Social Media Column: Tweet your way to a new job

Published in the August 21, 2012 issue of The Edmonton Sun.

Linda’s social media column can be found every Tuesday in the Edmonton Sun.

Tweet your way to a new job

My fiancé was recently on the job hunt, which got me thinking about how different looking for and hiring for a job can be these days.

Two years ago I got a few job offers after I posted on Twitter saying I was looking for summer work. It was surprisingly easy and quick.

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t see a job posting on my Twitter feed — in fact as I write this column, I’ve seen two job tweets pop up. People are getting jobs through social media and if you haven’t yet tried it as a source to get hired, you should.

Not sure where to start? Follow companies and organizations on Twitter. They’ll often tweet about jobs and link to job postings — @NAIT, @CityofEdmonton and @EPCOR come to mind immediately.

Search specific hashtags. Job posts in Edmonton usually include #yeg or #yegjobs.

Edmonton teenagers can find a lot of job postings and tips through @teenworkca.

Just be active on social media.

Connect with Edmonton’s online community because they’re great people you should connect with, but know that those connections are the new networking and the more you connect, the more likely a bone will get thrown to you when the day comes that you say, “I’m looking for a job, anyone know of any openings?”

Local Twitter user Carmen Cheng (@carmencheng) is a human resources advisor and says different companies through LinkedIn have sought her out for jobs in the past.

She has also hired someone through a Facebook post.

“For me it was as easy as putting in my Facebook status, ‘Hey we’re hiring. Here’s the job, let me know if you’re interested or have any questions,’” Cheng says.

Cheng says social networks have changed networking. You can network with someone halfway around the world from your living room if you wanted to and maybe they’ll have a job lead for you in the future because of it.

Of course, even if you’re not using social media to specifically look for a job, you have to remember potential employers may be looking at your profile.

How you present yourself online may be the reason behind whether or not you were hired so never post something on your online profile that you could regret.

In the end, it still comes down to your experience and qualifications.

But the social networks and tools available to people now certainly makes the job hunt easier.

By the way, my fiancé started a new job on Monday.

While he could have tried using social media to help him in his job search, he actually ended up getting it the old fashioned way — through word of mouth from references.

That still works, too.

Some Job/social media Tweets of the Week

@UofASafewalk: Students are notoriously hard to get to pay attention to adverts. Gotta hit ’em right in the social networking.

@You_Know_Steph: I’m currently on the job hunt and have applied for 30 positions. 1/3 were found through posts on Twitter & LinkedIn. :)

@chefaparker: I’ve got some bartenders from Twitter. Always looking for event staff.

@iMichaelSeach: Most coworkers will RT oilfield accounts with jobs or URL link me to Fbook pages of companies who can employ me.

@ScottHenning: I’ve hired people for single-day work like filing, scanning docs, being an extra set of hands at an event, etc. through Twitter.

Click here to read the column on the Edmonton Sun website!

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