We live in the age of social media and, consequently, what this means for the recruiting industry is that classical resumes have pretty much been replaced with online branding. Recent studies have shown that most hiring managers are starting to stray from what they see in a candidate’s CV and instead focus on finding relevant results on them by searching their name in Google. With so many online opportunities available nowadays for self-promotion, there are literally no excuses for a job-seeker to avoid social media and limit themselves to simply filling in a job application and waiting to get a call.
In this article we’re going to show you why Twitter is no longer just a socializing tool, but also an excellent way of landing a job, if you know how to use it correctly.
Search for relevant opportunities
Even though it’s not your typical recruiting platform, Twitter can actually assist you in your job search by making use of a few simple functions. Two of the essential elements that differentiates it from other social media platforms, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, are keywords and hashtags.
Even though most jobs are typically advertised on specialized recruiting platforms, there are however certain companies or industries that choose to hire their personnel through other methods. The entertainment world is a great example of this and one of the main reasons why they choose to make it difficult for candidates is to test how determined they are to working in that particular environment and to pick only the most valuable ones.
Similarly, there are certain cases in which companies choose to post a job listing on Twitter first before they advertise it anywhere else, and there also instances in which they might promote that job only on Twitter, as part of their recruiting strategy. A job at McDonald’s, for instance, will rarely be advertised in the conventional ways that most companies follow. They don’t usually list their openings on typical recruiting platforms and since there are thousands of people constantly applying for a position with them, you can be sure that it’s going to take a lot more effort to engage with them.
You can search for a specific set of keywords, such as “Job Openings [insert company name]” or “careers at [insert company name]” and use those results to engage with the potential recruiter, ask them for more information, or simply follow the link provided to submit your application.
Engage with your community
Participating in group discussions can be an excellent way of showcasing your expertise, while also advancing your job search efforts. Try to become involved in interesting conversations targeted to your particular niche and offer on-point, pertinent arguments. If you want to take it a step further, try to start up these discussions yourself by asking a relevant industry question and inviting influential leaders in the field to give their opinion on the matter.
It’s kind of like creating your own experts round-up panel, only more interactive, and if the discussion creates a considerable amount of buzz, it will definitely help get your name across. It’s not uncommon for hiring managers to actively pursue potential employees, if they are interesting and valuable enough, even if they haven’t actually applied for a spot in their organization.
Monitor and engage with your target recruiters
Most recruiters nowadays realize the great potential that lies in social media – Twitter in particular – and probably have a very active online presence. You can attempt to exploit this opportunity by researching all the HR managers from the potential companies where you would like to work, follow them on Twitter and start monitoring their activity.
This can give you valuable information about their personalities and opinions and it will help you create an effective approach when you will later contact them. Don’t just stick to following them, though. It is advisable and even encouraged to engage with them as professionally as you can. You can start small, by liking or retweeting some of their posts or even commenting on their tweets, and then when you feel comfortable enough approaching them, go ahead and send them a message asking about any possible job openings.
If you keep your approach professional, chances are they will appreciate your initiative and even invite you for an interview.
Post valuable content
It is pretty clear that if you are committed to advancing your social presence on Twitter, you have to be as active as possible, and that also means posting regular content for your followers. Deciding what to post, however, can be a tricky matter, seeing how almost any opinion you express in public can either make or break your personal brand. If you are truly dedicated to advancing your job search process, make a commitment to posting once a day a tweet or a retweet of a pertinent topic for your target audience. Perhaps there’s a new article on Forbes that highlights all the new trends in the finance sector.
If that is your main area of interest, go ahead and share it with your followers and perhaps start up a discussion around it. Make it easy for recruiters to see that your passion truly lies in that field and that you are truly focused on building your career from it. Nevertheless, you should not direct all your attention towards professional type of content. The hiring manager wants to see the real you, which means your online presence needs to be as natural as possible. So go ahead and tweet comments about your favorite movies, bands and other personal interests, as it will only help complete the image that you are trying to build.
Job-seeking in general comes with many hurdles and obstacles. There are literally millions of other people trying to achieve the same goal as you, and high-quality positions are getting more and more competitive each day. Nevertheless, if you make sure to follow the tips outlined above, you are bound to stand out from the competition and be one step closer to obtaining the job of your dreams.
