Charlotte Grainger 
Tweet your way to your next role
Social media isn't all about cat pictures and memes. In the modern world, recruiters and HR professionals use every tool in their arsenal to reach the right candidates, including social networks that allow them to communicate with larger audiences. What's more, leading companies may share new opportunities on these sites or even headhunt candidates through them.
One platform that you may never have considered when looking for a role is Twitter. However, the website can be a gold mine, if used correctly. In this guide, we'll talk about how to use Twitter to land a job. Let's take a look at some of the simplest tips you can use to get started.
Clean up your Twitter profile
Is your Twitter profile personal or professional? You should be able to answer that question in less than 10 seconds. There's no middle ground here ‒ either you're on the social media platform for fun or you're using it to elevate your career. Whilst it would be nice to mix these two functions, we all know that business and pleasure make a terrible tasting cocktail.
If you've decided that Twitter is a work tool, it's time to clean things up. Approach this task as you would creating a LinkedIn page, because you have to tick all the same boxes. That means choosing a professional-looking profile picture and rewriting your bio. When it comes to the latter, make sure that you include the key details so that your followers can see what you're about.
You only have 160 characters, which doesn't leave much room for creative expression. However, it should be enough to get the basics down. For example, you could write, "Experienced Accounts Manager working in the marketing sector. Currently seeking new challenges."
Aside from that, you should also make sure you that fill in the Location field and use the Website field wisely. If you have a portfolio or personal website, you can use this section to link to it.
Follow companies you admire
Do you dream of working for one of the UK's leading companies? One of the best ways to get the inside scoop is to follow your favourites on social platforms, including Twitter. Whilst businesses advertise vacancies in a variety of places, following them directly could mean that you're the first to know when new roles come up. It never does any harm to have your finger on the pulse here.
Of course, there's another advantage to following these businesses on Twitter: you can use their posts as research. Should you be lucky enough to land an interview with one of the companies, you can check out their latest news and updates online. Having this additional information could be a huge help when you're preparing for an interview and need to showcase that you've done your homework ahead of time.
Interact with other professionals
It's called a social network for a reason! When you've professionalised your Twitter account, start interacting with other people in your field. You can follow influential people and people who you already know, as well as finding other professionals to connect with. You could get started by searching for trending hashtags in your industry.
When you see that there's a conversation happening that's relevant to you, go ahead and get involved. Consider what you can add to the debate and how you can showcase your expertise. You might have an anecdote that you can share or a helpful suggestion for someone.
Remember: whenever you're using your Twitter account professionally, take the time to really think about the responses and tweets that you publish.
Share your advice and work
Think of Twitter as your personal soapbox ‒ stand on top of it and start saying your piece! If you want to get noticed online, sharing your professional work and expert advice is the way to go. If you work in the creative sector, you may want to share pieces of your portfolio online. Alternatively, you may work with partners or clients and be able to share the work you've done with them.
Showcasing your previous experience online means that, should people look into your profile, they're immediately impressed.
Follow the right Twitter pages
When determining how to use Twitter in your job search, following specific pages is a major plus. Needless to say, you should first follow job boards on the platform. Whilst you can find niche pages that apply directly to your sector, you can start by looking at the following:
Much of the time, these jobs pages will share the latest roles the minute that they go live. That means that you may be the first to know when a new job is available. If you want to take things one step further, you can set up a Twitter alert for positions in your area. It's a simple way to stay ahead of the game.
Use the search function properly
Whenever you're looking for a new role, you have to cast a wide net. That means searching wherever you can. If you overlook this Twitter feature, you could miss out on some great job prospects.
Following job boards a good place to start, but you should also use the search function to see what people are tweeting about. There's a simple formula for getting this right. Search for the job title, location, and the word “vacancy.”
Whilst this won't always bring up results, it's worth checking on a regular basis. You might find that professionals in your sector are tweeting about new roles before the adverts are even published. As you're searching, you can decide whether to filter by accounts you follow or otherwise. Changing this filter will impact what results you get, so you should keep it in mind when determining your settings.
Get tweeting!
Now that you know how to use Twitter in your job search, you can get started right away. Whether you currently have an account or you're new to the platform, there's no time like the present. Landing the perfect role for you is all about being as diverse in your search as possible. The more places you look, the more likely you are to find the right role for your current skill level and needs. So get tweeting!
Twitter may help your job search, but you'll still need an impressive CV. Test the strength of yours with a free CV review.