Twitter: The Kindness of Strangers (Friends)
Posted by JasonTwitter: The Kindness of Strangers Friends
It’s a brave new job-hunting world out there- we’re told this is the worst job market in 35 years. It seems that the population of career experts, resume gurus and networking mavens has exploded overnight. Executive coaches are everywhere. Seeking to gain an edge in the market, the hapless job hunter undergoes personality tests, assessments, and makeovers, or at least anxiously considers them. Suddenly everyone has a LinkedIn profile and a Twitter account. Job-hunters spend their days scouring the Internet, emailing resumes left and right, and suffering health consequences like weight gain. This is not your parents’ job search.
Job-hunting is now – a job. It’s time-consuming. It’s intimidating. And it can take a long, long time, especially if you’re over 40. But the good news is that job-seekers in this Brave New Job Market have access to tools that can help them connect, find support and friendship, and even jobs.
Consider Twitter. Approximately one and a half million people use this tool. The concept is simple: say something to the world in 140 characters or less. For some users, Twitter is a microblog of their day and nothing more. But for many “tweeple”, Twitter is a way to share information, to help others, and to build new personal relationships. It’s a way to interact with thousands of points of view, instantaneously.
My own Twitter experience is just a matter of weeks old, but it began to bear fruit in a matter of days. Through Twitter I became exposed to some new voices in the blogosphere- twitter stars like @chrisbrogan at www.chrisbrogan.com. @Bostonmarketer helped me to meet the head of a job club in my area. From there, I networked in person (thanks @pinkolivefamily), and very quickly scored a part-time gig and a sales lead for my previous employer. The part-time gig came from someone who’s not even on Twitter, but I never would have found him without Twitter. Along the way I’ve gotten great personal LinkedIn and jobhunting advice (thanks @Zaibatsu and @jobhuntorg).
These kinds of connections don’t just happen- you have to put yourself out there, Twitter a lot, and work to inspire trust in your Twitter community. For Twitter to work for you, your twittering should “add value”- by (for example) sharing new information, reposting the tweets of others, and treating all with respect.
Did I mention that I learned about this contest on Twitter? Thanks @jjbuss!
Twitter is still relatively new and like any new frontier it is full of opportunity. It’s hard to tell how many people actually get jobs by using it. There are no guarantees, but it could help you land your next job. And there is no doubt it will help you to make new connections and think of new ways to live your life. See you out there!
Written by @dianaejennings for The Talent Buzz blog post contest.
www.freewebs.com/dianaejennings
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March 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 am
Very good my dear, IM happy for you :), and I totally agree
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March 2nd, 2009 at 1:18 am
This is a great synopsis of the power of networking through social media. The key point, to me, is that there is a tremendous pool of friends that can be tapped into. You do have to work at it, just like any forging of a relationship. As dianaejennings says: you have to put yourself out there. Great insights!!
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March 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 am
Excellent post. I find an essential key to all of the social media platforms is to have a deliberate focus to your intent…keep a balance between “life-streaming” and sharing links, and insights. Investing in relationship-building for the long term is going to earn substantative social currency for trading later on…My key mantra…manage the relevancy of your reputation and good thinks will happen…we are all learning together
now…and I find that is fun.
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March 2nd, 2009 at 1:47 am
Hello Diana ~
Wonderful blog post on Jason’s site. So Happy for you! Look forward to learning more about your success with ur gigs.. for sure.. Happy to connect ~ and also to have you as a member for Boston Salty Legs Career Club. We have a full schedule for the month of March ~ in progress. Look forward to having you share your experience with rest of our members. Go Diana!
Best!
Susan
Founder/Chair
Boston Salty Legs Career Club
Cambridge, MA
via @saltylegs &
@pinkolivefamily
http://sites.google.com/site/saltylegscareerclub/Home
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March 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 am
[...] Twitter: The Kindness of Strangers (Friends) | The Talent Buzz Awesome read - people on twitter are great (See my king cake post for more info on twitter user kindness) (tags: twitter relationships) [...]
March 4th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Marvelous little blog. After several years of job hunting and being much older the use of social networking tools are indispensable for making the needed connections and being nice stimulates folks to go just a bit further for you, obviously.
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March 8th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Congratulations on your job and your lead and your commitment to yourself to achieve your goal. It was no accident and I’m quite certain your story will inpire others to put themselves out there.
Leanne Watson
http://YourSuccessfulMind.com
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March 8th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Nice post. I have enjoyed meeting people through Twitter. I think it is easier to meet people on Twitter and to connect with people you already know on Facebook.
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March 9th, 2009 at 12:35 am
[...] entry is entitled “Twitter: The Kindness of Strangers (Friends) and can be found here [...]
March 9th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Excellent post and nice success story. I think for many people the first experience with services like Twitter can be a bit intimidating but once you get used to it, you can quickly realize the true potential behind it.
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