How To Find a Job on Twitter

Tough economic times call for innovative approaches. An estimated 51 million people internationally are expected to lose their jobs in 2009, and with the unemployment rate on the rise, how does one find career opportunities fast? One great option is Twitter.

Twitter is evolving as another resource, in addition to traditional methods, for both job searching and recruiting.

• Make your Twitter presence “employer-friendly”

o Put your job pitch in your Twitter bio (which is 160 characters)

o Use a professional looking avatar

o Tweet about your job search

• Utilize your Twitter background. There’s lots of space you can use to promote yourself.

• Include a link to an online CV or resume in your bio. Use a tool like VisualCV.

• Establish yourself as an expert in your field on Twitter. It’s important to note that you should not misrepresent yourself. If you’re not a medical doctor, don’t play one on Twitter. As those on Twitter become interested in your content, when employers are looking at you, you’ll have more than just your resume to back up your knowledge and experience.

“It’s about who you know”

How do you get to know the right people? It’s not always about who you’re looking for, some people on Twitter are actually looking for YOU.

There are many job recruiters who use Twitter to look for potential candidates. Before contacting a recruiter via Twitter, check out:

• Their bio

• Follower/Following ratio (Have they been around a while? Do they follow people back?)

• Click the link to their website

• Ask others in your network whether or not the recruiter is a credible source.

Karen McHugh a.k.a. @JobContax – Karen is an executive recruiter. She often tweets out specific advice for job seekers and project news for the construction and engineering sectors. Karen is accessible to her followers and tweets about non-recruiting topics as well.

Job search tools & resources

A reactive job search on Twitter probably isn’t the best way to find a job. There are many new Twitter tools and applications to assist with a proactive job search.

TwitJobSearch.com

Another tool born out of Twitter for job seekers and recruiters. This is a very simple and free tool for job seekers. You can search tweets containing jobs by industry and location. View JobContax tutorial.

Job search accounts

There are a variety of Twitter accounts dedicated to providing job listings by field, company, region, and more. Once you’ve decided which best match your job search, consider turning on mobile alerts for these accounts to be among the first to receive messages (if your mobile phone plan includes SMS messages).

By company  @mtvnetworksjobs – Jobs at MTV

By field  @journalism_jobs – Jobs in journalism

By job type  @freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs

By region  @ITJobsSydney – IT jobs in Sydney, Australia

General  @indeed – One search. All jobs

To find additional Twitter job resources, use the Twitter search function and type in keywords important in your job search. For example, “job openings,” “looking for a job,” or “healthcare career.” Additionally, you can search out others in your desired career field on sites like Twellow, Just tweet it, and TwitterTroll.

Your next job could be just a tweet away.

How to structure your Job Search

I was hit for six when I found out I was been made redundant. I think I went into complete shock for about 6 weeks. I had been with my company for 3 years and in many ways had become a bit lethargic.

When I awoke from my dormant subdued “shock” phase real anger and resentment set in. Why me?…Poor me…Damn them. After a week of raging anger…..Fear and anxietyarrived. What if I cannot find another job? I am not getting any younger. How am I going to support my family? By this stage I was completely crippled by my own fear. Every ounce of energy I had was sucked into the Fear vacuum. My lack of motivation and my appetite for dreadful day time TV was mind boggling.

About a month later it dawned on me….It was not the Fear that was holding me back, it was the fact that my life had no direction, no shape…..No Structure!
From birth we are shaped into a routine and that never stops. Remember your childhood? School start s at 9am, finishes at 3.30pm, PE on a Wednesday, Dinner at 6, The park on a Sunday, bed by 8pm. Our routine changes somewhat as we grow up, but our reliance on it doesn’t. I remember my last job – I had to be out the door by 8.15pm to catch the 8.20am train. I methodically checked my emails first thing and finished my day off with sales calls (which I hated by the way). I knew where I stood.
So what is my point?

Well I realised that in order to get moving again…I needed to structure my day and I created a rigid routine (well not overly rigid).

So what did I do?

• I set some ground rules. No TV on between 9am until 5pm. (Many day time sporting events were sacrificed). I ditched the kitchen table as an office and dedicated a space specifically to work. In fact I made myself a little office space behind the TV.(so there was no way I could look at it). This made a big difference as I was not conveniently distracted by laundry or dirty dishes that urgently needed washing.

• Bizarrely, one of mv favourite times of the day was when I was commuting to and from work. This was when I planned my day and got my head focused on the tasks that lay ahead. On my way home I had the opportunity to switch off. So I started to get into the habit of going for a 30 minute walk every morning. Igrabbed some fresh air and planned my day. At the end of the day I would go out for a quick walk around the local park and celebrate my day’s successes and leave my disappointments behind. This not only made me feel much better in myself, but also lead to a much happier household. – I was more relaxed with my wife and children.

• I actually treated my job seeking seriously. I became a proactive job seeker. I attended networking events. I met with agencies face to face and I spent time targeting employers and sending off speculative applications. I also ensured that every application I made was followed up with a phone call. I built a weekly timetable and stuck to a routine.

• Be persistent…..many days I had to push myself to get out of bed and did not feel like being a job seeker that day. But I did it and was always grateful for my persistence at the end of the day.

7 Questions You Need To Be Thinking About Before Your Next Career Move

Getting where you want to go is much easier when you know where you want to go.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to clarify your next steps in your career. Knowing what you want isn’t usually an immediate thing. Rather, it takes reflection and a gentle set of movements in the right direction. These questions are designed to get your mind moving in the right direction.

1. Do I want to do more of what I’ve been doing?
   It’s not really surprising that many people want more of what they’ve already been doing. Somehow, humans seem wired to want to stick with the things they know. Unfortunately, the pace of change and shifts in the global economy make it harder and harder to continue to do the same thing. How badly do you want more of what you already know?


2. What kind of work is easily available to me?
   In a few minutes (by visiting one of the national job boards), you can get a good handle on what sorts ofjobs are in the highest demand in your area. If there’s a market for s a certain set of skills, you’re sure to be able to find ready access to training. If what you want involves being where you are, you may need to get retrained. Sometimes, what you want is to be where you are.


3. Am I willing to move for work?
   Money, opportunity and the ability to do the thing you want to do are good reasons to consider a move. More jobs are available to people who are willing to move to get them. These days, you can’t rely on the employer to cover your expenses. So, you have to be sure this is what you want.


4. How much money would I like to make?
   Setting a topside goal is the only way you’ll ever attain it. What size paycheck would make you extremely comfortable? This is the top end of your range.


5. How much money do I need to make?
   Knowing your “number” is the key to many employment decisions. What does it cost to maintain your lifestyle. Add all of the monthly bills and living expenses. If you are considering a move, be sure to account for the cost of living differences. This is the low end of your range. You may discover that you have to go lower than your low number.


6. What are my basic skills?
   Forget where you’ve been working and focus on what you’re good at. Is it physical labor or conceptual stuff? Are you a planner or a doer? How is your computer literacy?


7. What do I really enjoy doing?
   This question may be the most important on the list. If you love doing something, turning that into your job ought to be one of the options you consider (leaving aside the mattress-tester and beer-taster positions that are mostly filled). Your hobbies and outside interests are great indicators of natural talent.

Trying to figure out what you want can produce real anxiety. That’s why so few of us have a good grasp on the question. That said, wrestling with these questions can help you navigate the parameters of your job hunt.

http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/questions-thinking-career-move/