Twitter: The Key to Finding a New Job in 2013

Twitter/Tweeting shows us what is on our collective minds faster and more accurately than any other medium currently in use. The trifecta of timing, a bad economy, and an even worse job market, allows Twitter to be the ultimate conduit for both job seekers and those looking to fill a variety of positions within their companies a way they find each other.  It is through the effective use of certain key hashtags [#], the best of which have been listed below, that your quest for employment will come to an end.

To Find an Employer

These are the tags to plug into Twitter’s search engine to connect you with companies with openings.

1.      #hiring: Here it is, your No. 1 word to find a hiring company is … hiring.

2.      #tweetmyjobs: It’s a pretty clunky phrase, but #tweetmyjobs has been tagged nearly a million times, so include it in your search.

3.      #HR: The folks handling the recruiting for the company will be from human resources, so go straight to the source.

4.      #jobopening: Now we’re talking. This tag is almost exclusively used by people offering people work. Easy.

5.      #jobposting: “Jobposting” is another efficient tag to search, only it’s used a bit less than #jobopening.

6.      #employment: Often listed along with #jobs at the end of a tweet, #employment is a major keyword used by businesses in the market for talent.

7.      #opportunity: There will be some quotes and other tweets that don’t help you, but there will be plenty of hookups to employment opportunities.

8.      #recruiting: Search this hashtag to find not only employers that are hiring, but inside info on the recruiting techniques they’ll be using.

9.      #rtjobs: Many Twitter users are there helping you out by retweeting job openings they come across.

10.  #jobangels: The JobAngels are a volunteer group working to help unemployed people find jobs, and they have a strong presence on Twitter.

11.  #jobsearch: Sometimes this will be the only hashtag a hiring company will use, so be sure to make it one of your search terms.

12.  #joblisting: Attention! I’m a hiring employer and this is my way of telling you that I’ve got a job right here just waiting to be filled.

To Attract an Employer

Strut your stuff and get yourself out there with these hashtags to help employers find you.

1. #hireme: Don’t beat around the bush. #Hireme is short, sweet, and to the point.
2. #MBA: Have an MBA? Shout it out in a hashtag to direct employers to your top-shelf business acumen.
3. #linkedin: If you’re unemployed, you’re no doubt already networking away on LinkedIn, so let them know you have a viewable profile.
4. #profile: While you’re at it, go ahead and tag “profile” too, and couple it with #facebook, #linkedin, #monster, or any other place your details are posted on the internet.
5. #unemployed: It’s what you are, so own it and let employers know you are totally available for engagement.
6. #resume: If you’re tweeting about your resume posted online, be sure to hashtag it.
7. #CV: Curriculum vitae is basically a more fleshed-out résumé, but #resume  is nearly twice as popular. Use both to be safe.
8. #needajob: Thousands of the unemployed have tacked this phrase onto the end of their tweets in the hopes an employer will stumble across it in a search.

To Educate Yourself

These tags may not directly land you a job, but they will enlighten you on the latest trends in finding, keeping, and enjoying a job.

1. #jobtips: By far the best search phrase in this category, it will load you up with more good job advice than you could ever read.
2. #career: At half a million tags, searching #career will score you some job listings and tons of helpful guidance for your professional life.
3. #interview: Hiring companies don’t use this word as much, but “interview” and “interviews” are still helpful because they turn up a wealth of advice from fellow tweeters on making your best possible first impression.
4. #benefits: Knowing what to expect in the way of benefits is a good weapon to have heading into an interview.
5. #personalbranding: Do a search for this hashtag to find ideas and tips on selling yourself in the job market.
6. #compensation: If you know the going rate for whatever you do, you are much less likely to be taken advantage of.
7. #training: Searching for “training” is a good way to find great, free job training resources.
8. #jobhunt: A search for this tag brings up mainly advice on job searching, but there will be a healthy smattering of job postings, too.
9. #unemployment: This tag has been used more than 100,000 times by users tweeting about unemployment news, ways to combat unemployment, and jobs to pull you out of unemployment.
10. #employers: They may not be tweeting about themselves, but plenty of employees and commentators are tweeting news and reviews of employers and their practices.
11. #jobless: Curious about what’s going on with others in your predicament? Search for this commonly-used tag and find out.
12. #laidoff: It is the same idea as #jobless, except it has more of a sad connotation. If you want to commiserate with some other people about searching for that elusive job, this is the tag to search.

To Find a Certain Type of Job

If you don’t want just any old job, try searching these hashtags for that special placement you have in mind.

1. #freelance: This is a hugely popular tag used by job hunters who want to leave the option of part-time, freelance work open.
2. #homebusiness: If you’re eyeing a job being self-employed, try searching this term for entrepreneurship ideas and tips.
3. #greenjobs: Here’s one for the truly unselfish people who put the environment before employment.
4. #dreamjob: If you aren’t sure what you want to do with your life, search this tag and get some ideas of what other people would do if they had their druthers.
5. #hotjobs: Hot jobs call for a hot hashtag.
6. #consulting: Another in the potentially temporary job category, #consulting is a nice tag to widen your net and earn some income.
7. #consultant: It might seem silly to use two tags that say virtually the same thing, but those three letters might make the difference in connecting you with your new employer.

Hottest Tags by Field

If you work in one of these industries, you are in a trending field, which could be good (lots of job listings) or bad (lots of competition).

1. #SEO: “SEO” is another one that has been tagged millions of times by job seekers and tweeters discussing search engine optimization.
2. #webdesign: Clocking in at nearly a million uses all-time, #webdesign is another hot topic on Twitter.
3. #accounting: If you’re an accountant, you are in luck, as job listings in your field pop up regularly on Twitter.
4. #telecom: Telecommunications is another field with a strong showing on Twitter; it’s been used in hashtags more than 81,000 times.
5. #legal: We live in a litigious society, and the need for paralegals and other non-lawyers is increasing. It’s a great career to consider because paralegal certification can be obtained relatively quickly.
6. #lawyer: The number of lawyers in America has surged in the last 10 years, which explains why this tag is such a popular one in the Twitterverse.
7. #industry: Pair this with another tag like #music or #hotel and you’ll find listings and info on your area of expertise.
8. #salesjobs: You don’t have to pound the pavement looking for a sales job; just do a search for this popular tag on Twitter.

To Search When You Have a Couple Hours

You’ll need to free up your morning to adequately search through these tags.

1. #jobs: You’ve probably been wondering when this word would come up. The tag’s been used all of 14 million times all-time, for everything from political discussion to job listings. Your best bet is to search it with another tag from this list.
2. #job: Although it has registered only half the uses as #jobs (7 million), the singular version calls up more listings and won’t take you as long to sort through.
3. #design: Because it’s a generic word, #design has been hashtagged a healthy 2 million times, so if you work in design be sure to supplement tweets with at least one other tag.

N.B. To reduce the number search results, put a negative sign in front of the word[s] you do not want to have appear. E.g. #Job will bring results with 'job' and 'fair'.  To eliminate 'fair' enter "#job, -fair" in the search engine bar.

Thanks go to topsy.com for the usage stats included in this list.
Thanks also go to the website that originally posted this list,  BachelorsDegreeOnline.com.

Copyright © 2012, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2012, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca