Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies
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Think carefully about what you want in your Twitter bio if you’re hoping to grab a good job. Google uses your bio to index your Twitter account, so those 160 characters may be the first splash of information someone gets about you. For that reason, think of your Twitter bio as a sales pitch. People decide whether or not to follow you based on what they read in your bio.

And because Twitter users are bombarded with thousands of followers and tweets every time they log in, your bio needs to grab their attention, make them curious, and cut through all the clutter.

Twitter isn’t the same as LinkedIn: Whereas LinkedIn’s etiquette is more formal and professional, with Twitter you can show a bit more personality. A good way to describe yourself on Twitter is to imagine that you’re at a networking event at a bowling alley and responding to someone’s request to “Tell me about yourself.”

In Twitter, you can add a bit more personal color to your image, as illustrated in the following examples:

Future focused finance executive. I know the weather & wear a rain jacket for changes in economic climate. Looking to fly a company above the storm clouds. (155 characters)

IT Project Director specializing in web-based reporting. If it ain’t broke, I’ll make it even better. I want your systems working elegantly. (140 characters)

Recent grad not looking forward to moving back in with parents. Love communications and creative problem solving. Amateur film critic with published reviews. (157 characters)

Social media job-search coach. I once traveled the world with nothing more than LinkedIn & a bottle of gin. Let’s trick the economy and get you hired. (150 characters)

Over the course of a week, measure the number of new Twitter followers you get. Then change your bio slightly for the next week and compare the two numbers. If you get more followers, keep that change and try making an additional one. If you get fewer followers, revert to the previous version and try changing another detail instead. Good Internet marketers are always testing new copy for better performance.

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About the book author:

Joshua Waldman, MBA, is an authority on leveraging social media to find employment. His writing has appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and the International Business Times. Joshua's career blog, CareerEnlightenment.com, won the About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Career Blog 2013. Joshua presents keynotes, trainings, and breakout sessions around the world for students, career advisors, and professional organizations.

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