With social media being such a large part of our lives, it’s no surprise that recruiters have bought into it in a big way. Not only do they use social networks to research candidates, they also look for new candidates using them.

When jobs are hard to come by, it makes sense to use every tool at your disposal to find work. So here is the ultimate guide to finding a job through Twitter (since not everything is about getting twitter followers).

First Things First

If you don’t already use Twitter, create an account and familiarize yourself with how it works. Complete the profile, add a picture and link to your website. If you don’t have a site, link to your LinkedIn profile.

Finding a job through Twitter is just like finding one in your city. It’s about presentation, professionalism and personality. You need to maintain, or create, a professional persona that an employer would be happy to hire and maintain it the entire time you’re on social media.

Next, search out people in the field you’re looking at. Find market leaders, movers and shakers and begin following them. Follow the active ones and use hashtags to search out job listings.

Using Your New Twitter Account

Begin Tweeting about your industry, about hot topics in relation to the role you’re looking for to build up authority on the subject. Authority, or social proof is the currency by which people who use social media judge others. The more you have, the more people will listen.

Use sites like TweetMyJobs to search out new opportunities and to integrate Twitter with your resume and account. While the site is a little fiddly to get started, the investment in time is well worth it.

Using Twitter Search to Find a Job

Once you have the basics covered, you can begin actively seeking work using Twitter. The search function is your first port of call and provides the backbone of your quest of finding a job through Twitter.

Use #jobs in search to look for jobs on Twitter right now.

Use #yourindustry to look for Tweets relating to your preferred job industry.

Alternatively, use #yourtown to being looking for posts in your city if you want to keep your job search local.

Finding a job through Twitter is a simple enough process but it’s only half the story. You will still need to have real life interviews and interact offline in the standard ways to maximize your chances. Twitter is a way of finding a job, not the only way.

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