As the Internet’s microblogging superhero Twitter continues to balloon with 40 million users worldwide and countless apps like Twhirl and TweetDeck, the Twittersphere has been overrun lately with refugees from the real world’s recession:
Twousands and twousands of job seekers.
“Twitter’s going to become more and more valuable as a job-hunting tool because you can build up a job-search network in an afternoon and effectively create a whole self-presentation in the Twittersphere,” says Rodney Rumford, author of “Twitter as a Business Tool.”
“And anywhere there’s a place for lots of people to network and talk and share interests, the opportunities will follow.”
Accessible by computer or cell phones, Twitter can be used to post a job, poke around for one, bone up on a potential boss, or simply keep your friends updated on your job hunt. It’s free and it’s fast. And while social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn focus on connecting you with people you know, Twitter makes it easier to broadcast messages widely and to form groups of common interest. By “following” others and having them follow you, the conversations quickly multiply.
“Twitter’s a fabulous tool to help people expand what I call their ‘loose network,’” says Miriam Salpeter, a job-search coach who writes about the service on her Keppie Careers site. “These are the people you’re not really close to, but it’s actually the network responsible for most jobs found.”
It’s difficult to know how many people are actually finding work this way. But it’s obvious from interviews with job-seekers, employers, coaches and entrepreneurs that the Twitter phenomenon is fundamentally changing the way people search for jobs — and job candidates — in this brutal recession.
“A lot of companies aren’t advertising jobs in traditional ways,” says Jason Rivera, a graphic artist who teamed up with other San Francisco Twitterers “to lead the pink slip-party movement” for the networking masses. Rivera says Twitter allows companies to target easily recruitment ads and “follow” potential candidates online, while giving job hunters a backdoor peek at companies where they may be interested in applying.
“It’s a great way to get up-to-the-minute information about a company and its latest products,” Rivera says, “as well as give you a shot at actually talking to a hiring manager on Twitter, as opposed to having your e-mailed resume end up the 500th in his in-box. At the same time, Twitter gives managers faster, more efficient ways to get through the clutter, and that saves them money.” >>> Continue Reading @ ChicagoTribune
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