Twitter

Let’s face it, most people either love it or they hate it. The people that love it know they can get fast information and find out about jobs, events and more. You see them using these funny little hash-tags to scrunch words together, like #LoveLansing for example. But if you are one of the haters, you tend to miss out on a lot of things that are going on in your community.

As a job seeker, you have time to create your Twitter account and start following people in your field. It’s super easy to set up an account – three steps and you’re done. But who do you follow? How do you find out about jobs or events that are going on? Can Twitter really be useful to you?

Hash-Tags
When you are on Twitter and want to search for a hash-tag, you can either click on a hash tag (#LansingJobs) or type it in the search box. Voila, you have a list of tweets with your desired hash-tag. How easy is that?

If you look to the right of this blog, you will see Twitter Streams for #MiJobSpotter and #LansingJobs. Even if you aren’t on Twitter yet, you can easily see that jobs are being posted that you might be interested in. Just for the fun of it, click on one of the hash tags in the Twitter Stream. You’ll be taken to Twitter to see a whole list of posts.

Simplified Job Searching
If you are on Twitter you may notice that there are avid “tweeps” that like to post local jobs. These include @tiffenator @RecruiterUnCens @MEDCTalentJoe @camwjobs @cadl @personnelworld and @ITCouncil You might also notice that many of these folks use a squished together phrase coupled with a tic-tac-toe sign. This is a hash-tag #LansingJobs as well as #MiJobSpotter and #MIJobs.

Researching Prospective Employers
I know here in Lansing many job seekers seem to flock to certain companies that they want to work for - @TechSmith @LiquidWeb and @AccidentFund to name a few. For demonstration purposes, I’m going to use TechSmith as my example. Go ahead and enter Techsmith into the search box on Twitter.

On the left side of the screen, you will see people that have tweeted with “TechSmith.” On the right hand side of the screen, you will see “People Results.” Look closer and you will discover that these fine folks are actual employees of TechSmith. Go ahead and click on the View All. Now you have a list full of employees who work for TechSmith and include @betsyweber @natalie_joy @jlknott @josutka and @fosteronomo Try it out with a company you are interested in working for and see who you can start connecting with.

What About Real-Life Networking?
First you will want to start looking for the hash-tag #LoveLansing. Next, start following @downtownlansing @OldTownLansing @LansingChamber @LansingGRC for great networking opportunities.

But I’m a Business Owner & Don’t have time…
Wrong! Are you spending an arm and a leg or two on advertising? Have you hired a consulting firm to handle your social media promotions? Are you even on Twitter? There are a lot of great “tweeps” that can help you, but you need to connect with them and learn the Twitter language. If you are outsourcing your social media, make sure they are using hash-tags and being engaging with your customers.

Did you know that there is an official hash-tag for Lansing businesses - #LansingBiz Now, people you are going to want to connect with include @MichBusiness @BuyMichiganNow @RelyLocalLansin @JoeBogstrom @GreaterLansing and especially @LansingFirstFri

@LansingFirstFri is special because not only do they have Twitter, but they have a great FREE promotional event that happens every first Friday of the month. Your business gets free promotion – all you have to do is sign up here.

What About Festivals & Events?
Easy as pie! Keep using the #LoveLansing hash-tag and you will see all sorts of cool stuff. You might also want to add @potterparkzoo @Impression5 @FennerNature @LSJEvents @YMCADowntown and @GreaterLansing

I’m Not In Lansing…
No problem! If you are in Michigan you can still have fun connecting with other Michiganders. Start following @MichiganMojo @AwesomeMitten According to these guys, here are some other hash-tags you might find useful #mittenlove #TweetUpKzoo #mittenmojo #PureMichigan #backchannel #earlyrisers #MiJobSpotter #ShishBoomBa #grmi #nwmi #tcmi #grandrapids #westmi