Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies
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Everything you tweet becomes public domain. Remember that when using Twitter for your job search. Potentially thousands of people may read your tweets, and not all those people are kind, supportive social media enthusiasts like me. Having some street smarts goes a long way.

Never share personal information that can be used against you or that can be used to impersonate you, such as the following:

  • Your birth date

  • Your phone number

  • Your address

  • Your mother’s maiden name

  • Details about your children

  • When you’re going on vacation or leaving your home

  • Potentially damaging images or information about yourself

You’re using Twitter to get a job. You don’t have to be stuck-up, hidden away, or always on topic; however, keep in mind that a hiring manager may see your tweets, in which case getting too casual is a mistake. Be personal sometimes, but not all the time. You should loosely adhere to the following breakdown of tweet types:

  • Retweets and shared links: Rely on what others have to say 50 percent of the time. Any more than this, and people will think you have nothing original to say!

  • Industry/job-search topics: Use your tweets to build your personal brand 40 percent of the time.

  • Personal topics: Answer the questions “Who are you?” and “What motivates you?” 10 percent of the time.

  • Direct requests for job-search help or for a connection at a target company: Don’t ask questions of this nature more than once a week. You don’t want to appear desperate. You can ask for help, but don’t be that guy who shows up at a networking event expecting everyone to listen to him as he tries to sell his latest and greatest invention. Build some trust first.

About This Article

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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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