As we’ve all said countless times in our lives, “it’s all in how you look at it.”  If you see Twitter users as a bunch of self-absorbed people with too much time on their hands Tweeting about what they ate for breakfast, then that’s what you’ll see when you go to Twitter.  Not necessarily true…

5 Worst Reasons to Use Twitter for Job Search:

1.  Because your job search coach or career counselor told you that you should do it.

2.  Because you read somewhere that you should do it.

3.  Because “everyone else” is doing it.

4.  Because your spouse/significant other/teenager/tweener/neighbor set it up for you.

5.  Because you don’t have anything better to do.

Much MUCH better reasons to use Twitter for your job search exist!  Below are the first 5 I could think of.  Many more exist – feel free to add them in the comments.

5 Best Reasons to Use Twitter for Your Job Search:

1.  To stay up to date with your “field.”

Whatever your field may be, someone is Tweeting about the latest news: products, services, companies (employers!), the latest research, the latest disasters, the latest successes, and much more.

2.  To expand your professional network.

I’ve met so many wonderful people through Twitter that I can’t count them all. And I have learned more about what is going on in my field, found wonderful resources to share with my Followers, been offered excellent opportunities to speak and to write, and enjoyed interesting and educational Twitter “conversations.” 

3.  To find opportunities.

Many, MANY employers Tweet links to their most recent job postings.  I identified 500 of them, and put them in my Employers-Recruiting Twitter list.  Follow the ones you have targeted. And Follow useful Twitter accounts like @TwitJobSearch and @JobHuntOrg (of course!).

4.  To enhance your job search skills.

The experts in the 101 Top Twitter Job Search and Career Experts consistently provide excellent information to make your job search more effective and your career more successful. 

5.  To appear (and to be) up-to-date with social media.

Demonstrate to family, friends, colleagues, and – best of all – to potential employers that you “get it” when it comes to using social media.  Social media skills are in demand (and that demand is growing).  Particularly if you are over 40, looking up-to-date is important for your job search.

If those people Tweeting about their breakfast are nuitritionists, dietitions, food or restaurant critics, or FDA officials warning about some contamination in the food supply, then those seemingly self-absorbed Tweets are providing useful information and are “on-brand” for those Tweeters,  not nonsense

So, carefully consider the context and the content when you use Twitter.  Think about the image that you want to project, the information you can provide, the people you can help.  Figure out what is on-brand for you.

Bottom Line

The world has shifted dramatically in the last 5 years, and that has certainly had a big impact on job search.  We’re leaving the please-PLEASE-PLEASE-HIRE-ME approach behind and moving to the see-how-wonderful-I-am-hire-me-if-you-can days.  An interesting change/challenge for both sides of “the desk.”

BTW:

Tip of the hat to Women-Unlimited.co.uk and Julie Hall for the idea behind this post – 5 worst reasons for using Twitter for your business which helps businesses understand why to use Twitter. Excellent post! Thank you for permission to “borrow” your idea.

Good luck with your job search!

———————————————

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce, USMC veteran, has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @JobHuntOrg.

In 2008, my first impression of  Twitter was that it was really kind of dumb and useless.  It asked “What are you doing?”  and many people obligingly (and boringly) answered this question – having a grande half-caf latte in Starbucks, watching a TV show, etc.  Who cared?  Very few.  NOT me!

But, a friend convinced me to try it for a couple of days, and I discovered that I was very wrong about Twitter being dumb OR useless.

Twitter is excellent for many things and has opened a whole new online world for me:

• Sharing.
  Find something interesting?  Share/Tweet it.
• Discovering.
  Read what others Tweet, and you’ll find that they are sharing interesting information.  Eventually you’ll find people who Tweet content so useful you always check to see what they’re Tweeting about.
• Learning.
  Usually when I discover something, I learn something, too.
• Growing your network.
  I’ve met wonderful people from across the USA and across the globe, many of whom I consider friends.  FABULOUS!
• Reaching out for help or information.
  Tweet your question, and people will answer.  Some will answer with a joke or a snide comment, but many will answer the question (in 140 characters).
• Providing help or information.
  If someone asks for help or information you can provide, provide it.  Good for your karma, and your credibility. A 2-fer!

Starting in mid-November, 2009, Twitter replaced “What are you doing?” with “What’s happening?” – really the question most people were answering anyway, at least the people  that I follow.

I’ve been using and greatly enjoying Twitter since Dec. 19, 2008.  I must admit to being surprised how addictive it is.

Bottom Line

Try it.  Twitter works!  And employers are on Twitter, too.  Check out @JobHuntOrg’s list of employers recruiting, recruiters and recruiting, job search experts, career coaches, professional resume writers, and other Social Media & Job Search articles and resources.

About the author …

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter @JobHuntOrg.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve spent time researching and compiling Twitter Lists, a new Twitter capability that is currently still in “beta” (not quite ready for prime time).

Job-Hunt’s Top 10 Twitter Lists are presented in order (below) by the total number of Twitter accounts they are following today, with one exception at the end.  I expect the number of accounts in each list will probably increase as I discover new accounts in the future, so the number of accounts in each of these  lists may be different when you view them.

The accounts you find in each list should be consistent with the title of the list.  For example, the largest and most popular list, Employers-Recruiting, contains ONLY employers or in-house recruiters for employers.  It does not contain job boards or independent recruiting/staffing company Twitter accounts.   The job boards are probably on the Job-Listings list (if they Tweet their job openings), and the recruiters are probably on the Recrutiers-and-Recruiting list.  Assuming they passed the “sniff test” (below).

“Sniff Test” Criteria

More on Social Media & Job Search: Social Media & Job Search Home How to Get Started with Social Media Top 6 Employer Magnets Activate & Manage Your Avatars The Invisible Web Is Not So Invixible Monitoring Your Online Presence 10 Ways Social Media Is Like Online Dating Social Media No-No’s 5 Ways Social Media Keeps Skills Up to Date Social Recruiting LinkedIn vs. Facebook vs. Twitter vs. (Fill-in-the-Blank) Social Networked Out? More About LinkedIn: LinkedIn Basics Leveraging Your LinkedIn Profile Effective LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn Applications and Your Profile How to Be Found by Recruiters in LinkedIn Search LinkedIn’s Company Follow Function Value of Growing Your LinkedIn Network Adding Misspellings to Your LinkedIn Profile More About Twitter: Twitter Toolbox Twitter as a Job Board Top 10 Twitter Job Search Lists 101 Best Twitter Career & Job Search Resources 8 Twitter SEO Tips for Job Seekers Top 50 Employers Recruiting on Twitter Top 50 College & University Career Center Twitter Accounts More About Facebook: 5-Step Facebook Makeover for Your Job Search Social Media Experts: Miriam Salpeter, Social Media & Job Search Expert Marci Reynolds, contributor Alison Doyle, contributor Jason Alba, contributor

As usual, I’ve tried to be very careful of the accounts that are included.  They had to pass my personal sniff test which means - when added - they were:

• Relatively current (new Tweets within the last week, or within the last couple of  months - in a few cases – as with employers who Tweet only when they open a job).
• Relatively high signal-to-noise ratio (more on-topic Tweets than lol-great-party-last-night Tweets).
• Relatively reliable (on-topic Tweets at least once a day).
• Appeared legitimate.  The Bio explained who they were, and the links in the Profile fit with who they said they were.
  If links were included in the Tweets (as in the job listings list), the links that I tested went to relevant content on Websites that contained contact information and seemed to be genuine.  I usually tested the most recent 10 to 20 links.
• Not (usually) brand new unless I knew the account to be legitimate and expected it to be reliable.

The sniff test, particularly the signal-to-noise ratio requirement, has eliminated a few well-known names, unfortunately.

Job-Hunt’s Top 10 Twitter Lists:

1. @JobHuntOrg/employers-recruiting Twitter accounts of employers, across the globe, who are using Twitter to directly recruit employees. Following: 383 employers
   NOTE: Monster is on this list because Monster is now using Twitter to recruit new employees! Interesting!
2. @JobHuntOrg/job-search-experts Twitter accounts of experts in many aspects of job search. Following: 158
3. @JobHuntOrg/job-listings Twitter accounts consistently sending out a stream of job postings, from job boards or recruiters. Following: 94
4. @JobHuntOrg/recruiters-and-recruiting Tweeter accounts by recruiters or about recruiting. Following: 84
5. @JobHuntOrg/resume-writers Twitter accounts of professional resume writers. Following: 22
6. @JobHuntOrg/career-coaches Twitter accounts of professional career coaches. Following: 21
7. @JobHuntOrg/social-media-experts Twitter accounts by experts in the use of social media. Following: 9
8. @JobHuntOrg/interns-new-grads Twitter accounts by experts in helping college students find internships or new grads to find jobs. Following: 9
9. @JobHuntOrg/personal-branding-experts Twitter accounts by experts in the use of personal branding. Following: 8
10. @JobHuntOrg/military Twitter accounts relevant to members of the Department of Defense and their families and friends. Following: 38
    

    This list is not strictly a job hunting list, but I am a veteran, married to a veteran, daughter of parents who both served in World War II, and these people are close to my heart. They need and deserve all the support I can give them.

Updates and Additions

These lists are not “finished!”  Each day I find additional accounts to add, so these lists will be continuously updated, and – when they get too big – will be sub-divided into sub-categories.

If you know of an Twitter account which should be included, but is not, please:

• Add a comment with your recommended addition(s) below.
• Please do keep the Sniff Test Criteria in mind when you make your recommendation, and don’t waste your time or mine. I will not add an account which does not pass the Sniff Test or looks “fishy” in any way.
• If you find that one of these accounts has, pardon the expression, gone rogue or gone fallow, let me know.  I will check out your observation and respond, as appropriate.

Good luck with your job search!

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.