Tweet, tweet: How to incorporate Twitter into your job search

Twitter is a good hybrid of the personal and the professional, so if you use it wisely, it can become an important part of your job search. Some do’s and don’ts that job seekers should remember when using Twitter include:

Do include a picture of yourself in your profile, not a logo, which will allow your followers to bond with you.

“If I’m looking at a logo, I don’t feel as attached,” said David Peck, Social Media Strategist at LSF Interactive. “Face recognition is really important—if you’re going to meet somebody for coffee, you’re not going to have coffee with a logo. That’s why we call it face time.”

Don’t forget that Twitter is a written medium, so the rules of written communication apply—even in the allotted 140 characters that you are given. Although this space constraint has made textspeak and misspellings the norm on Twitter, a potential employer is not going to accept that as an excuse for coming off as careless or illiterate.

Do remember that everything you tweet is being published. As much as you may want to badmouth your last boss, this will not serve you well—particularly during your employment search. A better approach is to be strategic about everything you write, keeping in mind that your next potential employer may end up reading it.

“Being able to craft a handy sentence and introduce what you want to present to your audience is what’s crucial and key to Twitter,” said Kevin Nichols, President and CEO of KLN Publishing. “And you have to be aware and cautious about what you’re putting out there. When people aren’t careful, they say things that they’ll regret.”

Don’t forget to engage in a conversation with other tweeters.

“People go out there and just talk about themselves,” Peck said. “It’s called social networking—some people don’t get that.”

Do create a simple Web page where your resume and other pertinent information lives and add that link to your Twitter profile. You should make it as easy as possible for people to find your information, so linking to your MySpace or Facebook pages will add an unnecessary step to getting access to you.

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