HOW TO USE TWITTER TO FIND A JOB IN NIGERIA

Finding a job in an economy like ours
is no doubt a daunting task. This is
because the number of job seekers far
outweighs the positions available.
However, many smart individuals are
today adopting unconventional ways
to position themselves in order to be
noticed by prospective employers or
those who could help them secure
employment.
One of such unconventional ways that
smart people use to look for jobs is
Twitter, a social networking site. How
do they do this? you might ask.
Let us consider a few tips that you can
use to find a job using Twitter.
1. Create a professional Twitter Account
It is true that a platform like Twitter is
called a “Social Networking” site, but
equally true is the fact that it is a
NETWORKING site and the rules that
guide networking must be adhered to
or else one might be caught and lost in
the ‘socializing’ aspect at the expense
of the ‘networking’, which can help
one secure a job. Here the advice is
that you put forward a professional
posture through your Twitter profile.
Let your account speak for you in the
areas of your skills and qualifications.
Use your short introduction of yourself
to point attention to your profession.
If you are an accountant, say it in the
introduction and mention where you
work. If you have any online link that
showcases what you have done in this
regard, a blog for example include it
in the profile.
Experts are of the opinion that you
should even have more than one
account on Twitter, one professional
and the other(s), personal, which can
be used to project your other areas of
life interest. Other expert view says,
you should consider your Twitter
account as your online business card.
What would you like to be on your
business card? Those are the
information that your professional
Twitter account should carry.
2. Start following relevant people,
institutions and companies
Search out those people and
institutions on Twitter who are doing
what you do and have become voices
in the industry and follow them.
Engage them in discussions from time
to time and also make comments
intelligently to their tweets. This will
help you build relationships with them
and position you in their minds and
the minds of their other followers as
someone to take seriously. You might
not be clear about how to find “Who
to follow”. Just use the who to follow
tab on Twitter and it will give you
suggestions of who those you are
following already follow. Make sure
you follow the relevant people to your
profession and the posture you would
like to project.
3. Post tweets regularly
Another thing apart from just
following people that can also ensure
that others follow you is to create
contents. Become a voice of some sort
for a cause. A subject that you
regularly tweet about; something for
which your name can become
synonymous. Apart from coming up
with your own content all the time,
you could also use tweets by other
people to boost your own credibility
as a force to be reckoned with on such
subject. This calls for discipline and
paying the price to read and search
out relevant information on your part.
If you are an accountant for example,
do you know any latest information
coming out from ICAN, the body that
guides the practice of professional
accounting in Nigeria? Tweet that or
retweet their tweet. So you must be on
the lookout for relevant information
in your field and tweet them or as the
case may be, retweet them.
4. Send private notes
You are now following and connecting
with those who are important in your
industry. You have tweeted and
tagged them. You have also retweeted
their tweets. Your name is no longer
strange to them. To an extent they
know you. Good. But you now need to
take the connection to the next level.
Send direct private messages to your
mentors. This may be a little difficult,
but it is a necessary step to take if you
are in need of a job. Send them direct
messages and inform them you are in
need of new opportunities. You never
know what information they may
have at their disposal at that moment
or they could help you with.
5. Follow credible online job sites
Most of the job posting sites have
twitter handles, go to their websites to
obtain their twitter handles and
follow them in order to be getting
feeds on latest job openings as they
pos them. The reason you should go
their website to obtain twitter handles
is to prevent following fake
scammers. There are many ‘fake’
accounts on twitter.