Archive for May, 2009

Are You Maximizing Your Twitter Presence?

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

I’m too excited for words—finally, a new poll gives me a great reason to write about social media—and to interview my dear friend Amy, a social media diva (she says enthusiast, but I prefer the fancy nature of “diva.”)

Let’s talk about that poll first: According to the 2009 Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey aimed at human resource and talent management professionals:

80 percent of companies use or are planning to use social networking to find and attract candidates this year.

Among those using social network sites for recruiting:

Check out the report here: Jobvite survey

So clearly this means social media is integral to our career development, whether that means for our job hunt or constant pursuit of total fulfillment.

Our focus for this session will be Twitter, because I believe it’s more efficient and effective than the other two. Or, as Career Hub says, “in my opinion, Twitter eats Facebook’s lunch in terms of job search.”

Amy, who has recently shifted her career focus, has been training with some social media heavy weights over the last few months. Note here for other career shifters: Amy has done everything from an online course on how to use video to build her brand to a 6-month certification course with Mari Smith on social media strategy. There is no training too big or small. You either go in big or stay home, right? Amy’s a testament to that.

I plan to get Amy on video to give a step-by-step and more advanced Twitter tutorial. But in the meanwhile, I wanted her to give us The Twitter Primer, as well as answer these questions: What’s so damn great about Twitter? And as a job seeker or potential mover, how the heck do I get the most out of Twitter?

First Amy shares some content from her mentor, Mari Smith. Mari promotes RSV: Radical Strategic Visibility. Meaning that we should put ourselves everywhere in the social media world—commenting on blogs, initiating conversations, becoming fans of pages on Facebook. Don’t be afraid to go out there and let people know: I’m interested in hearing what you have to say.  And even better—it’s about getting people to start noticing YOU more and taking note on what YOU have to say.

Other advice:

Set up a compelling bio. The more engaging the better—remember, this is the first place folks will look before they decide to follow you.

Be strategic, then follow. Decide in advance what area of interest you would like to be involved with. Who are the leaders in your industry? Is there anyone you would like to model? What’s so darn cool about Twitter is that it gives you access to leaders in different industries you would never have had before!

Make friends first. Twitter is a place to connect and engage; you must build trust first before you go ahead and market yourself (or your blog, video, etc.).

Play full out/make it a habit. If you’re going to sign up, then be diligent about using it. There are enough profile graveyards (i.e. those who sign up, maybe do one tweet, then abandon the effort) out there; be one of the few who does and does it well!

Don’t let “Twitter anxiety” get you down. Don’t be intimidated by 140 characters. Start thinking about resources for great quotes, stories, and more. One suggestion is starting an Alltop account to give you easy access to ideas 24/7. Or get in the habit of jotting down interesting nuggets throughout the day…then you’ll have a great resource for throwing out truncated brilliance…

And finally, Amy throws out a great example and resource:

Gary Vaynerchuk, a legend in the social media world and author of the forthcoming book Crush It! Turn Your Passion into Profits in a Digital World, used social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to take his company, Wine Library, to a $50-million-dollar business.  He recently spoke about his view of resumes.  He said that resumes as we know them are changing rapidly.  Before he hires anyone, he searches for them on the Web, reads their Tweets, goes to their Facebook page–he finds out about the REAL person first.

As social media takes over, NEVER underestimate the power of you.  Sooner than later our resume will become our Tweets, our Facebook profiles, our blog posts, etc.  This is what he calls the active, breathing, constantly evolving resume.

So take advantage of this and become a personal brand you would hire yourself.

Now get moving!

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