Engaging C-Level Execs Who Hire, on Twitter

Engaging C-Level Execs Who Hire, on Twitter

By Diane Dolinsky-Pickar ⋅ March 18, 2011

Filed Under digital technology, hidden job market, hiring manager, job search, online job search, twitter

Even if you’re not curious about Twitter, and even if you think it’s just for those who prefer messing with a smartphone, you’d pay attention if I told you that top executives are searching for job hunters on Twitter, and posting those positions there.

Really. I’ve seen numerous tweets that literally call out breaking news: I’ve got a position, get back to me if you want to apply.

Look here, they want to hire someone
Let me illustrate. Here is Patrick Gauthier, Head of Market Intelligence at PayPal, one of the most innovative companies in the country, telling us that he needs help.

If he is looking for suggestions, then suggest yourself.

PayPal's top executive looks for key people to hire on Twitter.

And here is Rachel Sterne, Chief Digital Officer of NYC, informing us directly that the position of IT Policy Advisor for all of New York City government is open, and indirectly, that anyone who would want to apply, ought to be on Twitter.

We assume if you're doing an IT job, you're on twitter.

Using the twitter platform to find the best job candidate.

See, it’s just that simple.

So, if you are not on Twitter, you can stop thinking that hiring calls are not going to you JUST because of age discrimination. According to what I see, and what has been confirmed in conversations with career coaches, some of the great opportunities are going to folks who are current with technology, and if that’s not you, get moving in that direction.

Mojo40 has a two-part introduction to utilizing Twitter, many posts on LinkedIn, and plenty more to come in the future on Facebook, Quora, and other neat tools. Make it your priority to read, surf and subscribe. You want to be where the action is, and not just deep in the news stories of Japan, Libya and your neighborhood school budget.

Use the Advanced Search tool, and set the keyword to hiring
Do you notice that the word “hiring” appears in that last two tweets that I showed you? That is your keyword. Assuming at this point you have a Twitter account and you are “in the zone” on tweeting, start focusing on the blinking digital signs that someone is searching for you, to hire you.

Go to the http://search.twitter.com/advanced. In fact, bookmark that site since it is going to become a favorite place for you return to again and again! Put in the keywords that you want to find — in this case, hiring. (But on other searches, you can put key words for your industry or other attributes you seek.) Add your zip code and fill in “within this distance”, if your job search is local or you wish to keep your commute reasonable (that is, you won’t be working in your bunny slippers from home, as some telecommuters I know!)

Since there are so many millions of tweets per day, you must fill in a recent date — say two or three days before today — in the “since this date” query. And finally, check the box for “positive attitude”. Hit “search” and get crackin’ to find what you seek, on Twitter.

Below are the first three results that I found, just now.

A lot of results come up on twitter search when jobs are what you seek.

Did you hear about these jobs, first on Twitter? I did

Mojo Moves

Get into the action on twitter
Bookmark the advanced search tool for twitter, and then experiment with different words to search for useful tweets
When you see something that appeals, 1- thank the person by retweeting it, 2- do your research on who they are by looking back in their tweet stream, studying their LinkedIn profile, and then 3- go ahead and apply

MuCash lets you make donations quicky in increments as small as a single penny. By leaving a small donation every time you find something of value on Mojo40, you can help me (Diane) keep creating content like this for you to enjoy.

Did you enjoy this post? subscribe now to get all of the posts

http://www.martinanalytics.net Sally Martin

What I love about your blog is that you actually show *how* to do this stuff! There are many sources of good advice but you take it the next step and make it easy to turn it into action *now*.
- Diane Dolinsky-Pickar
  
  Glad that we can be helpful, Sally!
http://smich720@yahoo.com Sandy Michael

Hi Diane,

Your workshop class at Connect-to-Care Workshop, 4/14. on “Intro to Twitter” was eye-opening! As you saw, it was ‘standing room only”. Everyone was eager to get your perspective on how Twitter is a job search site.

My question is…how does it compare with job searches on Linkedin? Please come back and do another Twitter class, part II. By this weekend, I will set up my Twitter account thanks to you.

Thanks,
Sandy Michael
smich720@yahoo.cm
- Diane Dolinsky-Pickar
  
  Thank you Sandy, for the compliment. The key point is that if the job is published on LinkedIn, it will receive many responses, and of course, the challenge for an HR professional would be to put as many in the “disregard” pile as possible. If you use LinkedIn to network without a specific submission, then using 1st and 2nd degree connections will get you further. But in general, Twitter job announcements will garner fewer applicants, and you’ll not only have less direct competition, but you will come across as “advanced” in your online technical skills. After all, you needed to use some methodology to uncover the opportunity in the first place, right?