How & Why Build a Twitter Resume
April 22, 2009 by Ryan
“Twitter, Twitter, all you write about is Twitter! What has Twitter ever done for you?”
Well…I got a job! For those experiencing the joys of unemployment in this economy, you understand, that’s no small thing!
Job Hunt in ‘09
The job search today has changed evolved. While putting your resume on a t-shirt might be “cute”, it’s probably not the most effective tool out there. However, the internet has introduced so many tools (listing services, resume tools, networking sites, etc.) that it’s hard to know where to be.
I say the job search has evolved because, while we have all these shiny new tools, the fundamentals of finding a job remains the same: convey your value to employers searching for talent. Over and over I learn that, even though credentials and experience are essential, often actually finding a job is, “more about who you know that what you know!”
The People You Want to Know
Looking back at the best career moves I’ve made, all of them came, not through an application on Monster or even a headhunting recruiter, they’ve come through connections: people I knew growing up, knew from school, church, or work. Some individuals are fortunate enough to have vast personal networks they’ve gained from business school, or well connected families. Some are not. Have you ever thought about how small your world truly is? For some of us, it can be depressing how few people we interact with on a regular basis. Extending beyond that circle of friends and acquaintances can be difficult.
Enter Twitter.
I’ve shared this quote from my friend Jordan Brown (@jordanbrown) before, “LinkedIn is for people that I’ve worked with. Facebook is for people I knew in school and growing up. Twitter is for people that I want to know.” That is a good portion of why I use Twitter. I’ve been able to build out a Twitter network that extends to every point on the globe and into tremendous varieties of lifestyles and expertise.
With the coming of Oprah (@oprah) and the hoopla surrounding Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) hitting a million followers, Twitter is on the cusp of widespread adoption by the mainstream. There has already been enough marketers spammers gaming Twitter for the most followers. The prospect of even wider reach will only exaserbate the problem. The question becomes increasingly important: “Why should I follow you?”
How to Use Twitter Favorites as a Twitter Resume
Everyone has their criteria that they run through to determine who is follow-worthy: number of updates, followers, first page of tweets, link & bio. Here is a tip I picked up that might help from online media strategist, Ari Herzog (@ariherzog):
Step One: Mark all tweets that endorse you with the “favorite this update” feature. Anything thats shows the value you provide to your followers, highlight the star.
The tweets that you’ve favorited are accessible to anyone who visits your profile. A page full of recommendations makes the decision of whether or not to follow you a little easier. I like this because it makes meaningful #followfriday mentions more valuable. This isn’t a widely known practice and it’s probably going to be overlooked unless you specifically draw attention to it.
Step Two: Promote your favorites page either in your bio or in your Twitter background. I recommend using your Twitter background so you can maximize the limited characters in your bio, particularly since that text is searchable.
What other things do you look for when deciding to follow someone?
Is this something that would help persuade you?
Update: If you are going to go creative with your resume, don’t do a t-shirt, do something like these:
30 Artistic & Creative Resumes
Photo by SOCIALisBETTER
Don’t use the URL shorteners! Here’s a nice short URL to this post: http://ryanscottmiller.com/u/a
5 Keys to Understanding Your Political Opposition
September 17, 2008 by Ryan
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
- Albert Einstein
What a crazy few months! It has been a while since I have been this involved and seen so much participation in politics!
Politically, I’ve always considered myself informed and able to articulate why I support a certain viewpoint. I give much of that credit to my very politically active father. As it always is, this election year it is important to understand these issues, the candidates and take part in the democratic process. However, as my sister-in-law pointed out:
There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin
– Linus in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Particularly with family! Politics can be a sensitive subject! Most of the time, our views extend into a very emotional space. While we should attempt to approach the issues logically, it is not realistic to say rational discussion is going to happen in every dialogue when parties both feel that the other represents the exact opposite of everything they believe.
I do not intend to set forth my views and argue why the other side is wrong (at least in this post). Instead, I want to discuss the decision-making process.
I have thought about this a lot this year, because I want to know for myself why I will be voting the way I am voting. This is not exhaustive, but here are some of the rationales I see people using to make their decision:
