Twitter can be used effectively for career networking and information gathering. The key is to think about how you can add value to others by sharing helpful career/job information, links, tips, and engaging in discussions. It's best to post quality over quantity with around 140 characters to concisely add value. Using features like hashtags, retweets, and following industry leaders can help you make quality connections on Twitter.

1. 101
Will tweet for work!
How to get twitter
to work for you
Daulton West and Scott Gravitt June 30, 2009

2. What is Twitter ?
• Twitter is a free social networking and
micro-blogging service that enables its users to
send and read each others' updates, known as
tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to
140 characters, displayed on the author's profile
page and delivered to other users - known as
followers - who have subscribed to them
• Twitter is probably best used as a source for
career networking and information gathering
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3. Let’s start twitting!
Just go to http://twitter.com/
Click the “Get Started--Join” box & answer the 4 simple questions 3

4. Profile
• Name – be sure to include your real name here
so people can find you
• Web – use your LinkedIn URL, unless a
personal website is preferred
• Bio – what differentiates you and defines your
brand, put it here (Ex: Social media champion,
Webmaster, Reporter for Examiner, Marketing
2.0, Branding 2.0, Web 2.0 coach / trainer, social
networker / music trivia for fun)
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6. Basic terms
• Tweet - What are you doing? - a posted message, max of 140 chars
• Retweeting – Reposting someone else’s message,
format is: ‘RT’ + ‘@’ + ‘twitter ID’ + original tweet
viable4u Are you using the power of a Google profile to promote your brand?
RT @viable4u Are you using the power of a Google profile to promote your brand?
• Followers = same as connections on LinkedIn, or friends on Facebook
Find People by name
Use Twitter's people search to find people who currently use Twitter. Search for a
first, last, or user name, and view results. Twitter uses the full name as well as the
user name fields to give you as many relevant results as possible.
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7. Text commands
• @username + message
- directs a twitter at another person, causes your twitter to save in their "replies" tab
Example: @danschwabel @megguiseppi @alisondoyle @guykawasaki
Survey: What are the top 5 topics you tweet on? / what do viewers want?
• D username + message
sends a person a private message that goes to their device, and saves in their web
archive.
Example: d ScottGravitt Are you back in town? Have deck for your review soon
• Frequently Asked Questions – basic 1st time user questions answered
- click ‘Help’ and scroll down to view the list of twitter terminology and basic
concepts
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8. URL shorteners (used to shrink URL to avoid 140 char max)
• Hootsuite - Has a ‘Send Later’ feature for posting tweets at
specific times. (great feature)
• Tinyurl - Enter a long URL to make tiny: - or -
use Custom alias (optional): to personalize a link
http://tinyurl.com/dwestjr-ex1
May contain letters, numbers, and dashes.
• bit.ly - Has History feature that has date added, clicks, info
with title of link, name of shortened URL
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9. Hootsuite
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10. TinyUrl
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11. bit.ly
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12. LinkedIn
Facebook
twitter
Latest Scenes from a Job Search:
http://ow.ly/fPlX
Link is to a series she is writing on
different people and what has been
working for them during their job
search 12

13. How is twitter different?
• LinkedIn - better used for keeping your career profile current, maintaining
and expanding your contact list, joining groups to share career / job search
information, doing company / people searches
• Facebook - better used for personal updates, and for keeping connected
with family and friends
• Twitter - Twitter can serve as your primary source for keeping current with
your field and with industry leaders, desired employers, and other “power
contacts” you want to “follow”. Twitter does not require verification of
“follower” requests, it is much easier to connect to people than on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn / Facebook are not “conversational” and allow for only “one-way”
updates. Twitter allows for a more free flowing exchange of information and
for “live”, “in the moment” networking using microblogging (like a chat
room)
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14. What are followers? (followers = connections)
• Find people to follow on Twitter with Twellow -
http://www.twellow.com/
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16. http://twtjobs.com/ http://fav.or.it/post/1389618/twtjobs-140-characters-to-employment
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18. Twitter search
- use keywords to find job listings, references to specific
organizations, topics, even references to your name
• Saved Searches
• social media richmond
• dwestjr
• richmondjobnet
• jobs richmond va
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19. Nearby tweets –
Enter:
• Location
• Keyword
• Search radius
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21. TweetDeck – A useful free twitter application to
organize who you follow into groups. You can also add
facebook to your tweetdeck if you desire.
http://tweetdeck.com/beta/
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23. #followfriday - recommend the work of others, 2 formats
viable4u #FF @dwestjr @RichmondJobNet @yeagerjenngrp @
mightycasey @roguestarsystem @rickwhittington @thecareergiant
@elledmytryszyn @FastCoach
CatGotUrTongue #followfriday @dwestjr, @writersinthesky, @
sarvay, @jobrielyn, @kcampbel46 - happy friday everyone!!!
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24. Links
• Job Sites and Career Experts on Twitter (by Alison
Doyle)
• 150+ Experts on Twitter ALL Job Seekers MUST Follow
(by Chris Perry)
• Where to Find Your Job on Twitter (by Chris Perry)
• UsingTwitter for Career Networking (by Daulton West)
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25. Takeaways
• Use for networking & information gathering
• As with any networking, think “how can I add
value to help others”, “quality” not “quantity”
• Bio - differentiate yourself & define your brand
• Follow industry leaders, desired employers,
RichmondJobNet, jobs richmond va (daily search)
• Use to connect with people to build quality
relationships. Helping others builds your brand
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26. Best practices
• It is recommended that you post a profile photo, which will help
people find you and which is a courtesy to people you may follow on
twitter who do not know you
• “Less is more”, don’t inundate people with too many tweets, or you
may lose followers. Think “quality”, not “quantity.” (This applies to
other media like Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well)
• Whether its the status area of LinkedIn, the wall posting area of
Facebook, or the Twitter message box - you only have 140 chars to
“add value”, so use it wisely! (No one cares about what you had for
breakfast, or lunch, or that you just showered after a walk – AVOID
tweeting about mundane daily activities!)
• As with in person networking, the more you contribute to others, the
more you will earn a good reputation which can serve you well. As
a “best practice” note, self-promotion is frowned upon. Sharing and
posting career / job information, helpful links, social media tips,
answering questions, or starting a discussion to benefit others is
what it is all about.
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