The buzz lately is all about Twitter. How Twitter is a great communication tool, which it is. How Twitter is a great way to connect with people, which it is. And how Twitter can help you get a job, which it can.Help is the optimal word though. There are some people who have been hired via a job posted on Twitter or through someone they follow or someone who is following them. The same is true for Facebook and the other social media sites. Absolutely, your connections can help you find a job, point you towards a job lead, or give you a reference. Here's how social media has helped one candidate with her job search.
However, there is a danger in thinking that all you need to do is go online and tweet yourself to a new job. There is no quick and easy way for most of us to find a job.
Most job seekers need a multi-tiered approach to job searching. That means researching companies, searching for job listings, writing a resume, and writing a customized cover letter for every job you apply for. Here's more on conducting a well-balanced job search, using Twitter, LinkedIn, VisualCV, as well as the "old-fashioned" job search tools, which aren't really out of fashion, and still work as well today as they did in the past.
If you're interested, you can follow me and the About.com Job Search site on Twitter.
More: Using Twitter to Job Search | LinkedIn | VisualCV
Image Copyright John Leger / Twitter
Good points. Job seekers need to think like the hiring managers and do an online search for themselves to see how their personal online brand is doing.
So well stated, Alison! Twitter, like other social networking sites, is simply a tool, a medium that can assist the job seeker – there’s nothing magical about it. Job seekers still need to do the work of proactively searching for opportunities; they need to have the skills and experience required for their given fields.
Thanks for a great post!
@sweetcareers