In case you weren’t aware, social sites such as Twitter are not just being used for killing time. I’m sure you have heard over and over by now that networking is the best way to come across new career opportunities. Well, Twitter is another way to grow your business network. I believe it can be used effectively to find anything from entry-level internships to high-level executive positions. This is primarily because of the fact that many of Twitter’s users are HR reps, regular employees, and even CEO’s. They may have signed up just for fun, but now they have begun using Twitter (along with other online tools) to recruit and even to make hiring decisions. With unemployment rates the highest they have been in several years in this highly competitive job market, going above and beyond and keeping up with the social networking as part of your job search is more important than ever.

I personally have found Twitter to be more effective than LinkedIn in growing my professional network. This is mainly because on LinkedIn, I generally only add colleagues and friends I have already worked with in the past or know personally. You are free to follow anyone on Twitter you want to connect with that may have similar or common interests. Therefore, Twitter will help you find and network with new people worldwide.

Here are a few steps to help you build your professional network followed by some tips on using Twitter to find a job:

1. If you haven’t already, obviously create an account on Twitter here.
2. Search for people and even brands in the same industry as the one you are currently working in or the industry you would like to get into. To do this, use the search field in the upper right hand corner or search.twitter.com to search for keywords that relate to your industry. For example, I wanted to find other people already working in or just interested in the mobile space in NYC, so I searched for terms like ‘mobile marketing’ and ‘mobile NYC’. The search will return results with these keywords in each user profiles and from there you can click on the account to find out more about the person. (Note: If you are searching for a job in the social media/pr/marketing industry, check lists that highlight Twitter’s top users because many of them are people well known in this industry. A few I have used are here and here. UPDATE: Check out Tweepz which lets you search user bio’s for keywords, something Twitter used to let you do.
3. Build your network of people you are following and followers. Step 2 is only one way. There is no need to rush this, as it will happen with time and as you come across Twitter links on the blogs you visit and on other social networking sites. Make sure to fill out your Twitter Bio completely and if you make it clear you have the same interests, the people you decide to follow will most likely check out your Bio and follow you back.
4. Build your presence by not only using Twitter to update your friends and followers on what you are up to, but also to post interesting links and info you come across. This can be from around the web and wherever else you are spending your time. I personally prefer to follow people that share information but I also don’t mind reading about their life to get a better idea of what they are doing and their personal interests. Twitter can be very serious or very fun, so make sure you use it for both.
5. Start participating by replying to questions, giving feedback about blog posts/mentioned articles, or even introducing yourself with a personalized direct message. Thoughtful replies will get noticed. Some people like to reply to all messages directed to them which often starts short conversations. If someone that you thought would follow you doesn’t, don’t worry about it. They may add you at a later point after a few responses. I try to only reply to other tweets when I have something valuable to add or when my input is wanted for a question that was asked. Lastly, Twitter is also a great way to find out about local networking events and meetups (aka tweetups). Attend some of these tweetups and you will meet new people who will then follow you to keep in touch.
6. Use the search at search.twitter.com to find specific tweets about companies and recruiters hiring. Search for specific titles you are interested in like ‘community manager‘ or more generic terms like ‘now hiring‘. Also, check out TwitHire which is a free service that has begun aggregating all job related tweets. Take a look at this article which explains TwitHire in more detail.
7. Get creative with the ways you network on Twitter (or any other social networking site). Plain and simple, more followers will equal more opportunities. The people with the most followers on Twitter gained those followers from doing something very creative or because they are very knowledgeable in what they do and love to share that knowledge. That’s why they have thousand’s of people listening and why you should be to. They way I think about it, using Twitter effectively to follow an industry expert is similar to reading a book written by them. There is a huge potential to learn more from the person both ways.
8. Sharing your knowledge related to your career interests will create a different type of online resume that may be the deciding factor between you and 30 other qualified candidates. I know if I was a hiring manager and found a Twitter account of a potential candidate, I would browse it.

The fact that you are on Twitter alone should be a great selling point in an interview or if your potential employer Google’s your name and sees you are active in online communities. (Again, especially if you are looking to get into a social media or PR role.) Furthermore, expanding your network on Twitter will probably lead to more connections on other social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Community and Social Media expert Chris Brogan has recently been writing several great articles which are very valuable to anyone serious about expanding their network.

Of course, you must use your own judgment when posting anything to your account that may ultimately have a negative effect on your image. Just use common sense and you should be fine. The same goes for not only Twitter; but Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, and even the stories you digg on Digg. Personally, I occasionally tweet about fun nights in the city and funny videos online because it is part of who I am and my personality. I am not worried about an employer seeing this because I am not interested in working for them anyway if their hiring decisions are based on personal hobbies that are in no way harmful to their business and brand.

I came across one digital agency that even created a dedicated Twitter account for recruiting, which I believe will be a new trend to keep an eye on. Below are screenshots of some of the job related entries on Twitter I recently came across:

Even if you are not looking for a job, you never know if one day you might decide to start your own business or become a free agent and start consulting. In that case, (you guessed it) your Twitter network can also be a very strong starting point in establishing your company, finding business partners, and reaching out to potential clients:

I’d love to hear success stories about how Twitter has helped you find a new job or hire a qualified candidate. Also, please let me know what you think of my outlined steps and what changes (if any) you would make to improve the list. I think Twitter will increasingly become a very effective job search tool while some of the other more popular job search sites like Monster and CareerBuilder start seeing a decline. I only regret not singing up and using Twitter earlier than I did. Connect with me on Twitter @jsmakr.

1. The most powerful person on your sales team is your customer.

Any satisfied customer will hopefully lead to referrals and more sales but what Gitomer describes in the book is using your best customers from the beginning of your sales process and not just after. One way to go about this is to have one of your loyal customers do you a favor and contact a potential client (if you have a strong relationship, they will be happy to). Of course, there are many other ways to get your customer involved like getting testimonials from them, but try to think of new, creative ways to spread their message to potential clients.

2. Your voicemail is a key to getting new customers and creating word-of-mouth advertising.

I don’t think many people put much thought into their voicemail away message, which is why this is a great way to stand out from the crowd. By having a creative or humorous message, your clients and potential clients will hear it, leave you a message, then most likely talk about. This should lead to a much higher overall message rate which should lead to more sales and stronger future relationships.

3. Humor not only helps make the sale – it also helps build the relationship.

Most people like to separate fun from work and I never really understood why (I am sure you probably agree). There are times to be serious and times where humor is appropriate during business hours and client meetings and I definitely think the right mix of both will lead to an increase in sales. It is up to you use your best judgment in each specific case if humor is appropriate or not and, if so, what type of humor. Just remember, it never hurts to make your potential customer laugh.

4. Creativity is a science that you can learn.

Gitomer recommends several books on creativity that have helped many people become more creative. I also believe that exposing yourself constantly to creative environments and creative individuals, you will learn how to be more creative as long as you are motivated and take notes. My favorite combination is when I come across something or someone that is both creativity and funny. Some of my favorite TV shows and movies for example are both creative and made me laugh. Once again it’s simple – exposing yourself to creative material (such as books, movies, etc.) and environments will help you learn how to be more creative.

5. Networking builds rapport that leads to appointments and sales. Lots of sales.

Everyone knows just how important networking is to having a successful career but many people avoid networking because they are too shy or afraid to meet new people. The first step is to get over this fear because it will be a major hindrance on your career advancement. Start slowly by attending small networking events with like minded people who you can talk to about your interests and not just the weather. It’s essential to keep in mind that you have nothing to loose when it comes to approaching new people at these events.

So those are just 5 out of the hundreds of tips given in his book. I recommend it to anyone, not just people in sales. Because Gitomer practices what he preaches, he has been able to become more successful from coaching people and organizations in sales. Remember, just reading and studying his sales techniques and tips is not enough to accomplish anything. It’s about hard work first, then sales techniques second.

Here is a quote from the second to last page of the book when Mortenson finds out he has the support needed from a powerful leader to continue with his mission and build more schools in the Afghanistan region:

Mortenson had always doubted that the entire life a person led could flash before him in the moment before death. There didn’t seem to be enough time. But in the second it took to look into Sadhar Khan’s dark eyes, and then through them, as he contemplated the vow he was being asked to take, Mortenson saw the rest of the life he had yet to live unreel before him.

How often does one experience the same type of flash forward with their work career when a life changing opportunity is presented to them? I could imagine entrepreneurs experience this type of moment when they get the funding needed to get their business off the ground or even when an employee find out about a major promotion or an exciting new job offer. In this case, Mortenson felt a sigh of relief from all the obstacles and hardships he had just overcome. He also felt a surge of confidence and excitement for the new challenges that lay ahead, which were very clear in his mind because of his experiences so far on his mission.

We should all hope to one day come across an opportunity like this, but of course nothing this rewarding ever comes easy. It will, however, hopefully come with a lot of hard work and dedication. The first step is to figure out exactly what you want to accomplish during your career and then to keep working toward those goals while constantly making new goals as you achieve old ones.

For Greg Mortenson, all it took was one unfortunate mountain climbing accident for him to see the opportunity to make a difference by building a school for the children of a small village in Korphe, Afghanistan. Once that first school was complete, he just knew he had to continue building more. I won’t go into detail about all his accomplishments and how much of an impact he has made to that region because its a book worth reading on your own. While reading it, make note of the impact one person can make and hope to one day be able to get as excited about your career as he was about his mission.

This article forces you to think about your career and what you are willing to sacrifice if any changes need to be made. How do you come to that decision to make a drastic career change? It depends how bad your current situation is. Certain types of commitments obviously make it harder and riskier for someone to make any sudden career changes. Here is some good advice from the article:

It is not for everyone. It implies incredibly difficult choices and arranging your life in certain ways and giving up certain luxuries and many, many people seemed locked down and immovable and all done with exploring new options in life, far too deeply entrenched in debts and family obligations and work to ever see such unique light again. Maybe you know such people. Maybe you are such people.

But sometimes people do take those risks and suffer the career loses for the greater good of their personal life.

Not long ago, the CEO of one of the largest and most powerful international real estate firms in the nation quit his job. Stepped down. Not, as you might imagine, for retirement and not to play more golf and not to travel the world staying only in Four Seasons suites, but to work on rebuilding his relationship with his estranged wife.

The way we think about our careers needs to change. Entrepreneurship is not taught enough in today’s society therefore many people don’t know what their other options are besides Corporate America.

We always think such lives are for others and never for ourselves, something people with huge chunks of cash reserves or huge hunks of time or huge gobs of wildly ambitious talent can do. It is never for us. And truly, this mind-set is the national plague, a fate worse than death.

Because of this, very few people break from the norm and go on to do great things in business. We need to learn from the people that do and keep educating ourselves to make better career choices.

I was interviewing a middle-aged man and asked why he was interested in a job as a complaint-intake person. He said that he really needed insurance because his wife had numerous health issues and he knew our health insurance coverage was great!

- Posted By Jane, Madison, WI

My roommate worked for GE and he brought a resume home to show me – a guy applying for an internship had his email address on his resume listed as ‘gangbang69@hotmail.com’.

- Posted By Anonymous

My medical group was interviewing physicians to join our practice. One candidate asked one of our female partners to introduce him to all the “hot nurses”. (He didn’t get the position.)

- Posted By Elizabeth Wallen, Columbus, OH

People who have FedEx’d there resume to me, using their current employers airbill number (charging them for it).

- Posted By David Clark, Mobile, AL

I group-interviewed an applicant who took a cell phone call and we sat waiting for at least 5 minutes while she went outside and took it. She came back and explained that that was her husband – they were trying to start a real estate business on the side and they always had to be available to take phone calls.

- Posted By Anne, Chapel Hill, NC

Looking for unskilled labor I asked a candidate could he draw a straight line. His reply was that he was not aware the position was that complicated.

- Posted By Joe Clarke, Brisbane, Australia

Had a young man come in for an interview, nice suit, clean, sharp and had two different color shoes on. Hired him on the spot. Oh his nick name soon became 2 shoes.

- Posted By Dave, Boca Raton, Fl

I am an executive recruiter. Following an interview, my applicant called to tell me how well it had gone. The hiring manager did not agree with that assessment, as the interviewee had vomited on the interviewer’s desk.

- Posted By Mick, Yorktown, NY

When I asked an applicant to tell me some of her positive traits she paused and then said, “The only time that I get drunk is on the weekends!”

- Posted By John Galbreath, Collinwood, TN

I once had a candidate tell me he loved the job and the responsibilities it entailed, as well as the salary being offered, however he had to decline it since the title wasn’t important enough and was concerned how it would appear on his business cards (you can’t make this stuff up!).

- Posted By Mario, NJ

I was interviewing a candidate and I asked him what the biggest misconception his boss had about him? He told me, “that I actually work 8 hours a day, I am on the internet surfing the web all the time.” Needless to say, I did not hire him.

- Posted By Carol, Boston, MA

When I joined the Navy, the recruiter asked, “Can you swim?” I replied, “Why, don’t you have ships?

- Posted By W. E. Gutman, Tehachapi, CA

A friend said a company should hire him, because he could work under extreme pressure, unstable weather conditions and under high temperatures such as 100 F…this was to work on computers in an office environment.

- Posted By Orsi, Germany

Sure some of these may be fake, but they are still entertaining. What is frightening is that most of these probably are true and how completely oblivious some people are to proper interviewing.

Maybe a few years down the road as I develop into my career and meet more people at new companies, I might give it another shot. I am sure the social network has helped many college grads find positions at great companies, but I would be interested to know how they made the first connection. I could imagine that they probably knew the contact out of the social network before the connection was made on LinkedIn. I could be wrong though, maybe I just didn’t spend enough time on there to really see all the benefits.

I guess the best benefit is just having more exposure because more employers are now using LinkedIn as another online recruiting tool to find potential candidates.

Update: I signed up again for the site and started connecting with new co-workers and friends since I am meeting new people at new companies. I still very rarely check the site but the amount of time it takes to keep my profile updated is minimal so I figure why not.

Please see: Using Twitter for business networking and even finding a job.

“It’s been an absolute blast pretending to do work with you guys over the past two years. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with and I really appreciate getting to know you all.”

He was very honest about the “pretending to work” part. The position he held can be very slow at times and the truth is he spent a lot of time being bored when all his work was already done. Very rarely was he really busy. He hopes that his next job won’t be a culture shock if he gets bombarded with work coming from a job where there barely was any. Either way, everyone must move on at some point if they are not completely satisfied with their current job and hopefully that move will be a step forward in the right direction for their career.

What do you think is better? A slow job which is not very challenging or one that keeps you engaged for a majority of the time you are working, but can be stressful at times? I prefer the latter.

You are supposed to think about a manager you had in the past which really helped you succeed and that you thought was a good leader. If you have trouble thinking of one or you never had a manager like this, then I think you should just answer with the qualities you really believe a good manager should have.

My answer would go something like this:

“I think the most important qualities for a manager to have are compassion and a willingness to help no matter what. A good manager should also be a very good trainer if the are managing employees because I feel that is one of the most important roles of a manager. It is up to them to make sure that the employees are able to do their jobs which should result in everyone being happier overall. A good manager should also realize the importance of positive and negative feedback. Praising someone when they do something right can be a great motivator. I think any manager with these qualities will be successful.”