Twitter | First Person: Using Twitter To Find A Job

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Twitter is growing rapidly. The main reason for Twitter's growth is the ease of sharing and finding information on a second-by-second basis. It is fast-paced, quick-hitting and gets relevant information to your followers in an instant. Employers are using Twitter and other social networking sites to research job applicants; therefore, as a job seeker, you need to know how to use Twitter for a job search.

Here is how you can use Twitter daily:

- Maintaining and expanding your personal brand

- Managing your followers and who you are following

- Researching

- Helping yourself by helping others

How Why?

- Research companies, their products, and services.

- Share relevant and interesting news, articles and insights for your chosen profession and industry.

- Build a following, credibility and influence that can be leveraged into direct contacts within companies.

- Find a job!

Top 10 Benefits

- "Stand out from other job seekers . Show you are "in the loop" and really involved in your industry and job search." - Career Expert

- "Prove your industry experience and expertise , based on your "Tweets", your followers and following, and your re-Tweets (circulating other Tweets)." - HR Manager at Large Banking Firm

- "Develop your Personal Brand as a Subject Matter Expert who is connected with industry leaders." - Recruiter at Volt Technical Services

- "Update your followers on your job search progress ." - Recruiter at Aerotek

- "Connect with management, employees, and owners of companies that you are interested in working with, to build a relationship before inquiring about job openings. Follow all the people you find interesting (and from your industry) and who might be able to help you at some stage in your job search." - HR Director at Fortune 500 Aerospace Company

- "Build, grow, and maintain relationships with your personal and professional network (current and former co-workers, clients, vendors, referrals and other industry contacts)." - College Counselor

- "Know the companies you are interested in working with, through research (their products, industry, management, employees, projects and news). You can decide whether you want to work there or not. If you do, you can also use this information during your interview with them." - HR Representative at General Motors

- Research the companies and publish your findings . "When job hunting, you need to research no matter what, but instead of just keeping the information to yourself, you publish it, making it available to others, including the people who are going to hire you. Many job seekers are hired just because they know more about social media and the company, than people inside the company. Show that you know about them, and that you are serious about working there."- HR Generalist at a Banking Company

- It's easy! "Twitter only allows 140 characters per post, so you do not spend a lot of time writing, or racking your brain to find something to write. Not to mention, people are more likely to read a small amount of information than a long article! Finding and posting or re-Tweeting relevant and interesting articles, tips, tricks, news, and information is easy to do and very rewarding." - HR Coordinator at Johnson Controls

- It's fun! "Twitter and other social networking sites would not have caught on if they were difficult and boring!" - Recruiter at Kelly Services