The pros and cons of using Twitter

Recruiters actively look for talent via Twitter. But Twitter is not for everyone, so in this article, I’m going to be covering the pros and cons of using Twitter as a job seeker.  From this, you can decide for yourself whether Twitter is for you or not, because while Twitter does have its benefits, it is not for everyone.

The benefits of using Twitter as a job seeker

Twitter provides a vehicle to gain support if you have lost your job or you are in a position that is not working for you, as Twitter allows you to connect with others who can provide good support.

Twitter, allows you to tap into a wealth of free job search information across the globe.  The best and brightest minds in job search and career management are on Twitter and are available with a simple search.

Twitter is a good platform to locate job leads, as both recruiters and companies are increasingly hiring via Twitter. As a Twitter user, you can search for and follow relevant recruiters and companies that tweet about new, live job openings.  You can also use the #hashtag to locate jobs in your local area or for the type of job you are pursuing.  Plus major recruiters and companies are on Twitter such as Apple, KPMG, Hyatt, IBM, and so on).

Popular hashtags for your job search include:

#hiring or #NowHiring

#Jobs

#Careers

#TweetMyJobs

#JobOpenings

Twitter allows you to connect to the hidden job market and insider contacts. It also enables you to expand your network FAST if using the right tactics.

Finally, Twitter is great, in that it allows you to shape your online brand as an expert and build authority. If you are a professional, building an individual brand is becoming increasingly important.

However Twitter is not for everyone

While there are benefits to be had for using Twitter to promote and find a job, there are several downsides to using Twitter.

The first is that it can be really distracting. Yes, your main goal is to use Twitter for your job search, but you might find yourself easily distracted. You will get distracted when you get new followers, or distracted about daily updates, and read recommendations and articles that may or may not be useful.  If you are not careful you will get distracted from your key objective of building relationships and finding a new job.

Twitter can be addictive. Just like Facebook, you might find yourself addicted to the tool.

Twitter can also be time consuming and your Return on investment might be low, unless you use it effectively and strategically.

You do risk damaging, rather than enhancing your job prospects if you come across as too spammy (that is self promotional), desperate or you get involved in highly personal conversations.  (If you want to use Twitter for personal use, create two separate accounts and don’t use your name for your personal account, so for example for the personal one, you might use your middle name, or maiden name).

Also keep in mind if you are employed your company may not like you to use it.  When employed, you are not just you.  You are representing your company’s brand, so you need to be cautious how you use Twitter and find out about your employers policy regarding Twitter.

And finally, Twitter can take time to set up and get relevant followers and by relevant followers, I mean followers that are not spammy and can potentially assist you in some way during your job search.

So those are the pros and cons of using Twitter.

There are some career experts that rave about the tool and other career experts that think Twitter is overrated and a waste of time. For myself, I think Twitter can be a very useful tool if used strategically and in the right manner and if you are in a sector where Twitter is common (e.g. technical community, journalism). But I don’t think it is going to be detrimental to your job search, if you decide against using it and instead focus on other job search strategies, such as uncovering the hidden job market and networking.