Tweeting Your Way To A Job

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If you think Twitter is a waste of time, then read Deborah's L Jacob's story on how the popular social media tool is becoming a new source for finding work.

After getting fired in October from the high-tech startup where he had worked for more than four years Joshua Filgate, a 27-year-old engineer in Southborough, Mass., took the usual steps to jump start his job search. He updated his resume and his LinkedIn profile; applied for 100 positions listed on Internet job sites, and let family, friends and former co-workers know he was out of work. Within a week one contact — a venture capitalist in the Boston area — sent him a text message with the name of another venture capitalist who he recommended Filgate follow on Twitter. This was someone who Filgate’s friend also followed, but did not know personally.

Filgate, who had never used Twitter before, followed the suggestion. Soon after, the venture capitalist, a partner at the Boston firm General Catalyst, tweeted:

“What are top recruitment firms for mechanical engineers, process engineers, materials scientists, manufacturing engineers?”

Filgate replied: “Funny that you ask… If it’s an engineer you seek, you should dm me.” (In Twitterspeak dm is shorthand for “direct message.”)

The correspondence promptly shifted to e-mail. The VC suggested Filgate submit his resume to the human resources department of ARC-Energy, a Nashua, N.H.-based clean-tech startup, and copy him on the e-mail. Coincidentally Filgate had applied there two weeks earlier in response to a listing on Monster.com and not heard back. This time he landed an interview and got an offer four days later to work as a systems engineer earning 5% more than he made in his last job. Total elapsed time since the layoff: less than three weeks.

Was this a case of beginner’s luck, or simply being in the right place at the right time? Maybe a little of each. But more importantly, Filgate turned Twitter, most often used for lighthearted social banter, into a valuable networking tool. That’s no small achievement considering the 140-character space constraints. And of course, the person you’re networking with must also be on Twitter.

For those who would also like to use Twitter in their job hunt, Forbes asked Nisa Chitakasem, co-author of the book “125 Twitter Job Search Tips”  to compile a quick-start guide. Here’s her advice for Twitter neophytes and enthusiasts:

Make your bio count. Use your bio to explain what you want out of your next career move and what value you will bring to your next employer. For example: “As a senior marketing executive with over 15 years’ experience in the sector, I’m currently looking for an interim position in X type of organization.”

Read more at Forbes