tweet your way to a new job

Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

Tweet Your Way to a New Job

Maximizing Twitter to Improve your Job Search

Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.

People write short updates, often called "tweets" of 140 characters or fewer.

These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.

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What People are Saying

• “It’s almost like ESP”– Wired Magazine

• “Twitter is the telegraph system of Web 2.0”– Nicholas Carr, Author and Technologist

• “It’s one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet”– New York Times

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Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

Time Magazine

• http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1902604,00.html

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Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

Why Twitter?

• Twitter ranks 3rd among all Social Networking sites, Linkedin 11th

• Twitter had a 2,681% increase of unique visitors from May 2008 to May 2009

• Twitter is free and is free of Advertising• President Obama announced his VP selection

simultaneously via text message, email and Twitter

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Getting Started--Join

• Full Name• User Name– Convention is to use first&lastname

• URL– http://www.twitter.com/jacobjobseeker

• Email– Recommended: use your most primary

• Security box• Create my account

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Twitter Terms• Following– All the people and organizations you have chosen to receive

tweets/updates from• Followers– All the people and organizations who have chosen to receive

your tweets/updates• Updates– All of your tweets or “what you are doing”

• Hashtags– Are a community-driven convention for adding additional

context and metadata to your tweets.– were developed as a means to create "groupings" on Twitter,

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Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

The Twitter Search

• Find on Twitter– Search for a username, first or last name

• Find on other Networks– Gmail, Yahoo & AOL

• Invite by email– “Twitter is a unique approach to communication and networking

based on the simple concept of status. What are you doing? What are your friends doing—right now? With Twitter, you may answer this question over SMS or the Web and the responses are shared between contacts.”

• Suggested Users– The A-List or the Oprah effect on Twitter

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The Power of Linkedin

• Is in it’s information, but not social networking• Makes no attempt at creating a conversation• Does allow a user to research a company• Does allow a user to research and to evaluate

an individual• Has free and premium services

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Networking

It is not who you know, but who

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Professional Tweeting Etiquette

• Do not create any digital dirt• Your tweets are searchable across

the Entire Internet• Your tweets are a direct reflection

on who you are

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Twitter URL

• Only given 1 URL listing, so use it wisely!• http://www.visualcv.com/• http://www.emurse.com• Blog or homepage• Avoid using your linkedin profile

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Twitter Bio

• Limited to 160 characters– user experience designer, information architect,

usability analyst, project manager, professional in transition, greater New York metropolitan area, consultant

• Use keywords, tags or other metadata• Use a current face picture• Avoid using an avatar in lieu of a face portrait

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Corporate Culture

• Red flag: Why aren’t they on Twitter• Real-time corporate culture• Tacit corporate knowledge• Can’t find this information on their annual

report• Show your interest• Do I really want to work for that company?

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Stuck??? – What to Tweet about

• You have the floor• Add the extra dimension that a resume cannot

convey• Position yourself as the expert, whether you

are or not• Promote yourself• Advertise yourself• Online brand yourself

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Twitter: infoarchitect, jacobalonzo

Stuck-continued

• Recruiters are on Twitter• Be yourself, be a person, just be professional• You will get more followers if you can carry on

a conversation• Don’t tweet everyday or several times a day

that you are working on your resume– You can solicit advice on your resume instead

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Your Inner Artist

• Use the real estate Twitter provides you• Avoid using the standard backgrounds• Use the real estate to promote your work or

to add other URL’s• Always be creative, but always in good taste• Attempt to rise to the top and stay there

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Interaction

• It is important to respond to those you are following

• Bring something to the table• Don’t feel the need to follow everyone• Use the block feature• Use the security feature wisely

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Retweet

• Rebroadcasting someone else’s tweet to your own set of followers

• Labels– Retweet or Reading

• Format– Retweet: @jacobalonzo

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Devices

• You can use your cell phone to Twitter• It's all done through text messages (aka

"SMS")• Twitter doesn't charge anything for this, but

standard text messaging rates or bundles may apply from your carrier.

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Kwoats• “The next big thing, is you”• “Think outside the box”• “The Internet does not create

fads, but shifts of paradigm”• “This is the 21st century, stay

current”• “Age is only metadata”

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Links• http://www.twitter.com• http://search.twitter.com/• http://twithire.com/• http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=10

07145• http://www.jobangels.org/• http://www.twitterjobalerts.com/

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