Don’t Twitter Away Your Opportunities
Twitter is wonderful. I LOVE Twitter! In some cases, it has been the downfall of careers through hasty posts, unmentionable photos, and awkward requests for job search help. You can avoid these hazards and leverage Twitter to support your career management goals. It is as easy as 1-2-3. Follow these straight-forward tips.
1.) Establish Your Presence:
- Write a compelling bio that supports your career goal.
- Upload a photo of yourself that projects your desired image. (A real photo of you, not your hamster.)
- Carefully choose whom to follow, people who are reflection of your values, ideals, and image.
- Choose to follow thought leaders and experts in your field. Try Twellow to get inspiration for people to follow in particular fields.
- Link to your website, blog, and LinkedIn page.
2.) Be a Good Citizen of Twitter:
- Interact! Reply to tweets, answer questions, offer references to articles and books, and share personal knowledge. Ask questions and you’ll find others are willing to help. Avoid repetitive requests via direct message to the same person or outright requests for a job interview.
- Be polite. Avoid foul language, insults, slams against your employer (or anyone), confidential information, and inappropriate photos.
3.) Tweet Smart:
- Think before tweeting. You only have a few words to be interesting, intelligent, timely, and relevant. (No pressure.)
- Learn and appropriately use the lingo and codes on Twitter, such as #, @and RT. Check out Twitter Basics to guide you.
- Always discuss private information offline.
- Search for employers tweeting job openings or job fairs.
Related Resources for Your Job Search: