Tom Hume

Twitter For Your Job Search &

Personal Brand

Tom HumeTwitter Handles: @TAH99, @marketingkicker, @saleskicker, @cureJMLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhume

Seminar Objectives• After participating in this session, you’ll be

able to:

– Understand how and why Twitter can be a powerful tool in your job search and for developing your Personal Brand

– Learn easy ways to get started

– Leave with at least 5 immediately actionable (and free) tips, resources or techniques to take your social media brand to the next level

What is Twitter?

• We think of Twitter as it's not a social network, but it's an information network. It tells people what they care about as it is happening in the world.

—Evan Williams

What is Twitter?

• What made Twitter different from other social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace) was the way people socialized. However, these lines are blurring.

• Twitter is like an open Chat room. Everyone answers just one question; “What’s happening?”; 140 characters or less

• The 140 character status update is now universal and linking EVERYWHERE – LinkedIn, Facebook

• The mobile support on twitter lets the world know what you are doing right now

How Twitter fits in with other Social Media

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomashttp://theconversationprism.com/size1024/

What is Twitter?

• Twitter is communication:– 1 to 1– 1 to Many– Many to Many– Many to 1

Who is on Twitter?• Barack Obama• Britney Spears• All A-listed Bloggers• Celebrities• Politicians • Techies• Web Enthusiasts• Real people• Your target companies • Emps from your target

companies • Decision-makers from

your target companies

What does Twitter look like?

What does Twitter look like?

What does Twitter look like?

What does Twitter look like?

Immediate News Tweets– A plane just landed

on the Hudson

Twitter is Real Time

– Or even closer to home…..

So why should you care about Twitter?• Powerful search tool - Listening

– Find jobs – search job titles and geographies– What does your target company say?

» Company voice; events, earnings, product launches

– What do the customers of your target company say?

– What to employees say at your target company?– What does the hiring manager say

» Professionally, Personally

• Employers expect you to understand and use it – (esp for Marketing jobs)

• It will make you more visible – Credibility, personal brand– More networking connections

• The people you hire will be using it

Getting started – 5 easy steps

1.Just sign-up

Tips• Use a personal email address (not from your job)• Use your real name – claim it before someone else does• Consider using an email address you don’t use all the

time (gmail, yahoo, etc)

Getting started – 5 easy steps

If you can’t get your name/domain before someone else does, don’t panic

Tip• Can’t get your

name? Then have fun with your Twitter handle – i.e. @marketingkicker

• Numbers and hyphens can reduce followers

Getting started – 5 easy stepsWhile your at it, check your

name availability everywhere. http://namechk.com/

Getting started – 5 easy steps

2.Build your profile

Getting started – 5 easy steps2.Build your profile

• Under the “Settings” tab > “Account” tab– Put in your name – your real name so others

can find you– Put in your approved twitter name – Add the email address where notifications will

be sent– Add your website or blog url – LinkedIn is

good too– Add your time zone – a drop down box– Add your online bio – it’s short. Keep it

similar to LinkedIn – Establish your location – Geo Tagging (if you

want)– Choose your language (Italian, Spanish,

French, Japanese English)– Decide if you want to protect your tweets –

Don’t!

Getting started – 5 easy steps2.Build your profile

• Skip the “Mobile” settings for now

Getting started – 5 easy steps2.Build your profile

• Set your “Notices”

Tip• At first, turn on email notifications for new followers (it is

more fun), then turn it off if it gets overwhelming

Getting started – 5 easy steps2.Build your profile

• Add your “Picture”– Smiling photos get more follows

• Pick a background “Design”• Skip the “Connections” tab for now

Getting started – 5 easy steps3.Start Following People

• Who to follow?– Real people (not spammers)– People who will follow you back

» Keep a good Follower/Following Ratio– People you are connected to on LinkedIn

» Tweeple group – Twitter User Directories

» Wefollow» Listorious» TweetDeck Directory

– Follow the list of people you like

Getting started – 5 easy steps4.Start Tweeting to build your

followers• Follow back• Put your Twitter handle “@____” on email

signature, LinkedIn, business cards, etc• Tweet often, tweet regularly• Use Hashtags #• Build your own lists• Promote others - #FF• List yourself in Twitter User Directories• What to Tweet about?

– Articles– Event updates– Updates to your blog– Live news events, pictures– Questions– Retweets

Tips– Find your voice– Tweet with authority– Be creative– Have fun– And always

remember “What happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet”

Getting started – 5 easy steps5.Twitter Search

Tips– Search by job title

and region– Search company

name– Search company

products or services– Search key people at

company– Set up search

columns in TweetDeck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbLWQYJ6iM

Getting started – 5 easy steps6. Use tools to get organized and save

time

Getting started – 5 easy steps6. Twitter is made powerful through

other Twitter tools

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVg8PtaGWs

Overwhelmed?

Develop your strategy

• Do you want fewer followers, but extremely high quality followers?– You will need to create terrific content– You will need to be very selective about who

you follow• Do you want a high volume of followers to

extend your online brand?– RT often– Follow-back always– Unfollow those who do not follow you

Tip– Don’t get too hung up on strategy at first; just get in

the game

Five Mistakes to Avoid

1. Do not post only links to your site/blog. No one wants to see such blatant self promotion.

2. Do not avoid other Twitterers. Respond if spoken to

3. Don’t write about your mundane habits.

4. No flaming or insulting.

5. Do not beg for followers or listen to those Get 1000 Followers NOW! It is not true and not good marketing for your own name

Tools

Fun Tools• Social Oomph , Hootsuite – schedules

tweets• Splitweet, TweetDeck, Hootsuite, ping.fm –

tweet from multiple accounts• Huitter, TwitterKarma – Follow and Unfollow• Bud URL or bit.ly – Shorten URLs• TweetDeck, Hootsuite, Seesmic – Track

tweeps• Tweet Stats, Twittercounter – See twitter

activity• Muckrack – Journalists on Twitter• What the Trend – explains trends• Tweet Reach – shows the reach• Twitalyzer – Analyses quality• Twitbacks – Fancier backgrounds

What’s next for Twitter

• Foursquare and Geo-Tagging

Questions?

Appendix

Twitter Terms• Twitter : Your Online Status Message.• Tweet : A Short Update of what you are doing for about 140

characters.• Followers : People who are subscribed of your updates or

fondly known as Tweets.• Following : People you are interested for following by

subscribing to their updates or tweets.• Direct Message (DM) : Sending a Direct Message to your

followers.• At (@) : You can use this when you are referring him/her in

your updates. You can prefix their username with @ to display his/her Twitter account in the update.

• Re-Tweet (RT) : You can Relay a tweet or update by a Twitterer or Tweeter to everyone who are following you.

• Hash (#) : When you want to tell something specific about some issue or subject, you can prefix your subject with #.

• Tweet – Up : When a group of Twitterers or Tweeters arranges a meeting for a social interaction or for some bloggers meet and so on.

• Blocking/Spam : You may get requests from Spam Twitterers. You can block them in two ways. Directly from the User’s Twitter page or  through your Followers list . Just hit Block and Twitter will confirm it. Real people (not spammers)