Twitter Tips

If you’re new to Twitter, you might not know that there’s an etiquette to it. If you’re one of those that say, “I don’t get Twitter”, then pay attention.  In this world of social online connections, Twitter is a crucial method of communication between job seekers and potential employers and vice versa.

That being said, I’m going to give you some Twitter Tips to guide you on your path to understanding Twitter and making it useful for you.

1. Sign up. This might sound basic but I want to be sure I’m specific so I don’t lose anyone. When you sign up, it’s important to choose an appropriate user name. You want one that identifies you but doesn’t use up too many characters. This is to allow people to “re-tweet” things you say without your username using up too many of those 140 characters. (I’ll explain re-tweet later on in this article)
2. Complete your profile. A complete profile will contain your name, a nice close-up picture, your location and a short bio and a link. This link can be whatever you want it to be – your LinkedIn profile, your blog, your facebook page – whatever. Just make sure that the link you include is an appropriate representation of yourself. Remember, employers use social media too. I recommend using city, state for your location. This makes it easier for locals to find you.
3. Set your preferences. Do not protect your tweets. This is pointless unless you’re only using Twitter to talk to your 5 personal friends in real life. Twitter is a social tool. It’s meant to be used as such. On the mobile tab, you can activate your Twitter account on your mobile phone. This is useful so that you can route direct messages, or messages from certain people to your cell phone as text messages. That way when you’re not on Twitter you can still get that important message. You can also set time preferences, such as “only receive updates between 7 am and 11 pm” or whatever time frame works for you.
4. Find people to follow. This is the key to engaging on Twitter. In order to have conversations with people, or find a way to network with people you don’t know, you have to start by following them. First, decide who you are interested in following. It might be local people, other people in your industry or line of work, others with common personal interests, etc. Of course, you can start by following people you know, too! Often, people we know are a great source for finding other interesting people to follow. Find out who your friends or colleagues are following and go from there.
5. Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a Twitter network. Networking takes time and patience. It also takes involvement, so the less active you are the longer it will take. Keep that in mind. The more people you follow the more opportunities you will find to engage others and begin relationships. Quality of followers is more important than quantity.
6. Be aware! Like anywhere else on the internet, there are bots, scammers and viruses roaming on Twitter. If you get an odd direct message from someone asking you to click on a link – don’t do it. Reply and ask them what it’s about or if it’s legitimate. Sometimes these messages even seemingly come from those you know well – but don’t be fooled. Chances are, that person’s account has been compromised by a hacker. Err on the side of caution.
7. Don’t say anything on Twitter that you wouldn’t say out loud to a room full of people. Self explanatory, no?
8. Re-tweet when you can. A re-tweet is forwarding of someone’s tweet to your followers. If you like something someone has said, or like an article they tweeted, you can re-tweet it. This is a sign of endorsement by you and complimentary to the person you re-tweeted. This is often seen as a sign of endorsement of that tweeter and their content. If you want people to notice you, re-tweet them. It’s the highest form of flatter on Twitter and will get people looking at your profile – and hopefully, following you!
9. @ or Direct Message - If it’s something you wouldn’t say to someone in front of other people, then save it for a Direct Message. If the person you want to send the direct message to isn’t following you though, you won’t be able to send it to them. In such case, you can send an @ reply to that person asking them to follow you so that you can DM. @ replies are public, Direct Messages are not.
10. “What do I talk about?” This is the most asked question and it’s something I cannot answer for you. For each person the answer to this is different. However, consider what you’re using Twitter for. For most, you will want to present a professional image, but Twitter is also the place to let your personal side show. People are interested in who you are, not just what you do. Sharing things about yourself, your profession, industry related articles, funny things, technology news, etc. Just remember that what you tweet about will determine who finds you/follows you!

Do you have more tips to add to this list? Have you learned through your own trial and error what works? Please share!

Talent Search now in beta testing! Search multiple social networks in one click!

JobShouts.com has been working really hard to transition to next level and build something of true value to recruiters and job seekers.

For Recruiters, our newest tool is now in beta testing and we need your help and feedback! We’ve put together a search tool we call Talent Search, that allows you to search multiple social networks in one click. You can search MySpace, VisualCV, Spoke, Jigsaw and LinkedIn. (we are also working on adding more!)

Go to http://bit.ly/4CEHuv and do a search. It could be for PHP in Dallas, “Business Analyst” in Ontario, Cosmetologist in NYC – anything!   Once you get your search results, click on the profiles to view them. Our “Shout Bar” will appear at the top of the screen and allow you to “Star This” candidate for later evaluation. (the “star this” feature is not fully developed just yet, so while you can star candidates, you don’t have the ability to view the starred list just yet)

We’d like to gauge interest in this tool to help us determine value, pricing, etc. For now, it’s free. Tell all your friends and let us know what you think! Comments, questions – all feedback is welcome!!

Think your job is secure? Don’t bet on it…

We have a new President! Hooray for change! Even if you didn’t vote for it, change is on the way and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. Be prepared; don’t get blind-sided. Take these steps to ensure that you end up on your feet, should you be the next casualty of the dwindling job economy:

Blogging

Blogging is a great way to share information, present your abilities or talents or showcase your funny bone. Just remember, never put in writing what you don’t want someone to read. In other words, if your blogs are full of foul language, references to drug use and pictures of weekend antics – you might not want to make it public. Potential employers are also blogging these days in record numbers. They are on Twitter, Blogspot, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and more. As a recruiter, I have used these sites to search for candidates as well as to determine character of candidates that want to be considered for opportunities. Many times, I have been thankful to have found their MySpace page prior to submitting them to a client. These are things that references don’t tell you!

Bottom line: I highly recommend using blogging sites as a way to express your abilities, including those abilities you get from personal fulfillment – not just your day job. Is Ruby on Rails something you are tinkering with on the side? Blog about it and make it public. Follow other Ruby developers. You’d be amazed how just talking about it can snowball into networking with lots of people that can help you should you lose your job.

Education/Certification

While you are still employed, brush up on skills! Take online classes or night courses. Get certified. Take a look at the most “in demand” skills in your profession and bring yourself up to speed. Doing this now, rather than after you’ve lost your job, will ensure that you get back to work quickly.

Update that Resume!

Don’t wait until you’ve lost your job to update your resume. You’ll be in panic mode and are likely to make mistakes, leave things out or just present yourself poorly overall. Pull out that dusty resume and make sure you read this article: http://aplace4people.blogspot.com/2008/11/resume-writing-tips.html

Embrace Recruiters, don’t chase them off
If you get a call from a recruiter, be receptive. Even if you are happily employed, remember that change comes to those who least expect it. By tuning in to opportunities rather than blocking them out, you’ll have a better feel for the market should your job go south. At the very least, you may learn about an opportunity that someone you know would benefit from. Not all recruiters are built the same, however, the best approach is to always be willing to listen and network.

Source/Author: Robin M. Eads, Talent Acquisition Expert and President @ A Place 4 People, Inc. – http://www.aplace4people.com/

5 Tips for Successful Interviewing

Competition is stiffer than ever these days; with many more qualified candidates fighting for the same job, what can you do to set yourself apart? In addition to some of the tips given in “10 Ways to Be Competitive in Your Job Search“, here are some tips for the actual interview, which can sometimes be the most nerve-wracking part for job seekers. Take consideration of the following tips to assist you in your next interview: Read more