
I adore all forms of social media. From Xanga, MySpace, Facebook, Yelp and Twitter, just name the website and I was probably a member of it. As with most people, I had this notion that social media could only be used for social purposes. You know, sharing the pictures from your latest vacation, looking up restaurants to go to dinner, raving about your newest crush, etc. But, let me tell you – I was completely wrong. To my surprise, I found that social media could be used for a ton of professional purposes, as well.
You see, back in August 2009, I began to actively look for a new job. My work environment was rapidly deteriorating, my managers were incompetent and there was no advancement available within the organization. Because of this, I left work every night feeling drained, annoyed and unhappy. For the benefit of my mental health, I needed out – ASAP.
With rising unemployment rates, I was doubtful that I would find a new job. But, I began exploring my beloved social media websites and used them as avenues to network and find job opportunities. I would comb through Craigslist ads, investigate connections on LinkedIn and Tweet multiple recruiters, in hopes that they would respond to me. If you love social media, use that to your advantage! A new job could just be right around the corner.
Let’s start with Twitter. Take a look through some of these tips:

- Follow and tweet! – Compile a list of the companies that you would love to work for. Then, perform a Twitter search to see if they have a profile. If they do, often times, those companies have HR people posting job descriptions and manning the @replies. If you send them a tweet saying that you’re interested in a particular job, they probably will send you a tweet back with information on how to submit your resume. Direct contact with a recruiter is amazing! (Shoutout to @OrbitzTalent and @HyattCareers!)
- Take notes! - There are a TON of Twitter profiles that are dedicated to career advice. You can look on Twitter for resume help/suggestions, ways to make a career-switch and some useful interview tips. Follow these people for some awesome advice. Somedays, they’ll have contests where the the right answer might get you a free career course or free resume help. Nice! (Check out @jobsavants, @careerrealism, @pongoresume, @heatherhuhman, @Keppie_Careers
for tips!)
- Get updates!- Nothing like having real-time job opportunity updates! If you follow the right Tweeps, you’ll be the first to know what postings are out there. Sure, CareerBuilder and Monster are great places to find postings and emailing your favorite recruiters is great, too. But, if you want to have first dibs on a position (thus, showing the potential employer initiative and huge interest), then start following profiles that post jobs daily. (Here’s a couple: @AccountantsCHI, @FinanceChicago, @TwitJobSearch, @jobsearchninja, @jobsphere)
- Explore your options! - Maybe you’re not 100% happy with your career and are looking to eventually transition into something else. However, since you’re also not sure that you’ll be happy (and/or successful) in another field, you might want to try your hand at it first. One way to do this is through an unpaid internship! This way, you’ll gain experience in something totally new, but you won’t sacrifice your current career. A fabulous site for this is @urbaninterns. I adore them!
Although looking for a new job can be tedious and depressing (at times), using Twitter (and other forms of social media) might be one of the ways to make it a little more enjoyable!
Interested in how to use other social media sites? Stay tuned for Pt. 2!

