9 Tips To Finding A Job With LinkedIn and Twitter

9 Tips To Finding A Job With LinkedIn and Twitter: "

As a freelancer, I consider myself a perpetual job seeker. Here’s how I use LinkedIn and Twitter to find jobs.

This a guest post by designer Mirko Humbert.

The past two years I started to use LinkedIn and Twitter more seriously and quickly noticed how useful it could be to find gigs.

Here are a few things I learned along the way.

Use LinkedIn the right way

You probably noticed that attending a networking event without talking to anyone doesn’t get you anywhere, and the same applies for LinkedIn.

• Build yourself a solid profile
  This should be a no-brainer. In some ways LinkedIn is like a dating website where users with pictures and a completed profile get more connections than others.

• Ask your friends or colleagues for recommendations
  Being recommended increases the trust level of your profile viewers, and even if your contacts like you, they will not always think about recommending you, so why not just ask?

• Expand your network
  Start by adding people you already know, then browse their contacts and ask them for introductions. You can also add people from other social networks. Important: add a personal touch to the email sent when connecting with people.

• Promote your profile elsewhere
  Email signatures are a good place to mention your profile url. If you have a blog, add a link back to your LinkedIn profile.

Start tweeting

From my own experience, Twitter has been the best relationship-building tool I’ve used by far. However, there are some things you should know to make it more effective.

• Connect with people in your industry
  No need to have thousands of followers on Twitter, just try to find the right people to connect with. People in your industry will have interesting news and could be very helpful.

• Tweet about industry-related topics
  Just like for the previous advice, tweeting about your industry will show people what kind of news they can expect from you, which is a great way to attract the right followers.

• Help others
  The best way to be remembered by other Twitter users is to help them, they’ll also be aware of your capabilities.

• Follow these Twitter users

• Visit Twitter JobSearch or TwitHire

About the author

Mirko Humbert is a freelance graphic designer from Switzerland publishing the popular Designer Daily design blog and CSS Orgy CSS gallery, and you can also find him on Twitter.

This article is part of the 3rd Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. If you want Mirko Humbert to win, share this article with your friends.

Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for more ideas on using LinkedIn and Twitter in your job search.

-- Jacob Share, Job Search Expert and Professional Blogging Consultant

12 Solid Tips To Enhance Your Twitter Reputation

12 Solid Tips To Enhance Your Twitter Reputation: "

Whether you are a freelancer, employee, professional, or a business, it is becoming increasingly important to manage your Twitter reputation. In this article, let us see what is meant by reputation in the world of Twitter, and how you can use free Twitter tools manage and enhance your reputation.

What Is Your Twitter Reputation?

Can your reputation be measured? Yes, there are many services that claim to do that using different methods. You can check your reputation on free Twitter tools like Twitterank, Twitter Grader, Twitterholic, Twinfluence, Twitalyzer, and Klout. There is no single model that defines Twitter reputation, and this guide tries to combine all the different approaches used by such tools and suggested by experts.

Your Twitter reputation is important because:

• It may well be the first impression you make on the social web.
• Everything on Twitter is public (assuming you don’t protect your updates, which is 90% of Twitterers). This means your colleagues, current employer or potential recruiter can always see your Twitter profile and your tweets.
• Reputation will play an increasingly important role in search rankings. Already, third-party Twitter search engines like Topsy and Tweefind incorporate ranking in their search results, and Twitter itself is also on the way to ranking search results.

Convinced? Let’s get started.

1. Your Profile

Use your real name, a (decent) profile picture, a meaningful bio, and a link to your website, blog, or social profile. If you have a custom background on your profile page, people are more likely to follow you back.

2. Follow Authentic People

Don’t engage in any “get hundreds of followers quickly” schemes. Follow people you’re already friends with on other social networks. Then grow your Twitterverse as you get comfortable. Use our previously covered 9 sites and 4 ways to find Twitter friends based on geography and common interests.

I use the free Twitter tool Topify to get informative emails when someone follows me. It shows useful information like level of engagement, percentage of tweets containing links, and recent tweets to help decide whether to follow back.

3. Manage Your Followers and Friends

The days of “higher the number of followers, higher your reputation” are becoming a thing of the past, thanks to paid services that allow buying followers. Think of your reputation if there were half-naked women showing up as your followers!

Block suspicious accounts, spammers and bots from following you. I have recently started using Tweet Blocker to filter and clean my followers list and it works like a charm. Another service I find indispensable is Twerp Scan, which shows me a list of my contacts along with details of their number of follows, followers, ratio, etc. You can easily sort the list to weed out nasty spammers and indecent folks right within the app.

4. Get ReTweeted

The best way to increase your reach and influence on Twitter is to get retweeted. Statistical studies of retweets have found that links, quotes, trending topics, breaking news, questions, and creative/novel tweets are more likely to get retweeted. Shrink your tweet and reduce its length to around 100-110 characters so that it becomes easier for others to retweet without editing.

5. Mix Your Tweet Types

Do not restrict yourself to tweeting out informative links or indulging in pointless babble. Use a mix of tweets that are status updates, links, retweets, questions, and self-promotions for your blog posts.

6. Spread Your Tweets Over the Day

Services such as Tweet Stats let you see how your tweets are distributed through the day. Don’t send out a large number of tweets in short time spans and then disappear. Distribute your tweeting activity evenly through the day, using planned “Twitter-breaks” from your work. If you are going to be offline for a considerable amount of time, let your followers know.

7. Be Responsive and Engage in Conversation

Tools like Topify and Mr. Tweet now show your level of engagement. This influences whether people using such tools will follow you back.

Reply to others’ tweets using @Replies. Answer all @Replies and Direct Messages sent to you. Let people see that you don’t use Twitter simply to promote your links. Try to answer people’s questions and if you can’t, be a helping hand by retweeting them.

8. Don’t Misuse Hashtags

A UK furniture firm suffered a huge blow to their reputation on Twitter as they sent out marketing messages using #hashtags that were meant for completely unrelated topics. The Twitter community uses #hashtags for tracking specific topics they are interested in, so stick to conventions.

9. Avoid Many Twitter IDs from a Single IP Address

Some experts have proposed that multiple Twitter IDs created from the same IP address should have a lower Twitter rank in searches. This is a counter measure against spammers and bots who abuse Twitter accounts. If for whatever reason, you need to create a large number of legitimate Twitter accounts, don’t do it from the same computer.

10. Use DMs with Discretion

If I get automated DMs after I follow someone, I unfollow them. The same with people who play mafia-style Twitter games and send me invites to play via DMs.

Do not send Direct Messages to people you’ve recently started being friends with on Twitter. Most people consider DMs to be private messages that they share only with good friends. Use @Replies wherever possible, unless you want to discuss a sensitive issue that warrants a DM.

11 Use Recommendations

Recommendations are a great way to discover and be discovered. The most popular method on Twitter is the #FollowFriday hash tag. Like everything else in social media, the more you give, the more you get, so if you like this method, use it to give recommendations to others.

A better recommendation engine is Mr. Tweet, which is getting popular. It gives me decent recommendations since I joined, along with useful statistics.

12. Monitor Your Brand

If you own a brand name, create a search to monitor for all mentions of your brand. Most popular Twitter clients let you create saved searches, some like Seesmic Web even let you sync your saved searches with those on Twitter’s website.

Will these techniques help you enhance your Twitter reputation? Have any other suggestions? Do let us know in the comments!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on Twitter ? Now you can follow MakeUseOf on Twitter too.

Success Story: How I Used Twitter and LinkedIn to Find a Job During the Recession

Success Story: How I Used Twitter and LinkedIn to Find a Job During the Recession: "

An ex-job seeker shares her story of how she used social media to find a job.

This a guest post by Lisa Damast.

I’m an early adopter when it comes to Web 2.0 and social media.

I joined Facebook two or three months after it started during my freshman year of college in 2004 and have been on sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter for 3 years and nearly 2 years, respectively.

When I joined these sites, I never really thought about the full potential they would have for helping me find a new job.

However, in February 2009 I decided to look for a new position as a marketing manager and noticed that one of the people I follow on Twitter had tweeted that he was looking to hire a social media expert and included a link to the job description.

Once I decided to use social media for my job search…

I checked out the tweeted link and decided to apply with my LinkedIn profile, which is essentially a virtual resume, being the focus.

Earlier in the month, I had updated my LinkedIn profile to reflect the changes in my work (I was doing marketing for a phrasebook company at the time and also included my blog and position as co-organizer of a popular local business networking group) and to make sure I had recommendations from former bosses and co-workers at previous jobs.

I also made sure to include a brief summary about myself - which LinkedIn recommends - and added my specialties to that section.

After I interviewed with the owners of the marketing agency, I made sure to again direct them to my LinkedIn profile in the follow-up email that I sent.

When I received an offer from the agency, the owners mentioned that they were very impressed by the LinkedIn profile. Of course, another factor was my successful track record using Twitter and blogging.

While Twitter and LinkedIn may not be how everyone finds out about jobs or what a potential employer will look at, it still helps to be on them.

I often have friends in the marketing field who come to me for leads or advice when they are looking for a job. Whether or not I have a lead for them, based on the above experience and a chance situation I had on Twitter last November in which I helped a total stranger (at the time) get a job, I tell them one of the first steps they should take in their search is to become active on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Takeaway lessons

• Be active on major social media networks like Twitter and LinkedIn
• Update your social media profiles before your job search
• Follow the recommendations for each social media website
• If the social media profile helped get the interview, mention it again when following up

Conclusion

Since so much about finding a job can be left to chance, being on these sites and using them properly provided me more opportunities for finding out about the right job and making the right connections.

About the Author

Lisa Damast is a marketing manager by day and technology blogger by night. She is the founder of Israel Innovation 2.0 and a regular contributor to Green Prophet. Follow her on Twitter at @lisadamast.

This article is part of the 3rd Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. If you want Lisa Damast to win, share this article with your friends.

If you liked this article, you’ll also enjoy Success Story: How I Used LinkedIn and Facebook to Find a Job During the Recession.

Free BlackBerry Twitter Apps Roundup

from WebWorkerDaily by Meryl Evans

If you own a BlackBerry and use Twitter as much as I do, you're more than likely frustrated with the experience of using the Twitter web site via your phone's browser. With more Twitter applications available for the device, do any succeed in turning the BlackBerry into a great Twittering tool?

I compiled a list of the current free BlackBerry Twitter apps and tested them out to find the strengths and weaknesses of each. All of the apps have the basic features (timelines, replies and direct messages), with some standing out more than others due to speed, ease of use, or additional functionality.

All of these apps underwent an obstacle course on my BlackBerry Curve 8310 to test their strength, agility and durability in order to find the better-performing apps.

Blackbird: Easy to use text-based interface that works with older BlackBerrys

What Blackbird lacks in looks and features, it makes up for in speed and usability: BlackBird performs fastest out of all the apps tested here. It only includes the basic features: timelines, replies and direct messages.

Pros: Fast. Easy to use.

Cons: Fewer features. Unclear error messages.

TinyTwitter: Works with any device that can run Java apps

TinyTwitter has a smooth timeline that scrolls fast, even with avatars. It can pull latest trends, do searches, copy/ paste tweets for easy retweeting in one move, as well as handling the basic Twitter functions. However, even with shortcuts, some of the actions take two clicks when one would do, a problem with many BlackBerry Twitter apps.

Pros: Efficient timeline. Runs on any Java-compatible device. Shortcuts. More than the basic features.

Cons: Too many steps to get where you want to go.

Twibble: Tweet photos from your BlackBerry camera

My first impression of Twibble was soured by the troublesome login screen. The app kept capitalizing the first letter of my username and password, causing the login to fail. Once past that, though, the rest of the experience wass Tribble-free. You can save time with shortcuts and by entering and saving often-used words as text templates to use in search or tweets. Screen shots are available from the Twibble site.

Pros: Runs on any Java-compatible device. Text templates. Share photos.

Cons: Not user-friendly. Location tool doesn't work well. Sluggish.

TwitterBerry: Attractive interface with average features

4 

TwitterBerry looks easy on the eyes, but sacrifices load time for looks. Features include the basics that you find in most Twitter mobile applications, without any extras. If you go to Pictures, you can select a picture to send to TwitterBerry, but this option may not appear if you have other Twitter apps loaded on your BlackBerry. With few extras, you'd think the application would run faster than it does.

Pros: Sharp look-and-feel. Easy to use.

Cons: Slow. Lacks search and unique features.

Ubertwitter: Wealth of features

If you have multiple IDs, you'll have to go through the wizard to change the login credentials, something that should take fewer steps (Tip: after you change the ID, hit the BlackBerry button to the left of the scroll wheel to save changes and exit rather than finishing the wizard). Despite this, most features take fewer steps to access compared to other apps and you can use shortcuts. You can take a picture from within UberTwitter. A map of your location appears with the photo. You can find people near you and view them on a roadmap, satellite map or hybrid map.

Pros: Take pictures within update. Control location options. Feature rich.

Cons: Time-consuming to change IDs and options. Sometimes dawdles.

Viigo: Add a new channel for every Twitter ID and search word

You can use Viigo to get news, local information and other customizable content. The Twitter app lives in the Social Networks tab, where you can create a channel for each of your Twitter IDs and frequently-used search terms. For example, if you participate in a weekly chat, you can create a search for the chat hashtag. Its performance is notably slower than its competition. Viigo has neat features, but the sluggishness tested my patience.

Pros: Set up multiple Twitter IDs and search words. All-in-one app.

Cons: Slow. More steps to reach Twitter channel.

The Verdict

UberTwitter offers the most features, while BlackBird has the best performance. But none of the free tools tested here really stand out; I'd still rather use a Twitter client on my PC or laptop.

Three Ways For Unemployed Folks To Earn Some Cash

Original Post: Three Ways For Unemployed Folks To Earn Some Cash

The good thing about being unemployed, if there is such a thing, is that you have plenty of time. While you should be using the bulk of your time putting forth the effort to land another job, there are some opportunities to make some cash while you have some extra time. Take advantage of the time you have.

Sell Your Junk

While this doesn’t usually equate to a sustainable income stream, this is a good way to pay the bills for a month or two. I’m currently in the process of a de-clutter / moving some things around phase and as a result, I’ve decided to sell a bunch of stuff online. With minimal effort I’ve made over $300 in a few weeks selling stuff online and I still have a bunch of stuff that is still yet to be sold (I detailed this effort here [July 28, 2009])

Sell Your Friends Junk

If you get good at selling your own stuff, why not sell your friends’ stuff? I imagine some of your friends are too lazy to take care of this and probably, like you, have a bunch of stuff they’d be willing to get rid of especially if they didn’t have to do anything. Offer to split the money with them and do all the work: putting item for sale online, shipping, etc. If you’re selling a few books a week on Amazon, it doesn’t require any additional effort to sell a few more (you’re already going to the post office).

Create A Website

While this one isn’t likely to make you much money; it’s very hard to make money online. It could be the start of something big, and what better time to launch the website you’ve been meaning to launch?

If you decide to go this route, I’d recommend either focusing on building your personal brand (through demonstrating your expertise in a specific field), or simply providing valuable, unique information in a field. Just make sure that the topic is something you’re interested in because otherwise you won’t keep it up.

Use the opportunity to develop some new skills, build a potential lasting website, and possibly earn a few bucks.

The Future Of Work: Portfolio Careers

Original Post The Future Of Work: Portfolio Careers

Last week I explored the concept Noded working. “Noded” is really a subset of a much wider phenomenon emerging in the world of work — the notion of “portfolio careers.”

In her blog on the subject, Katie Ledger — co-author of the forthcoming book “And What Do You Do?: 10 Steps to Creating a Portfolio Career” — describes portfolio careers as work that “uses all your skills and passions…doing two or more jobs for different employers.”

The turbulence and insecurity of a globalized job market means that many people are, in essence, temporary workers with little assurance of a permanent job. As such, people are seeking security by establishing control over who they work with and what they work on.

The title of Ledger’s book is telling. Like many others, I find myself being asked,  “And what do you do?” frequently. But even after almost three years of self-employment, I struggle to find a concise response without rambling through a range of consultancy projects, advisory board roles, startup investments, writing gigs and conference development. Perhaps “a portfolio of digital technology projects” should suffice as an answer?

Though each of my activities and roles requires a different range of skills and attitudes, sometimes with no overlap between them, somehow it adds up to a cohesive career. Although outwardly it might seem unfocused and fragmented, I can now deploy “portfolio working” as a useful umbrella term.

Most significantly, people discussing portfolio careers often underline motivation as the key element in this mode of working — people use a portfolio of options when seeking a better work/life balance, to learn new skills, to extract themselves from office politics or simply for fulfillment.

Career coach Marianne Cantwell defines portfolio careerists as “free-range humans“ who are not “penned into an unhappy job-cage.” Contrast this with Cantwell’s “battery-cage humans” who see limited options for their careers, forced only to seek out particular types of jobs. It’s perhaps an unfair contrast, but fundamentally, it’s about choosing who you work for and what you do, as opposed to being imprisoned by rigidly defined roles.

Elsewhere, Ledger suggests there are common qualities shared by successful practitioners of portfolio careers and helps readers evaluate whether they’re suitable for such a mode of work.

Read more at “Portfolio Careers: Creating a Career of Multiple Part-Time Jobs” and subscribe to the Portfolio Careers blog.

8 Reasons To Avoid Making A Video Resume

Original Post 8 Reasons To Avoid Making A Video Resume: "

The other day, I was reading an article discussing the pros and cons of making a video resume. Although it covered the basics well enough, there are a few things that it did not cover (and some that it did) that you should know about. A video resume, if used correctly, can be a powerful tool in the job applicant’s arsenal. But if made without proper awareness or preparation, can lead to disaster.

1. You will be judged on quality. Unlike a standard online application (or even a paper resume), simply having a video resume is not necessarily a good thing. You will have to make sure the picture, sound and overall quality are high, as well as finding unique and interesting ways of presenting yourself. A bad video resume can hurt you more than help you.
2. You probably shouldn’t email it. Many employers will scan through the bodies of emails, but due to a fear of viruses or other digital nasties, might not open attachments. And given the size of a video file, it might take too long on both ends to send and receive the file.
3. It can’t go up online. Most online applications do not have an option for you to upload a large file, such as a video resume (if you are permitted to upload anything at all). And despite the allure of doing so, it’s not a good idea to put your video resume up on YouTube or other video hosting sites.
4. They might not want to watch it. Whereas a resume can be scanned into a program to search for key words and phrases, a video resume must be watched. And since they are usually at least several minutes long, an employer may not have the time or inclination to sit through the video.
5. They might not be able to legally watch it. Many companies are equal opportunity employers, meaning that they do not employ people with a bias towards race, gender, age and so on. By showing yourself in your video resume, you will be showing them what you look like, which could open the door to legal problems for the company.
6. It’s not always worth what you put into it. Unless you’re sending in the video resume because it actually pertains to the job you’re applying for (video production or TV commercial development, for example), having a video resume might not make that much of a difference in employers’ decision-making processes. And given the time it would take to plan, shoot and edit the video, you might be getting a lot less back from all of your efforts.
7. It might cost more than you care to spend. The monetary costs for the camera, editing software and storage (like CD-Rs, DVDs and flash drives) might be more than you can afford.
8. You might get the opposite response from what you had hoped. See exhibit A.

But then again, you could have a masterpiece like this. So if you plan to make a video resume, plan carefully!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/canhasjob/~3/O3T3SMQk2Ws/