How to Run a Professional Twitter Account (And Use It to Impress Employers)
Posted on Thursday, July 13th, 2017
With 328 million monthly users, Twitter is the fourth most popular social media site worldwide. There’s no denying that the site has real-world impact, sometimes positive and sometimes negative.
But how does it impact you? As one of the foremost social media sites, Twitter is one of the places that potential employers will look when checking out your online presence. If you don’t have a Twitter, you’re missing out on a great chance to network and build your brand. If you have an unprofessional Twitter, you may be turning potential opportunities and employers away.
There’s a fine line to walk between having a professional Twitter account and being a robot. You want to show personality and stand out while still presenting yourself as a great hire. If you can navigate that, Twitter can become a very fruitful—not just in finding jobs, but in building a great network.
But how? We have a post on how to get started on Twitter, but how do you build on that? Read on for four concrete ways to build your professional Twitter presence.
Figure out your niche and reflect it.
Did you read our step-by-step guide on finding and utilizing your transferable skills? If not, take the time to do it now.
Knowing your transferable skills will get you thinking about what your personal brand is—what features set you apart from the crowd? What do you want to be known for? What is your niche, in the big wide world of the internet?
Once you’ve figured this out, you’ll have a toolkit for marketing yourself to organizations you want to work for. And one place to do this is Twitter.
This doesn’t mean listing your chosen skills in your bio, but it does mean including what industry you’re in and what particular aspects of that industry excite you the most. Twitter gives you the option to include a URL, so link to your LinkedIn. Include your city too, so potential employers know if you’re in their region.
Your photo and header should also reflect your brand. Use a professional photo of yourself—consider using the same photo as your LinkedIn profile to make your brand even stronger. Your header photo should also be related to your industry to tie it all together.
Follow the leaders in your field.
Much like LinkedIn, Twitter gives you an awesome opportunity to connect with the influencers and leaders in your industry.
Do some research and figure out who you’d want to learn from, and follow them. Once you start following people in the same field, Twitter will start recommending accounts for you to follow. This gives you the chance to constantly explore new people and the content that they share.
There are so many benefits to this. You get to see what topics are the forefront in your field. What new things are being discussed? What skills are in demand? What controversies are there? What direction is the industry going in?
This knowledge is power for you as a student or recent graduate. Your knowledge about your industry will come out in job interviews and conversations with potential employers, building your credibility and showing how engaged you are with the field.
And hey, follow Algonquin Co-op on Twitter for access to all kinds of professional resources.
Be brave and start sharing.
Your account looks great and you’re following super interesting, knowledgeable people. Now it’s the hard part: it’s time to start interacting.
This where the fine line of using Twitter as a professional emerges. You want to show your personality, which means doing more than just retweeting or sharing, but you need to remain professional. It can take time to get into the groove of this.
One basic rule is to stay positive: never complain about work, co-workers, school, etc. Every time you tweet, ask yourself if it’s something you’d want your boss or hiring manager to see. Share opinions, but don’t badmouth others.
Because Twitter is so fast-paced, it’s important to post consistently to maintain your presence. Start small, aiming for 1 to 3 posts a day. You may find it easier to automate your tweets with a service like Buffer or Hootsuite, which allow you to write your tweets ahead of time.
Whatever method you choose, remember to like and retweet the things you find valuable. And don’t afraid to reach out to people who have great content. Twitter is there for interaction, so interact!
Find your community.
The future of Twitter is uncertain, but for now it remains one of the best ways of finding an online community and building a network.
As time goes on, the existing users of Twitter continue to find ways to build community. Twitter chats, for example, are huge, with conversations happening weekly in just about any industry you can imagine.
By participating on Twitter consistently and sharing great content, you will find your niche in this giant, constantly-changing community.
If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.
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