Are you making the most of every available resource, both online and off, while you search for your next position? It’s never a great idea to rely on any social media tool to do all the work of finding you a job, but if you act efficiently and place smart limits on your screen time, there’s no harm in taking advantage of the job search benefits your Twitter feed has to offer. Here are a few ways to use Twitter during your job search without wasting your energy or distracting yourself from more important moves.

Your Job Search and Your Twitter Feed

1.  Use Twitter to join communities and become and active contributing member. If you care about something, including the industry in which you’d like to work, Twitter can help you stay on top of conversations in that community and make your name known. What are the topics of the moment? What are the back stories on these pressing issues? What kind of language do people in your community use to discuss these things? Your Twitter feed can help you tune in.

2. Become a thought leader. Once you enter these ongoing conversations, start making intelligent contributions to the discourse. Don’t just retweet posts and articles you like—Instead, offer thoughtful commentary and share your informed opinions and insights. Show respect for other voices in the community and earn respect for your own.

3. Maintain control over who you follow. If you like certain companies and want to work for them, follow them so you can stay informed when positions open up. But don’t just indiscriminately follow every company in your industry. If a job post asks you to become a follower as part of the application process, that’s fine. But if this follow doesn’t add long term value to your life, remove it so you don’t get bogged down by a cluttered feed full of ads and marketing material.

4. Most important of all, use your Tweets as a point of entry. Periodically direct readers and followers to your website, your blog, and your online job search portfolio containing your virtual resume and work samples. This can help potential employers gain a wider appreciation of your skills and accomplishments than a one-page resume can provide.

For more on how to use social media resources like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr to your advantage during the job search, reach out to the NC staffing and employment experts at PSU.