I admit it. When I first found out about the Twittersphere I was a non-believer. I don’t feel like broadcasting every minute of my daily life, nor did I care that Ashton Kutcher was eating a bagel.
But one day I caved. A friend from high school was active on the Twitter scene so I decided it couldn’t be all that bad. I signed up, followed some people, and realized it was a pretty useless vehicle (not that Facebook is any better).
That was until I spent my summer working at an academic camp at the University of Georgia. There I was a teaching assistant for a media course. The instructor, a Twitter fan, taught the kids about the uses of the social network. I sat in the back of the room taking my own notes in between shooing kids off of Facebook chat with their friends back home. I started to Tweet a little more. Soon, I was a full-fledged Twitter-aholic. But I’m not just gathering the latest celebrity gossip. Twitter is a great networking and learning tool and you can benefit, as well. Here’s how:
Make your Twitter name clean and professional.
I like to think Twitter is the professional social media. Facebook is for your friends and family to see what you’re up to, but Twitter is to learn more about your interests, other than what party your best friend went to last Friday, and connect with people who have similar interests. These people may be able to help you learn about job and internship opportunities. When choosing a Twitter handle or account name, pick something that represents you a positive way. Obviously your name is a good start. Avoid anything with crazy nicknames. Example: @JaneSmith over @crazyblondchick45
Write a valuable biography
“Lover of all things Gossip Girl and Justin Bieber” isn’t exactly a great way to look professional and effectively use Twitter. Tell a little bit about yourself, but make it pertinent information that can help you get noticed or would attract people of similar interests to you. For example: “Jane Smith. Sophomore at DePauw University. Sociology major. Interests: women’s health, human rights. Colts fan.” Don’t be afraid to throw in a hobby or two if you wish. Just make sure it’s something that paints you positively.
Follow organizations and people that will help you learn more about your desired profession.
Let’s say you’re interested in becoming a doctor. A great thing to do when it comes to embarking on a health-related profession (or any profession) is to keep up to date with what’s going on in the field. In the search box, type in “medicine” and tons of resources come up—The New England Journal of Medicine, American Medical Association, National Institute of Health. These are great resources to learn more about new research. Another option is to follow medical schools you’re interested in attending. This will help you learn more about the programs and important application deadlines. Once you start following people, use the recommendations Twitter provides to find other great resources. Another way to find applicable people to follow is to look through who these organizations or individuals are following. A good rule of thumb is to follow the types of people you want following you.
Be active and start conversations.
Getting followers other than your sorority sisters is sometimes hard at first. But the easiest way is to start conversations. This is best done through the re-tweet. You can hit the re-tweet button to post something as is, but the best way to do this is to copy and post the comment or article link, then type at the front RT @ then the Twitter handle of who posted it. This allows you to make a comment about what the other person tweeted in front of the “RT @”. For example, I follow a lot of media related organizations and businesses. Retweeting and commenting on articles that some of these organizations have tweeted have gotten me follows and comments back. You can also ask thoughtful questions or make comments to others.
Be public.
One of the only ways you’re going to accumulate a lot of followers is to make your profile public. For some this might be worrisome, and if you’re uncomfortable with a public profile then DO NOT do it, but having a public profile will make you easily visible to connect with people.
Promote yourself.
Twitter is a MAJOR self-promotion tool. Start a blog, write professional entries, and use Twitter to publish the links. Even you aren’t interested in writing or journalism, using a blog to write thoughts on trends in your interested field is a good way to establish yourself as a part of the conversation.
Keep your eyes open.
Many places post job or internship opportunities on their Twitter account that aren’t always promoted on their website. Also, there are several Twitter accounts that post jobs by geographic region or type of job. These are great tools for the senior job seeker.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
The occasional comment about what you’re doing or something about your life is okay. It shows personality. Just don’t get carried away and spend all of your time Tweeting about your lunch, your homework, the movie you’re watching, and the party you’re going to later.
Twitter isn’t the miracle pill of social media. But I definitely think it’s worth a look. Plus, many businesses and corporations are looking for people who understand how to use social media, especially Twitter. So take a chance. Check it out and go forth and Tweet!