By Janet White
You’re Hired! Enterprises 

 

The old methods of job hunting simply aren’t working for me, so I’ve decided to go entirely high tech by using social networking. What do I need to do to make me a winner in cyberspace?

 

Traditional System response: In case you weren’t aware, social sites such as Twitter are not just being used for killing time. I’m sure you have heard over and over by now that networking is the best way to come across new career opportunities.

 

Well, Twitter is another way to grow your business network. I believe it can be used effectively to find anything from entry-level internships to high-level executive positions, primarily because many of Twitter’s users are HR reps, regular employees, and even CEO’s.

 

They may have signed up just for fun, but now they have begun using Twitter (along with other online tools) to recruit and even to make hiring decisions. With unemployment rates the highest they have been in several years in this highly competitive job market, going above and beyond and keeping up with the social networking as part of your job search is more important than ever.

 

I personally have found Twitter to be more effective than LinkedIn in growing my professional network. This is mainly because on LinkedIn, I generally only add colleagues and friends I have already worked with in the past or know personally.

 

You are free to follow anyone on Twitter you want to connect with that may have similar or common interests. Therefore, Twitter will help you find and network with new people worldwide. Here are a few steps to help you build your professional network followed by some tips on using Twitter to find a job:

 

1) Create an account on Twitter: Search for people and even brands in the same industry as the one you are currently working in or the industry you would like to get into.

 

To do this, use the search field in the upper right hand corner or search.twitter.com to search for keywords that relate to your industry. The search will return results with these keywords in each user profiles and from there you can click on the account to find out more about the person.

 

2) Build your network of people you are following and followers: There is no need to rush this, as it will happen with time and as you come across Twitter links on the blogs you visit and on other social networking sites.

 

Make sure to fill out your Twitter bio completely and if you make it clear you have the same interests, the people you decide to follow will most likely check out your bio and follow you back.

 

When you are connected to people in your industry, you may see posts referring to job openings. You can also get to know people by the short posts they make. It’s a great way to make a more personal connection with someone that could be a lead to a new job.

 

3) Build your presence: Use Twitter to update your friends and followers on what you are up to, but also to post interesting links and info you come across. Twitter can be very serious or very fun, so make sure you use it for both.

 

Twitter from time to time about your job search. Your Twitter friends need to know that you’re job hunting. An occasional reminder is critical to cut through the river of tweets. Ask if you have a job search question. Post updates on your job search tactics to see what people think. 

 

4) Participate: Reply to questions, give feedback about blog posts/mentioned articles, or even introduce yourself with a personalized direct message. Thoughtful replies will get noticed.

 

Some people like to reply to all messages directed to them which often start with short conversations. If someone that you thought would follow you doesn’t, don’t worry about it. They may add you at a later point after a few responses.

 

Twitter is also a great way to find out about local networking events and meetups (aka tweetups). Attend some of these tweetups and you will meet new people who will then follow you to keep in touch.

 

5) Network creatively: Plain and simple, more followers will equal more opportunities. The people with the most followers on Twitter gained those followers from doing something very creative or because they are very knowledgeable in what they do and love to share that knowledge. That’s why they have thousands of people listening and why you should be to.

 

Sharing your knowledge related to your career interests will create a different type of online resume that may be the deciding factor between you and 30 other qualified candidates. I know if I was a hiring manager and found a Twitter account of a potential candidate, I would browse it.

 

Use Twitter Search to look for people who have twittered relevant job offers in the past and follow them until you can sense if it will happen again. Notice any keywords in common and then search on those too. Also, watch how people reacted to those offers. Search more keywords to find conversations among other industry pros and follow them too. 

 

The fact that you are on Twitter alone should be a great selling point in an interview or if your potential employer Googles your name and sees you are active in online communities especially if you are looking to get into a social media or PR role. Furthermore, expanding your network on Twitter will probably lead to more connections on other social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

 

Of course, you must use your own judgment when posting anything to your account that may ultimately have a negative effect on your image. Just use common sense and you should be fine. The same goes for not only Twitter; but Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, and even the stories you dig on Digg.

 

Even if you are not looking for a job, you never know if one day you might decide to start your own business or become a free agent and start consulting. In that case, (you guessed it) your Twitter network can also be a very strong starting point in establishing your company, finding business partners, and reaching out to potential clients.

 

I think Twitter will increasingly become a very effective job search tool while some of the other more popular job search sites like Monster and CareerBuilder start seeing a decline. I only regret not signing up and using Twitter earlier than I did.

 

Contrarian System response: Traditional System networking is based on the off chance you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who happens to be looking for someone just like you right now – and you make that connection.

 

Now, add in the power of the internet and you have the concept of social networking where you are instantaneously in touch with hundreds or thousands of people, some of whom, hopefully, might know someone who knows someone…well, you get the idea.

 

There are many people who swear by networking and the Traditional System is vehement that it’s the only real way to get hired, but being the Contrarian I am, I take an entirely different stance, so bear with me.

 

The fundamental issue is how well social media works to get people hired. There is a plethora of online articles about using social media in job hunting, but if it was really effective in job finding, there would be an abundance of success stories liike, “I Tweeted Myself Into a New Job.” But the fact is that it’s rare to find someone who actually did it out of the millions of social media users, many of whom may be in transition.

 

The reason I am not a fan of networking on-line or off-line is because it is based upon an inherently self-destructive belief. This may be difficult to hear, but when you use networking, you are relying on other people to open your doors, make your connections and get you in front the very people you need to talk to because you believe you can’t do those things for yourself. 

 

Often, this inner dialogue occurs on a subconscious or subliminal level, so you’re not even aware of it but it will always manifest through your actions. For example, I recently met with a small business owner who was proud of the fact that 100% of his customers come through referrals.

 

When I asked him why he relied on other people to bring him business and what happens when business inevitably stops walking in the door, he got very uncomfortable, shifted in his seat and said, “I really don’t like to talk to people without an introduction.”

 

And there it was – his deep-seated belief that he was incapable of introducing himself to strangers and talking to them about their needs without having someone else making the way easy for him. No wonder he didn’t like my question.

 

When you use networking as a means to get hired, how do you feel? Weak or strong? In command of your life or at the whims of fate? At the helm of your own ship or drifting aimlessly without a rudder? Stepping confidently forward on your path or hoping someone will give you directions?

 

Thanks to the Law of Attraction, which turns your thoughts, feelings and beliefs into your experiences, you can count on having demonstrations reflecting right back at you whatever you feel, think and believe to be true showing up in your life.

 

If you do nothing but sit at your computer, you can tweet all day long and eventually have hundreds or thousands of followers; blog to your heart’s content to have a significant enough “brand” so that you’re identifiable as an individual with unique gifts and talents (at least in cyberspace); and Digg your Facebook deep enough so that you’re Linkedin to lots of other people who have nothing better to do than play on their computer all day long.

 

And how much closer has all this cyber networking brought you to hearing “You’re hired?” Despite all the ballyhoo, social networking as a means to get hired rates about as effective as reading the want ads or job boards, meaning practically zero. Even the Traditional System agrees that job hunting via social networking takes a lot of time, effort and energy, and the results are paltry at best. 

 

In fact, when you think about it, social networking is just another busy-work activity that fulfills the old saying, “Looking for work is a full time job and no one ever said it was easy.” Regardless of the job hunting tools, tricks and techniques you use, if you believe this saying is true, then you can count on your job search being long, drawn out and difficult.

 

On the other hand, if you can believe that finding work is easy, simple and quick and opportunities are everywhere, then you can count on having a delightfully short, pleasant and simple time of transition.

 

The bad news is that if you tell yourself how it stinks to be unemployed while you’re attempting to project a positive, secure and productive online presence, you’re going to have demonstrations of how it stinks to be unemployed because the Law operates from your dominant emotions.

 

And unfortunately, when your online image is inconsistent with the real you offline, you will have demonstrations reflecting this unbalance. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself attracting people who say one thing and mean another or who don’t live up to your expectations of them.

 

If this happens, recognize that what you’re seeing in them is an accurate mirror of who you are, and that when your offline and online image are the same and you’re true to yourself, those other people will leave your life because you will no longer attract them.

 

The good news is that you get to choose your thoughts and emotions (thoughts fueled with feeling) and so you get to choose the demonstrations you have. Take a few minutes and imagine yourself already hired in a terrific company making tons of money doing what you love. Don’t you feel great?

 

Now, in this mindset of having this great job, think of the things you do during the course of your workday and start doing them right now even though you don’t have yet this job. If you need training or credentials to do that kind of work, take the classes, get the degree or certification and start the process towards those credentials.

 

What industry organizations do you belong to or should you belong to? Join them. What trade publications should you be reading that you’re not now subscribing to? Read them. What clothes would you be wearing that are now in your closet? Go shopping and try them on for size because you’ll need them before you know it.

 

And when you do, you’ll find – just like the gal who used Twitter did – that when you think, speak and act as if you already have that great job, move towards it guided by your intuition, and eliminate all doubt, fear and worry about how it comes to you, you’ll be Linking in your Facebook and Twittering your social network to tell everyone how your great new job seemed to simply show up out of nowhere and was handed to you.