Tweeting your way to the door

It is hardly over emphasised just how important Twitter can, and sometimes does prove to be in the world of PR. In fact, some people have gone so far as to tell me that no Twitter = no chance of a job. It was this belief that got me onto the beloved blue bird and engaging with a world I have so much to learn about. But, Twitter went one step further than I ever thought it would. I thought no Twitter = no job. In fact, this isn't true at all; however, Twitter = opportunities!

Since embarking on this job hunt I've worked my followers up to a modest 200 people, and I follow a little short of 500 people — mainly PRs and journalists but with the addition of a few people of interest outside of my chosen vocation. I've read the lists of 'Journos all PRs should follow' and that sort of thing, and I've taken note where relevant and helpful. I also follow PR feeds that showcase the world of PR for newbies and pros a-like to engage with. Most notably 'Good and Bad PR' and 'The PR Pearl' , both of which are consistent and reliable distributors of great PR stories, events and campaigns.

It was from following all these PR related people that I got wind of the whole 'creative CV' ideas, including #airtaylor which I thought was brilliant, and inspired my own creative QR code made of coffee. Had I not been on Twitter I would have had no idea this was the way in the door, I would have spent years emailing blindly and cursing my luck.

The reason I say all of this is because I recently had a conversation with a friend about job interviews and how difficult it is to get them. In a climate of job shortages, the fresh-faced graduate is not always the most appealing candidate, and with most agencies asking for internships and work experience first — a curse if you don't live in London — then the constant silence from applications is all too real for us. But I've been lucky and have had a few interviews. How have I got these interviews? I'm sure you know the answer to that!

Simply by Re-tweeting great content, commenting on interesting tweets, sharing what you think and asking questions of the right people — put simply, engaging with the PR world — I've made the connections to at least unlock the door even if not open it and have secured several interviews and contacts.

Of all of these there is one contact who has revolutionised my career quest: enter Sharon Chan. To this day I'm still not sure how she found me, but she listed me and I DM'd her to say thank you. This simple exchange turned into innumerable emails, phone calls, texts and, ultimately, a meeting in London, all of which have proven more useful to me that I could ever have fathomed. Sharon has been incredible at helping me get everything together and do the right thing, and I think one day I'm going to have to have a life-sized Twitter bird made out of cake to send her by way of a HUGE thank you. As she says on her website, Twitter is God.

Of the interviews in particular, the beautiful girls of Truffle PR invited me in after some Twitter exchanges, and since the interview said exchanges have kept up —you can follow them here. It is a wonder what 140 characters can do for you and your job hunt in simply gaining you wonderful contacts as well as interviews.

As yet, I still haven't found a job, so this isn't a 'How to get a job in PR' type blog — the ones I read like a bible — but, all I'm pointing out is that Twitter is the way forward for anyone looking to work in PR, whether PR will move with Twitter or leave it behind.

Interestingly, there has been a lot of discussion recently regarding measures of influence such as Klout. I follow my Klout score to see how I'm doing in terms of engaging an audience, how I use my network, and also because I'm just vain enough to worry about it. However, I do agree that assigning a value to your influence is rather a risky game considering the fallibility of it all. It's not a sitting-on-the-fence opinion, I think measures do more good than harm in a complicated world where any indication is worthwhile, but I do find Klout very useful in assessing whether people are listening. If they aren't, my justification for claiming Twitter is the way to get interviews is completely flawed. Just a footnote to this method.

If we're going to make this grey into black and white, I'm not just suggesting, I'm asserting that Twitter is the way to connect with the company you want to work for in the industry you want to work in. Get Tweeting and have your interview suit dry-cleaned and ready to go at the drop of a tweet!