A deeper dive into Twitter for sourcing

Twitter is being used to deliver all kinds of messages publicly but you can use it privately to enhance your sourcing mix.

In the last blog, I wrote about posting your jobs on social media sites for added exposure. This time, I am taking a deeper dive into Twitter to show how you can use the platform to locate and engage professionals. Here are a few steps to try:

1. Search Twitter for specific tweets or ongoing conversations of interest to you using keywords or hashtags.
   1. For example, if you are interested in meeting java professionals, type “java” or “#java” in the search field and Twitter will return channels, people, posts, news, etc. related to java.
2. Review the list of communities in a channel to make sure they match your criteria:
   1. Click (or tap) on the name of the channel/community, then click on followers. This reveals persons’ names and their brief bio containing job titles, skills, or interests.
   2. If the follower is another channel, click on their followers as well.
3. Decide who to follow or add to a list, or both.
4. Tweet directly at a follower or send a direct message to the person to begin engagement right away.

To get more specific with your search, use search filters or the advanced search feature, e.g., select or add criteria including geographic location, language, exact phrases, or tweets from a certain person. You must be logged into your Twitter account in order to use advanced search.

A possible drawback to sourcing on Twitter is that it is used for many different content, which can create diversions. Therefore, it is important to remain focused on the search at hand and not get pulled into the news, entertainment, or other activity on Twitter while you are sourcing – unless you are looking for candidates in these areas.

Finally, social media networks have been tightening their policies lately. Check frequently on “The Twitter Rules” and make sure to abide by them.

Happy Sourcing!

Rosemarie Williams Harvey is Senior Talent Acquisition Adviser at RH Business Support focusing on helping employers find top talent to increase their competitiveness.