Why job seekers should join instead of follow on Twitter
Notice I said join, not follow. This is another lesson that Jim Connolly taught me. You want people to JOIN you on Twitter not follow you. Follow sounds like you are setting yourself up as a magnet. Join suggests that you are open to conversation and relationship building on Twitter.
What’s the goal of a job seeker on Twitter?
Your goal should be to build beneficial and productive relationships on Twitter. Hence the word join instead of follow.
Dictionary.com defines follow as:
- to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to: Many Germans followed Hitler.
- to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey: to follow orders; to follow advice.
- to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar: They follow the latest fads.
I don’t know about you but I don’t like that idea. Let’s look at the definition of join:
- to bring in contact, connect, or bring or put together.
- to take part with others (often followed by in ): Let’s all join in.
I like that better. I want to connect with others, to share ideas, and find common ground.
How do you join or connect with others on Twitter?
You look for common ground. If I want to find people who like dogs or in my case, German Shepherds, I could search for German Shepherds using the search button on Twitter. I might get results that look like this: https://twitter.com/#!/search/german%20shepherds It constantly changes and then I might look further to find someone giving me useful information about German Shepherds or talking about their German Shepherd. This might encourage me to join them. Before I join someone, though, I expand their stream beyond one tweet and look at what they are saying. Then I join them and ideally, I initiate conversation.
What about job search on Twitter?
You can use this example with anything else, including job search on Twitter. You can search for a company or a field and then analyze the stream to see who is really conversing as opposed to blasting and then you check if they are conversing about things you want to learn or if you want to get to know them. Then join them on Twitter.
You can also learn the latest in job search strategy by following career professionals. I have gotten to know many of my colleagues much better because of Twitter and have formed offline friendships by calling or chatting on Skype with those career professionals separated from me by many miles.
What about brands on Twitter?
Some brands blast and some brands are people. I prefer people. Eastbay Careers is a good example of a brand who is represented by a person. The bio says:
Tweets brought 2 you by Jessica Fane, Employment Coordinator for Eastbay! I am a 5-10K runner and lover of coffee!
Best part, Jessica talks to you. Her stream is friendly and she responds to you. But she is serious about answering job seeker questions that are pertinent to Eastbay careers.
Someone who is a brand but represents like Jessica does instead of just blasting positions or a steady stream of company retweets makes it easier to talk to a company. You can see the representative of other companies doing this with customer service.
Benefits of joining people on Twitter
If you focus on joining people on Twitter and join in the conversation, I believe you will build the connections you want. How do you join me on Twitter? You talk to me. I have so many people “following” me that unless they start the conversation, I won’t know they want to connect.
What do you think? See possibilities for job search on Twitter?
Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!
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Hi Julie,
‘Joining’ or ‘connecting’ is much better than ‘following.’ It’s amazing that term has stuck around for so long..
When I hear people thank their ‘followers,’ it seems a bit egotistical to me.
I usually refer to those I’m connected with as ‘the community.’
This has a much better ring to it 🙂
Funny, I just did a Twitter post myself today – great minds think alike 😛
Make it a great day Juile!
And you, my friend, have been part of my community for a long time now. We should have a Skype or phone chat soon!
URGENT ASSISTANCE NEEDED
FROM MRS.. ELIZABETH FREDRICH
LOME TOGO
WEST AFRICA
DEAR FRIEND
IAM .MRS. ELIZABETH , THE ONLY WIFE OF LATE CHIEF FREDRICH GOODLUCK. MY HUSBAND WAS A COCOA MERCHANT BASED IN ABIDJAN,THE ECONOMIC CAPITAL OF IVORY COAST(COTE D’IVOIRE). HE WAS SHOT BY THE GUN OF THE REBEL SOLDIERS ON HIS WAY TO HIS COCOA PLANTATION IN DALOA,ALONG BOUAKE HIGHWAY.BEFORE THE DEATH OF MY HUSBAND ON 29TH OCTOBER 2007 IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN ABIDJAN,HE SECRETLY CALLED ME ON HIS BEDSIDE AND TOLD ME THAT HE DEPOSITED $18 MILLION US DOLLARS IN A FINANCE ING BRUSSELS BELGIUM THAT HE USED MY NAME AS THE NEXT OF KIN IN DEPOSITING OF THIS MONEY. .HE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD SEEK FOR A FOREIGN PARTNERIN A FOREIGN COUNTRY OF MY CHOICE WHERE I WILL TRANSFER THIS MONEY AND USE IT FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSE IN A LUCRATIVE
VENTURE OR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS .I AM HUMBLY SEEKING FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS :
1)TO ASSIST RETRIEVE OUT FROM THE FINANCE HOUSE AND TRANSFER THIS MONEY TO YOUR COUNTRY.
2) TO SERVE AS THE GUARDIAN OF THIS FUND
3) TO HELP ME INVEST THIS MONEY
MOREOVER, I AM WILLING TO OFFER YOU 35% OF THE TOTAL SUM AS COMPENSATION FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND INPUT AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER OF THIS FUND TO YOUR COUNTRY.FURTHERMORE, YOU CAN INDICATE YOUR OPTION TOWARDS ASSISTING ME AS I BELIEVE THAT THIS TRANSACTION WOULD BE CONCLUDED WITHIN SEVEN ( 7) WORKING DAYS YOU COME FORTHE CLEARANCE OF THIS FUND SIGNIFY INTEREST TO ASSIST ME.
ANTICIPATING TO HEARING FROM YOU SOON.
RESPOND THROUGH MY PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS elizabeth_fredrich26@hotmail.com
THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU.
MRS. .ELIZABETH FREDRICH
Please Kindly forward to me the following information for easier communication on this regards .
Now my questions are:-
1. Can you handle this project?
2. Can I give you this trust?
1.Your private telephone/Fax-(if available)
2.Your address/country etc:….
3.Your Age:…..
4.Profesion:….
5.Your private email address