When I was a sophomore in college, I took my first college-level journalism class. During that class, we were supposed to create a Twitter account and post on it regularly.
Related: 4 Ways To Kick Up Your Job Search A Notch With Social Media
I didn’t get it. Twitter, another dumb social media site, was required for a journalism class?
Remember, this site was widely known for its users posting updates for every moment of their waking life. Updates like:
Going to the store!
Off to the gym to lift some weights. #musclemilk
Tweeting while on the toilet! Woo!
Ew. Give me a break. Twitter is stupid; who cares what I have to say?
It wasn’t until I started working full-time that I understood the value of Twitter. Now, I’m addicted - and I’m not even ashamed.
Why I Love Twitter
Why? Because I started looking at it in a different way. Instead of focusing on what *I* have to say, I started focusing on the information I could get from other people. What can I learn? How can it help me in my day-to-day life? How can it help me improve my career?
Now, I think the social media site is an awesome, helpful tool. Here are a few reasons I think Twitter is great:
It Makes It Easy To Keep Up With Current Events
In the mornings, I’ll skim the news headlines on a handful of sites just to see what’s going on in the world. After I’ve hit the major news sites, I’ll pop over to my Twitter account to see what’s trending. Most of the time, it will just have silly things like #MyFavoriteSongWillAlwaysBe or #ThingsIWouldNeverSay, but sometimes it will have topics that I missed during my initial news skim. Depending on the topic, it could list names, events, or places that have to do with a big news story.
This is a great way to keep up with current events and happenings in your industry. So, next time you’re at a networking event, you’ll have plenty to talk about!
You Can Interact With Almost Anyone
No matter how successful or famous someone is, if they have a Twitter account, you usually have the opportunity to follow them. I love this because not only does it give you more insight into their lives, businesses, and brands, but it gives you the opportunity to interact with them and build a professional relationship.
Here are some ways you can get a relationship started through Twitter:
Retweet something they posted and give them a shout out.
Thank them for sharing a piece of information.
Share an article with them either by tweeting them or direct messaging them.
Send them a direct message complimenting them on a post, then invite them to connect on LinkedIn.
Give them a shout out on #FF (Follow Friday) and briefly let your followers know why they should follow them (example below).
There’s A TON Of Content, But It’s Manageable
One of my favorite things about Twitter is that, although there's a TON of content/information being pushed out every second, each tweet is only 140 characters long. If you don’t catch me with that brief description, I have no problem passing your content over. For me, it’s easy to filter.
Also, if I really find an article intriguing, but I don’t have time to read it at that moment, I’ll either “Favorite” or “Retweet” it so I can have it later. I do this a ton – and it’s worked out pretty nicely. I also noticed that I read more stuff when I go through my Twitter feed than I do while I’m skimming an online newspaper.
In the end, Twitter has really opened my eyes to the world. I’ve learned so much since becoming a consistent user. It’s a great resource, and I don’t plan on ditching it anytime soon!
This post was originally published on an earlier date.
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.