If you’re like me, you have to be the first one to the information, which is why I enjoy Twitter so much. Participating in “the conversation” has become an integral part of my daily routine, every bit as much as brushing my teeth. (Side note: I’ve been known to check Twitter before brushing…gross?)
HootSuite has become an irreplaceable application for me, especially in my ongoing search for new employment. If you’re not familiar with HootSuite, it is “a Social Media Dashboard that allows you to connect to multiple social networks from one website. HootSuite helps organizations use the social web to launch marketing campaigns, identify and grow audience, and distribute targeted messaged across multiple channels.” Long story short, you can update all of your social media accounts from one place. It is also useful for the everyday Joe who follows too many accounts to have just one cluttered “Home” Twitter stream.
I’ve been very successful in using Hootsuite’s search features to scour the “#hiring” tweets relating to open positions I may be interested in. Please note: this doesn’t replace your standard job board searching at sites like Indeed and Simply Hired. Its awful, but you should still be doing that. (Or trying to build your network so you have the inside track!) But this post explains how to use HootSuite searches to cover jobs that get posted to Twitter, as many of them do. I hope you find it helpful, and if you do be sure to comment below. (Also, feel free to comment if you hate it. I’d rather see that than “Dude. Its Cool.”)
First of all, here’s what I stare at all day. This is where we’re going:
Instructions:
1. Read the HootSuite Quick Start Guide to find out how to sign up for a free account and to become familiar with the basic functions of the Dashboard.
2. Once you have a feel for the Dashboard and how it works, add a new Tab. I’ve titled mine “Job Search,” I know, its genius, right? Call yours whatever you wish. Click here for instructions on adding a column or stream.
3. Determine the search keywords you want to use. Use the picture below to get a feel for exactly how to word the search. For example, my 1st column is set up to search for tweets that contain “Hiring” and “Detroit” in addition to any of the following words: social, media, marketing, community, digital, job, jobs. Here is how to enter the search query: Hiring Detroit (social OR media OR marketing OR community OR digital OR job OR jobs)
4. Repeat #3 to create as many columns or streams as you’d like! I like to use one column to monitor a hashtag I started, #CSM4. Everything is customizable, so tailor it to your own job search. The possibilities are endless. If you’re not seeing the results you were hoping for, switch up the search words and try again.
That’s it! Now you’ll never miss a job posting on Twitter, and you’ll have the advantage of being the first to know!
