Twittering through the (st)ages

Follow. Tweet. Direct Message. Favourites. Lists. Re-tweets... 140 characters!

Whether you are brand new to Twitter or au fait with it's quirks, we thought it would be handy to highlight some key stages which you are likley to come across along your way.  For new grads, Twitter can be an excellent way of job searching, meeting other grads and maybe even as a way into your dream employer! Whatever you are looking to get connected for, Twitter can have a benefit for you and by reviewing these simple stages; you can identify where you are at - or where you want to be!

1. The Follower – Research
Be a voyeur and watch others at work. The beauty of Twitter at this stage is that it can be mainly used as another research and job search tool, in addition to the traditional methods, plus it's super useful for gathering information. Now, where to start?

• Companies – to find out about news, culture, developments, career opportunities
• Job sites & Recruiters – to hear about and respond to jobs early or as soon as advertised. Some jobs are even posted on Twitter exclusively.
• Industry Leaders & Newswires – to be kept up to date and informed about relevant developments in your market of interest/profession.

2. The Re-Tweeter – Networking
At this stage you look to broaden your network. Find, locate and network with thought leaders, recruiters and industry professionals. This will increase your visibility and help leverage your knowledge and experience.

• Research relevant people/leaders/companies appropriate to your sector or location
• Retweet interesting and significant tweets, this is both a commendation of the original author and communicating to your network what is important and interesting to you
• Direct Message (DM) people to cement an informal connection. If appropriate encourage other connections too (i.e. email – LinkedIn etc)

3. The Expert Tweeter – Personal Branding
Now, here is where you can start to present yourself as an expert in your chosen field – particularly appropriate for artistic/design or technical industries and those who occupy leadership or are self employed consultants. Building your 'online brand', with a view to having such an impact, you may then begin to attract job offers.

• Tweet regularly about your ideas, success, challenges, with a view to being followed by people interested in your skills, experience, ideas, offering.
• Hashtags are a way to follow and contribute to trends on Twitter, adding your voice to such trends or topics of discussion increases your visibility and broadens your impact to others.
• Link your Twitter account regularly to a personal blog where you can explore your thoughts in more depth.

So, how are you getting on? We'd love to hear your Twitter successes, or any tips of your own, please feel free to comment below!

If you liked the sound of this and fancy reading more information on job searching and professionalism, contact us for a copy of the FREE GradGuide2010.