It’s become the de facto means for people to tell each other what they’re having for lunch, or which movie they’re about to see. Not just that – it’s become a hotbed of activity for business and commercial purposes, favored by Internet Marketers, Bloggers and product developers to spread the word about their vittles.

A growing use of Twitter is in the domain of job hunting. The capacity for building relationships using Twitter is phenomenal, and this is why your job search can take a new angle.

The essence of Twitter is the establishing of followership – long term, inobtrusive relationships. These relationships are based on relevance, i.e. people follow each other because they’re saying something interesting, and it’s this basis of relatedness which builds trust and authority.

And guess what – if you’re looking for work in a specific industry, niche, or role, then it’s likely you will have tweeted about that subject in the past.

So what better than to leverage your followership to seek job opportunities?

If you’re looking for work, then why not tweet the fact?

Tweet what projects you’ve worked on, or what you’d like to work on. Tweet about the challenges you’ve faced and overcome in your work. Tweet about your aspirations. As long as it is relevant, people will listen. And maybe, respond.

This isn’t a deterministic strategy – there is no guarantee that this will land the dream job. But it is low cost and low effort. Having said that, just because it is low effort, it doesn’t mean you can be lazy. This strategy requires you to be selective about what you tweet. If you’re building up the interest and intrigue in a number of prospective recruiting managers (you’ll know this if they reply or retweet your own tweets) then you could destroy your progress by a careless tweet about what you got up to last night (and who with).

Of course, this only works if you have followers! How do you encourage followers?

There is an etiquette of a sorts (is that twitiquette?) where following is reciprocated (but not always). The most effective way of building your followeship is (you guessed it) to follow others. But only follow tweeters relevant to your interests and industry. It’s no good following a turnip grower if you’re looking for a job in fine art. Follow people, and they will probably follow you.

Just a point on the twitiquette – be aware of what rocks and what sucks on Twitter. You’ll be an outcast if you get it wrong.

So Twitter has great potential in searching the hidden job market ! Here’s a great article on the essentials of Twitter:

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/the_thoughtful_user_guide/writing_my_twitter_etiquette_article_14_ways_to_use_twitter_politely.php

I’ll finish by including another link to the CIO.COM website which gives you more advice on using Twitter in your job search:

http://www.cio.com/article/482324/Twitter_Tips_How_to_Use_Twitter_to_Job_Hunt

©2012 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

I am a big fan of LinkedIn – not just for the social networking aspects of the site – but I strongly believe it creates the new-wave of opportunities for jobseeking.

In my post How To Search The Invisible Job Market I described guerrilla tactics for finding the very best jobs, even before they become vacancies. It’s all about being in the face of potential hiring managers and building up a reputation and relationship with them so they know to come to you first , or create jobs just for you.

I found this great post on the CIO.com website:How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile: Stand Out to Employers, Recruiters which gives us sagely advice on really sharpening up your profile so that it appeals to recruiters more than all the other jobseekers out there – your competition. Some of the tips are simple, but powerful, such as:

• Adding a photograph of yourself
• Using a Professional Headline
• Talking about current work and assignments
• Sharing links to your websites

As I said, most of this is simple, but not everyone does it! Get ahead of your competition now by following this advice !

©2012 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

A compelling resume with a distinctive cover letter gets you the interview. You put on your sharp suit with your polished shoes . You’ve prepared answers to those awkward questions . Is this enough to land the dream job? Maybe, but here is a tactic I discovered that will bring you to the top of the list of candidates.

The fact is, it’s an absolutely brutal job market out there! What’s more, most job seekers look the same and resembling a big herd of cattle playing a "lotto game" just hoping to get lucky and land the job.

How do you stand out from the crowd and be remembered by interviewers?

Distinguishing yourself is the key. Getting yourself into the heads of the interviewers is the goal. Don’t let them forget you – give them a reason to remember you and put you at the top of their list when they’re selecting their top candidate for the job.

I discovered something that I think can make you totally unique. It’s something called ‘Wow… Your Hired ‘ by Jimmy P. Sweeney (fronted by an annoying animated head, but I’ll forgive him that) which gives you a killer tool for your interview arsenal.

The crux of the product is this – through research and live testing, Jimmy has created something that, with almost no effort, we can take into an interview that demonstrates our motivation and passion as a candidate for the job. But this isn’t sold as a magic wand – it isn’t that simple, thankfully, or everyone would be doing it.

The product is a set of templates and examples (plus some how-tos) which guide you through creating a plan that covers the first 90 days of you actually performing the job you’re interviewing for. This is a very powerful tactic because it has a deep psychological effect on the interviewers, as they begin to visualize you working in the job – an image that becomes etched in their minds and is a constant factor in the process of considering you as a candidate.

Anyone can do this for any job – whether it’s a technical role, management role or support/admin role. As long as you can propose a 90-day plan to show what you would do in the job or shape the role then it will work. It’s all about demonstrating that you’ve considered the responsibilities and tasks your desired job demands on you, and then the image forms of you actually doing it.

I think this works particularly well if you also suggest measurement criteria or goals you can assess with your new manager at the end of the 90 days – it creates a sense of accountability that interviewers love. And because they love it, you’ll love it.

I think this tool applies really well – all jobseekers will love it. At $79 , it isn’t loose change, but if it means that for this small investment you land the job you really want then it’s money well spent. And because it’s template driven, it won’t take you ages to complete so you can order it just in time for your interview!

Something I like a lot about this product is that Jimmy offers, as a free bonus , a personal review of your 90-day plan so you can get feedback from him and see how to fine-tune it. Jimmy has oodles of experience working with jobseekers so tapping into his brain is well worth it for the price. How much would it normally cost to have a specialist expert help you? More than 79 bucks, for sure.

In addition to that, Jimmy also includes another free bonus – ‘7 Little Known Secrets You Can Use To Land More HOT Job Interviews Next Week ‘ which offers great advice in attracting interview in the first place by using your network and asking for opportunities skilfully.

You also get a third free bonus – "KILLER" Job Search Secrets – a transcript of a conference call with 3 experts in recruitment and jobseeking, and you’ll learn a trick or two on how to get your foot in the door.

Best of all, this product comes with a 100% money-back guarantee within 60 days . If it doesn’t work for you, then ask for your money back! No awkward questions – you just have to ask using an online form. So it’s Totally Risk Free .

Try it today! Wow… Your Hired

©2012 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.