Is Twitter the new CV (resume)?
December 3rd, 2008 by Andy Merchant
Over the course of the last few months I have heard tit-bits of conversation revolving around Twitter and new jobs. I also know of a couple of people who have been headhunted via Twitter and asked to attend job interviews, and of brands advertising vacancies via Twitter.
So that begs the question, are people using Twitter as a kind of ‘live’ online CV?
So what are the similarities between Twitter and your CV (resume)?
- They both have profiles.
- You paint a picture of yourself via your Twitter account, and your CV list your interests and hobbies.
- You send your CV off to companies you want to work for. On Twitter you can follow specific brands, or spokespeople.
- Services like twitbacks give you the option to add links to more online profiles of yourself. A CV will have similar information.
- Both have your picture on.
- CVs have all your contact details on, and Twitter allows you to get in contact privately via a direct message.
So as you can see there are many similarities, and I’m sure you can think of plenty more!
So we already know Twitter is a great communications channel and way of engaging, which is why it has the potential edge on the the traditional CV. The more devious/clever people among you could target specific brands and then use the @ functionality to wow the recipient with useful knowledge, insight and ideas, making you an ideal candidate for the next vacancy!
What do you think, are people doing this already? Let me know your thoughts?
Tags: cv, resume, twitbacks, twitter, twitter cv, twitter resume
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I like the idea of a CV in motion, but I think it’s more of the next generation of resumes. I’ve used Twitter to look for jobs and been approached on it or because of it, but I think it (and the internet as a whole) has added a new layer to the hiring process. Whatever you call it, however you classify it, it’s definitely a force and a great help when used effectively.
Alison Driscolls last blog post..Why I hate MySpace
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I agree with you Alison, the internet and the various shareable multimedia tools are a whole new way of selling yourself to a potential employee.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I hope so. I just started my own search and am finding twitter to be a powerful and fun way to connect with like-minded people. Biggest challenge for me is focus…I have two blogs and have written on such a wide range of topics that it is easy to forget you need to quickly and concisely communicate your personal brand to get a real opportunity.
The brevity of twitter helps force that. On my blog, DaveWrites, I can quickly write 1500 words. People like how I write. But that’s better if they are already curious about me…not reasonable to just say, go read my blog…for a few hours! A tweet, at the right time with the right audience, can be like a carefully-tossed dart that sparks a connection and leads to more.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
[...] can reveal everything about you and attract the attention of potential employers. In a recent post, Liberate Media agree with this suggestion and list the comparisons between social network Twitter [...]
August 26th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Wooh!! This is such a fascinating aspect to TWITTER. I would like to know whether the creators of TWITTER would have thought of such constructive use of their venture!!! I’ll definitely keep tracking information about this. Thanks for letting me know about this. Really helpful.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Webmasters are under appreciated, many thanks for taking the time to post this.