Yes you can find a job via Twitter – A top consultant tells you how

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There are lots of great blog posts around now about how to use Twitter and other social media to find a job. I’ll link to some of the better ones at the bottom of this post. Twitter I love. Used productively it’s a fascinating and friendly little job hunting tool and it’s one you can use in both bold and subtle ways.

One job seeker @EllisonHR used Twitter boldly to find a job with her dream employer, Deloitte. She stated her intention. She blogged about how she and Deloitte could be one. Her Twitter followers in the HR, recruitment and social media community encouraged her and gave her ideas about how to market herself. She must have impressed Deloitte with her networking, enthusiasm and innovation because they’ve just offered her a job. (Read Ross Clennett’s post on Ellison’s journey.)

Would they have offered her a job anyway? While I can’t speak for Deloitte or Ellison, maybe not. It’s incredibly difficult to demonstrate that you’re a good cultural fit or have networking nous as a piece of paper navigating your way through several screening tools. For Ellison, Twitter, her blog and a bit of imagination provided a platform for her ideas and talents.

So what do employers and recruiters look for when they interact on Twitter? The clever ones are not just there to tweet about what they eat.  For some deeper insight I spoke to Greg Savage this week. He’s a highly successful recruitment leader and is now the founder and CEO of Firebrand Talent Search. He’s used Twitter as a tool for over a year now. Last time I looked he had a following of 5582 people and had tweeted 5511 times.

Greg runs a global business. As an employer and recruiter he uses Twitter as a branding tool and to tap into a market of passive candidates. By default and design he’s cultivated followers who are recruiters, designers and marketers. When he’s been actively recruiting he’s changed his status on LinkedIn and tweeted out a message. In doing so he’s filled jobs directly and saved massively on paid advertising or headhunters’ fees.

So what are Greg’s tips if you’re looking for a role using Twitter? “Do not look desperate” says Greg. He’s placed people who have taken time to build a relationship with him and had intelligent conversations. One new hire had his own business when he began talking to Greg via Twitter. He wasn’t looking for a job, but when he was in the market, he’d developed enough of a relationship to start talking about where he could fit in.

Also watch your Twitter handle suggests Greg. He’s seen one applicant whose handle was an obscene joke. Greg replied back and said I’m not really sure if you’re serious or not. He never heard back. “Because of the familiarity social media breeds, some people have lost a sense of the right way to use it” he says. “I had one candidate whom I invited to email me directly. Instead he kept tweeting me questions”. While this person may have been a fabulous tweeter, they still needed to show that they could communicate as a consultant where it counts, either face to face or over the phone.

If you’re applying for a role you can expect that Greg and other tweeting employers will look to see what your tweeting about. They’ll respond to a nicely written bio, a face not an “egg”, a link to a website or LinkedIn profile and some sensible sharing among your online conversations.

One of the biggest things to think about, is that the way that you interact online can be very telling about your mastery of the medium and your ability to build relationships. If you’re looking to build an online relationship with Greg and any other employer or recruiter:  read Greg’s tips on who he’ll follow.

Also read: The Twitter Job Search Guide – by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan and Deb Dib.

Miriam at Keppie Careers provides a social media job hunting guide from a series of experts, and writes often on the topics of social media and your job hunt.

The Undercover Recruiter features some exceptionally good writers on the topic of tweeting for jobs! 😉

K B

Karalyn is the Founder of InterviewIQ and chief champion for all her clients. Get personal coaching to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Check out our job search booster services here>>Give me smarter ways to find a job .

Tagged as: Headhunter's secrets, Hidden job market, social media, social media mastery, Twitter job hunting tips