT of new Twitter followers that are similarly interested in marketing and social media :) 

Now, go! Leverage your Twitter account to look appealing to job recruiters, you never know what surprising outcomes can happen! 

source: http://mashable.com/2013/02/09/twitter-job-search/