Using Twitter To Connect With Potential Employers

Posted by Jim Stroud
September 19, 2008

Using Twitter To Connect With Potential Employers
By: Amybeth Hale

I love Twitter - big surprise right! I enjoy seeing who in the PR world is out using it, and following them so that I can learn from them and, potentially, approach them about opportunities with Waggener. (BTW, we’re hiring from AC to VP level, so get in touch with me if you’d like to talk about some of our openings!!)

The other day I was checking out one of the folks I follow and I noticed an @ to someone whose name sounded familiar to me, so I clicked on the name and discovered that I wasn’t following this person when I thought I was. However, this individual had apparently blocked me from following their tweets! What’s more, this person is a recent college graduate from a university known for public relations, and is currently looking for work. I was shocked, and kind of miffed that I, a recruiting professional at a potential employer for this person, had been blocked. The nerve!

(Understand here that I respect the right each person has to decide who to allow to follow their tweets, I’m just using this example to make a point)

A bit irritated, I tweeted: “recommendation to graduating college students: don’t block ppl from your twitter updates who work at companies that might hire you. Bad form”

Within 5 minutes, I received this response from an inquisitive young PR graduate named Hannah: “@researchgoddess Question about your last tweet. If employees from companies you are interested in add you, how should you approach them?”

I read this message and thought, What a great question! So - here is my opinion on how to approach someone who follows you on Twitter and works at a company that you’re interested in working at:

My personal thoughts on using twitter to find a job, as well as to find potential candidates, are: pay attention to what the person you’re trying to reach is talking about or interested in. If someone from a company you’re thinking about applying to starts following you, there’s usually a good reason. Either they were following someone you responded to and they liked what they read about you, or they did some research themselves and felt compelled to connect. It’s good to thank them for the follow (using a simple salutation such as ‘@[name] Tnx for the follow!’). And follow them back, so you can DM and ask some more specific questions of them, for example “Are you hiring, and is that the reason for the follow?” or “Is there anything that I can do for you? How can I help you out?” Also, do due diligence and find out who exactly they are and the role they have within their company. This will give you some material to begin an intelligent conversation with a potential new employer.

Most people these days don’t just blindly follow others on Twitter. It gets overwhelming to follow too many so most folks are becoming choosy about who they follow. Just as an example, I personally follow PR folks almost exclusively, with the exception of a few people in the recruiting industry. I also don’t always follow back people who follow me. I look at their information and do further research to see what they do and where their interests are.

In summary,
  • Thank them for following you (publicly)
  • Do a little research on who they are/what role they’re in at their company
  • Pay attention to what they’re currently talking about or what their interests are
  • Follow up in a DM and find out if they’re hiring or how you can help them out
So – if there’s someone from a company you’re interested in who starts following you, it’s most likely for a good reason. Find out what they have to offer and let them know what you have to offer! Wouldn’t it be cool to say that you got your job via Twitter?

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Amybeth began her career in research in the summer of 2002 as the sole researcher for an award-winning MRI-affiliated executive search firm in Ohio. She then served as the Manager of Internet Research for a recruiting franchisor in Ohio where she provided research support to franchise offices and implemented, customized, and conducted training classes for contact management databases as well as passive researching techniques. She is currently a Sourcing Strategist for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, a global public relations firm headquartered in Seattle, WA.

Amybeth was an instrumental part in the development and moderation of an extensive interactive network of researchers throughout MRI’s franchise system. She helped establish recognition of and assistance for the researchers affiliated with MRI at its regional conferences and was asked to assist with training sessions for 2005 and 2006. She willingly offered training and support to new researchers who were referred to her by other franchise offices. One of her favorite sayings is, “Never forget where you came from – and always reach back.”

Amybeth also maintains an internet research blog, www.amybethhale.com where she is affectionately known as the “Research Goddess”. She is a proponent of responsible professional networking and believes that there is something to be learned from every person you encounter in life.

Amybeth graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelors degree in Exercise and Sports Science. She currently resides in the Cincinnati area.

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Honors, Awards, Speaking Engagements

Speaking engagements:

Honors and Awards:

Blogging:


Amybeth Hale
Research Goddess
amybeth@researchgoddess.com

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Internet Strategies, Job Market

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Comments
Comment by Grace on September 20, 2008 @ 2:07 pm

Almost everyone finds it difficult to choose the right profession, and it can be even more difficult to find help that isn’t vague and general. The stakes are high; find the career path that suits your personality and interests, or risk landing among the 45% of all college students who drop out or fail out. At http://www.findyourcareermatch.com, you get substantive advice on the careers you are most compatible with, based on a comparison of your attributes to those of actual top performers in a variety of fields. Rather than presenting students with a list of job titles that may or may not interest them, SmartHire’s career match tool helps students understand how their strengths translate into opportunities! Read more at http://www.findyourcareermatch.com

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