If it’s the right space for you, Twitter is a great way to connect with others that you want to meet or work with.

As always, you’ve given us more great food for thought. I agree that Twitter should not be a replacement for traditional job search techniques and tactics, but I also think that Twitter offers job seekers an unparalleled opportunity to expand their personal and professional networks quickly and organically–it also offers a fundamental opportunity to improve communication skills.

In the course of doing research for the Twitter Job Search Guide, Deb Dib, Susan Whitcomb and I connected with job seekers across the globe who had found leads and landed jobs through Twitter…I also spent two days at the Twitter 140 conference where I learned how Twitter has streamlined communications between high school principals and parents, eased crises in the Middle East through providing rapid access to public information, and cut out the “middle” step in making connections between journalists and public figures. Through Twitter, I’ve been able to gain access to c-level executives within 72 hours or less, resolve customer service issues–and arrange spontaneous meetings in different cities. (I even scored a free ticket to see U2 at the Rose Bowl.)

While all of these things are cool, I think there are two essentials in particular that Twitter offers job seekers that shouldn’t be overlooked:

1. Breathing room to expand your network. Twitter makes Facebook and LinkedIn look like a tight pair of jeans–the connection has to fit before you can use the network. You can join group discussions but you can’t connect as friends or “connections” unless the other person initiates or approves the relationship. But Twitter is different. Since most users don’t block their status updates, you can connect with–and learn from–complete strangers all over the world–and search for people to connect with in your field. That’s pretty powerful. If I need to get in touch with Canadians on how to write a proper resume/CV for a job in Montreal, I know I can get this information within a few hours. Before Twitter this may have taken days–even with an extensive LinkedIn and Facebook network.

2. Twitter helps you become a better writer. I’ve struggled to convey my ideas in fewer words for years. Twitter makes me do it in 140 characters or less. I can feel my writing skills improve. But more importantly, I am better able to write in sound bites and to convey concepts quickly. And given that most employers prefer a short concise explanation to a long and rambling one, Twitter is great practice for corporate communications and resume writing.

Tip: Twitter Co-Founder Don Sagolla recently published a great book which provides tips on how to write well for new media. The title? 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form.

These are my quick thoughts on unique value adds. Thanks again for a provocative post and I look forward to watching the continuing debate.

All the Best,
Chandlee

“As a business owner and long-time employer I like to see someone take a little more initiative when looking for a job than just using online resources. Don’t get me wrong, Career Builder and social media websites are great tools, but they are just tools and should not replace picking up the phone and calling prospective employers or going to see them in person. It says a lot about a person when they have the guts to call a company looking for employment, and it shows initiative. I would take the person who called over the person who sent an electronic resume and never followed up.”

I agree that Twitter is not the universal panacea for job search. It is, however, a revolutionary (I don’t use that word lightly) tool. For the first time, job seekers don’t need “permission” to “eavesdrop” on conversations and reach out to create relationships without a formal introduction. Networking will never be the same.

Yes, Twitter can be noisy…and yet Lists can remedy that. Job seekers can create private lists to follow target companies, networking contacts, and other influencers so their stream is on-target.

Yes, it can be a time-trap…and yet a focused strategy can put that in check (Chandlee, Deb, and I propose a 15-minute a day strategy).

Yes, job seekers can get sucked into chasing job postings…and yet the advantages of services like TweetMyJobs.com that allow job seekers to get fresh, position- and geographic-specific jobs sent to their cell phones is hard to beat.

Yes, job seekers should be meeting face-to-face with decision-makers and influencers…and Twitter can facilitate opening up those relationships. It can also help confirm a candidate as the top pick.

In the process of writing The Twitter Job Search Guide, we spoke with job seekers who used diverse approaches to Twitter to land jobs: one candidate submitted his Twitter stream as his writing sample. Others were hired on the basis of the comments and questions posted through Twitter status updates. Others, after applying directly for positions through Twitter leads.

And then there’s the amazing story that Mark Stelzner, founder of #JobAngels describes in his foreward to our book…he met a job seeker in the Chicago airport because he saw the “follow me on Twitter” sticker on the job seeker’s laptop. They exchanged tweets, which led to coffee, which led to conversation, which led to a job offer just 10 minutes from the job seeker’s home.

Is Twitter the right tool for everyone? No–if you’re an engineer with a security clearance, you probably won’t be using Twitter as a primary strategy. Can Twitter be an incredibly powerful tool for many? Yes.

The more we, as career professionals (and committed job seekers, as I know there are some who devotedly read your helpful posts) guide the BEST PRACTICES for using Twitter in job search, the less frustration job seekers will have. And I’m grateful that the people who have commented here are paving the way for those best practices. I’m honored to be part of the community. =)

Synchronicity again here I think. Only yesterday I replies to a tweet from one of my Twitter contacts (Greg DeVore of Blue Mango, co-creator of ScreenSteps Desktop ScreenSteps Live) who asked:

“So, if you are looking for a social media marketer should you require that they send their resume in with 140 characters or less?”
to which I replied:

“re resume in 140 characters. Would you hire someone like that? Would you base it on creativity or lean but mean ?”

“Creativity and brevity” came the reply.

Which brings me to the question: would anyone looking for an employee use Twitter to hire? Is creativity in brevity enough for an important decision like this? Would iy even count as a proper first introduction?

Perhaps we are mistaken and will the future prove us all wrong, but IMHO 140 characters to build a first impression is never enough to establish a relationship like that – no matter how creative one can write his resume in 140 characters.

Short is not always simple

Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

99 percent of all independent enterprises in the country employ fewer than 500 people. http://economics.about.com/od/smallbigbusiness/a/us_business.htm
And what percentages of these small businesses are on Twitter, Face book or LinkedIn?