How To Use Twitter And LinkedIn To Find A Job
We’ve talked about how mobile applications, career-focused blogs, and social resumes can improve your job search. However, there are specific social networking sites that, when used effectively, can help you broaden your network and discover new opportunities, giving you an edge in the job hunt.
While it may allow for only 140-character posts, Twitter offers people a chance to connect with others in the industry, follow high-level executives and influencers, and showcase their interest in certain topics.
On the Career Moves blog, they recommend tweeting relevant news and articles, re-tweeting and connecting with your ideal companies and organizations, and talking about industry-specific events (virtual or in real life) that you attend.
I’ve found that it is very easy to find people talking about certain interests with hashtags on Twitter. The fact that most profiles are public also lets you peruse someone’s timeline before you decide if you want to follow them. Many CEOs and executive directors these days have Twitter accounts, so you can learn from the top, and by engaging with your dream company or organization—by re-tweeting their content, replying to their questions, or mentioning them in your own posts—you can get on their radar.
And Twitter is all about the conversations! There are regular nonprofit-related Twitter chats, and users are always ready and willing to debate the latest news and articles.
Yes, its entire purpose is to be the professional social network, but it’s important to make the most of your presence on LinkedIn and use it as an integral part of your job search. First, make sure your profile is complete and that you are taking advantage of the groups, ability to follow influencers and executives, and that you ask for and provide recommendations and endorsements.
On OpportunityKnocks.org, Mary Schumacher looks specifically about how you can use LinkedIn fully in the nonprofit space:
"With the introduction of LinkedIn’s Nonprofit Solutions for talent recruitment, more than 150 nonprofits recruited through LinkedIn as of the end of 2012, and that number will only grow.
Also, LinkedIn recently launched a whole new look and some new features to help recruiters and job seekers. So, candidates, make sure your LinkedIn profile is keyword rich and you are making use of LinkedIn’s functionality."
She also recommends updating the skills listed on your profile, following your interests and favorite organizations with the News and Signal features, and joining groups.
Speaking of joining LinkedIn Groups, did you know that Idealist has three? We have a group specifically for volunteers, one for people who are looking for a job, and a larger, more general group for sharing news and ideas in the nonprofit sector. Join and contribute to the conversation!