Even though it is true that twitter can be a large rabbit hole of crazy, distracting things – you can also cultivate a feed that benefits you in powerful ways.  To continue with my theme of featuring sites that you may have overlooked in your job search – I give you:  TWITTER!!!

I’ll beg you to ignore the weird shadows that make me look like I have no front teeth.

What it is: Essentially it is just brief content provided openly.  You follow people sharing content – and thereby create your feed.  You can also share content and join the conversation.

Why you’ll love it: Because the principle of twitter is so simple, it is amazingly elegant and you can use it for so many things.  I’m going to focus here on ways to use it in your job search.

 1. Use it to follow people who have job search advice.  These are people like me, that share tools to help you with finding a job or enriching your career.

Too many talented professionals fall short in the ability to market themselves and navigate the waters of the job search.  There are coaches, HR experts, and savvy entrepreneurs sharing tips that can benefit any type of career on twitter.  Here’s a description on how to follow lists (users grouped by topic) so that you can find a wealth of information, quickly:  http://www.job-hunt.org/social-networking/using-twitter-lists.shtml

2. Use twitter to follow companies you want to work for.  It’s a great research and sourcing tool.  To find a company (especially the account that is focused on hiring) on twitter, type company name and “careers” or “jobs” into the search field (or just go to the main twitter account for the company).  HR and social media teams share information about their culture, important events for their organization, open positions and networking opportunities:

3. Use it to follow experts & peers in your field and join in the conversation. Find professionals that share information, news and events relative to your field.  Staying current is key, so use social media to help you with your professional development.  To start with, you might check any professional publications or associations for your field that are tweeting, and then branch off from there (see who they follow, who they retweet).  You can also retweet or share information that you find that would help peers in you field or industry.  Sharing can be a powerful way to enhance your professional brand online.

Also:  If you can tune in live and watch a twitter chat, you can get a lot of great information quickly, and join in to contribute or ask questions.

Here’s more tips that might help you as you begin to use twitter in your job search:

Getting Started with Twitter

9 Must Follow Twitter Hashtags

5 Useful Twitter Chats for Job Seekers

Just to get you started – 140 Employers Posting Jobs on Twitter